by Ray Ezell, Virginia Headwaters Council Historian
Author’s Note: An earlier version of this essay was first published in the Spring 2018 edition of the Orange County Historical Society’s newsletter, the Record (Vol. 49, No. 1). The essay is reprinted here in its entirety with several content updates and revisions based on new research over the last four years and minor alterations in format for this blog site.
On February 10, 2010, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) celebrated its centennial, having been formally incorporated on that date in 1910. The BSA is commonly thought of as one of America’s most esteemed youth development organizations, demonstrated dramatically in the United States Space Program (NASA) where at least 180 astronauts have been members of the BSA. Of these, 40 attained Scouting’s highest rank of Eagle Scout. As of 2016, there were 2,341,000 youth registered in all divisions of the BSA. For 114 years the BSA has been an integral part of the American social landscape.
During the mid-1910s in Orange County the fledgling BSA was gaining a strong foothold, and by Spring 1915 two troops had been organized–Orange Troop No. 1 and Gordonsville Troop No. 1. It would not be until 1951 that their troop numbers would be changed to their current designations (#14 and #12) by the Stonewall Jackson Area Council (now Virginia Headwaters Council). Orange Troop No. 1 (now Troop #14) boasts an unbroken tenure going back to 1915 and celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2015. Such longevity of BSA troops is exceedingly rare in the modern era of Scouting.
Fortunately there is a plentiful archival record of the early activities of Orange Troop No. 1 during the first several years of its existence. Part of this record is the irreplaceable, detailed journal of Boy Scout William Randolph Grymes, a member of a prominent Orange family and charter member and patrol leader of the troop’s Wolf Patrol. Additional details of the early history of the troop are also contained in a number of brief (but informative) Orange County newspaper articles (many of these early articles were probably written by Grymes himself or other members of the troop and reprinted by the press). It is rather unusual that such a vivid record remains of these formative days when scouts and leaders had no idea that the movement would quickly rise to such national prominence and public admiration–a marvelous and fortunate convergence of events. William R. Grymes’ journal is now housed in the archives of the Orange County Historical Society where it can be examined and is preserved for future generations. Former Troop #14 Scoutmaster, Kevin Cordray, also compiled a number of early documents, rosters, and newspaper clippings that appear on the Troop’s Facebook archives, which were consulted during the preparation of this essay.
The official formation of Orange Troop No. 1 is confirmed from the Orange Observer newspaper in early 1915. The text of the brief announcement is presented below.
“A troop of Boy Scouts of America has quite recently been organized in Orange with 28 members and Prof. Thomas A. Russell, Master. The following committee was appointed to aid the cause: Rev. R.F. Staples, Dr. F.B. Perry, Messrs. Larkin Willis, Jr., Z.W. Chewning and J.W. Browning. Rev. A.J.Harlow and Mr. E.V. Huffman pledged themselves to help the boys in every way they could.”
The organizers and committeemen named in the article were prominent citizens of Orange and possessed the necessary public cache’ that could be brought to bear to put the unit on sound organizational footing in the eyes of the community. Brief biographical details for these men are provided below:
- Dr. Frank B. Perry: dentist and mayor of Orange for 40 years before 1937. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound;
- Rev. Raymond F. Staples: pastor of Orange Baptist Church from 1910-1915;
- John Wm. Browning: Clerk of the Orange County Circuit Court from 1919–1936, and Deputy Clerk from ca. 1900-1919;
- Zed W. Chewning: prominent furniture store owner on Orange’s Main Street;
- Larkin Willis, Jr.: owned a successful hardware store on Main Street and was later president of a wholesale grocery operation on May-Fray Avenue. He was killed in 1929 by a train car in front of his warehouse in downtown Orange;
- Preacher, A.J. Harlow: reverend for several area Baptist churches and was an exceptionally diversified entrepreneur in Orange (e.g., funeral director, ice distributor, lumber company owner, real estate broker, movie theater operator, and electric power distributor); and,
- Edward V. Huffman: served on the Orange County Bicentennial Committee and was a successful farmer in the County.
A recently discovered article published in Washington, D.C.’s, Evening Star newspaper on July 27, 1913, provides previously unknown and interesting information pertaining to possible earlier beginnings of Boy Scouting in Orange a full 19 months prior to the previously recognized establishment of Boy Scout Troop No. 1. The transcription of the article is provided below.
At the request of Scout Commissioner Martin, Scoutmaster J.V. Hyde went to Orange, Va., Friday, to organize a Boy Scout council, under the auspices of the Citizens’ Association of Orange. Rev. R.F. Staples was selected as scoutmaster. Mr. Hyde explained the purpose of the scout movement and gave suggestions as to the organization of a troop.
During the meeting at which the council was formed one man said he was not in favor of the project.
“I don’t want to see such a thing started here because I don’t believe we can make it go,” he told other citizens present. They overruled his objection, however, and selected a council of twenty-five members.
Yesterday morning as Mr. Hyde was about to board the train to start home the man who had objected to the forming of a troop approached him.
“Say mister scoutmaster, how do you tie this bow-line knot they tell about in the scout book you showed us?”
Mr. Hyde showed him how the knot is tied and explained the tying of other knots.
“By the time I left Orange I knew that that man had changed his mind about Boy Scouts,” remarked Mr. Hyde upon his arrival in this city. “He was one of the most enthusiastic boosters I ever saw. The explanation of some of the activities of Boy Scouts and the meaning of the motto ‘be prepared’ had completely won him over.”
Unfortunately there is no known additional information that chronicles this 1913 effort in Orange to implement Boy Scouting. However in order to provide additional context, some information is presented for a few of the key players in this effort. Edgar Stanley Martin was the Scout Commissioner of the District of Columbia’s council and was its highest ranking Scouting official. He later served as the BSA National Director of Publications and editor of Scouting magazine. Scoutmaster J.V. Hyde, after completing his junior year at the University of Missouri, was the leader of Troop No. 30 and later the scoutmaster of Troop No. 45, sponsored by the Friends Select School (which the school later forced to disband). During the summer of 1913, Hyde was the director of the District of Columbia Council’s summer camp at Camp Archibald Butt at Chesapeake Beach. In July 1914, Hyde left Washington, D.C. and took the position of Scout Executive for the Birmingham, Alabama council. Rev. Raymond F. Staples (who according to the article was appointed scoutmaster in Orange) was the pastor of Orange Baptist Church since 1910 and a booster of youth recreation and physical development. He left this position at Orange Baptist in 1915 and became director of Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina in 1925.
At first glance, it would appear that the attempt to implant Scouting in Orange failed to take root, as there has been no documentation found to date confirming the formal organization or operation of a Boy Scout troop here during 1913-1914. However, another, albeit small, piece of evidence indicates that there may have actually been a troop that grew from this initial effort to facilitate Scouting here in 1913.
A Boy Scout Handbook (1913) belonging to William R. Grymes (founding member of Troop No. 1 in March 1915) has been preserved at the Orange County Historical Society. Examination of this handbook reveals some interesting information. Inside its front cover, the handbook was signed by William Grymes and clearly bears the date of 1913. On the “Boy Scout Certificate” page–a record of the owner’s Scouting advancements, appears the phrase, “Gotten in August 1913”, clearly visible across the edge of the page in handwriting closely matching that of Grymes. In August 1913, Grymes would have been 13 1/2 yrs old–well within the Scouting age range. The late July organizational meeting with Scoutmaster Hyde from Washington, D.C. seems all too convenient as well. These two lines of evidence taken together seem to indicate that a Boy Scout troop was in fact formed in Orange in August 1913 at the instigation of a Scouting official from the Washington, D.C. council. If the troop was formed, it must have been short lived and disbanded in the months after the summer of 1913.
What is less clear is why did this early attempt at Boy Scouting fail to take permanent root? It is unlikely that Boy Scouting failed to gain the interest of the town’s youth. Rather, the nascent organization may not have been able to sufficiently impress the adults necessary to provide necessary long-term support the new endeavor. The new troop did not lack a Scoutmaster, as Rev. Staples remained in Orange until 1915 and was even a charter committeeman of the Boy Scout troop established in March 1915. Whatever the reason why this 1913 attempt at establishing a Boy Scout troop ultimately failed, the community quickly recovered its appetite for Boy Scouting and threw its support again behind the formation (or re-formation) of Troop No. 1 in early 1915.
Turning out attention back to 1915, William Grymes’ journal (focusing primarily on the exploits of the Wolf Patrol) begins within six weeks of the formation of Troop No. 1. His first entry, from March 24, 1915, lists the charter members of the Wolf Patrol: William Grymes (patrol leader), Maurice C. Bradbury (asst. patrol leader), Curtis Gill, Harold Kinzer, Bassyl Gill (subsequently moved to another patrol), Newman Robinson, Charles L. Moncure, and Tom G. Terrell. The Wolf Patrol appears to have been the second patrol organized in the troop; however Grymes’ journal states that it was known as Patrol #1. Two additional patrols, the Panther and Eagle patrols, were formed around the same time.
Terrell, W.R. Grymes, and F. Jerdone (from Grymes 1915-18).
A brief published account of the troop’s initial organizational event and the first outing is appended to the Grymes journal and consists of an article written by Carey Hatcher, troop scribe, for the Orange High School student newspaper, The Flashlight (Scout M.C. Bradbury served as the business manager for this student paper). The article reports that the Panther Patrol gave an “entertainment in the auditorium” of the Orange High School on March 18, 1915. It was probably a presentation of the merits of Scouting to interested boys and their families. It appears that two scouts immediately (within a week) joined the troop after this presentation, and five others joined within about six weeks (Grymes 1915).
The second portion of The Flashlight article describes the Troop’s first hike to an unnamed location near the Montford neighborhood, 3-4 miles west of the Town of Orange, on April 3, 1915. When the scouts got to their destination, they played outdoor games and cooked over a campfire. Unfortunately no roster is known to exist for this inaugural hike that would be the first of many (Grymes 1915).
The first Scoutmaster of the newly established Troop No. 1 was Professor Thomas Alexandria Russell. He was the principal of Orange High School in 1914-16, and was formerly the principal of the Phoebus Graded School (in Elizabeth City County), and in 1916 served as a vice-president of the Virginia State Teachers Association for this region (VJOE 1915). A few interesting details can be found in his March 12, 1915, application for BSA scoutmaster. When answering the question, “Why are you interested in the Scout Movement?”, he responded that he thought that Scouting was good for the “betterment of boys spiritually, mentally, and physically;” and he thought Scouting would, “help school discipline and aid them (boys) in their work.” He stated in his application that he grew up on the water, graduated from Richmond College (University of Richmond) and the University of Virginia, and had considerable experience camping in the mountains of Virginia.
Specific references to Scoutmaster Prof. Russell in Grymes’ journal are somewhat limited; but an entry dated June 10, 1915, notes that Scoutmaster Russell would not be with the unit for the remainder of the summer due to obligations at the University of Virginia (Grymes 1915). Perhaps Russell was a lecturer or returned as a student there, but a search of University archives for 1915-16 failed to find Scoutmaster Russell listed in either student or faculty directories.
Within five years after the founding of the BSA in 1910, the Virginia Journal of Education (VJOE) reported that the statewide teachers’ association was actively advocating for the organization of scout troops in Virginia’s rural high schools. Scout troops were acclaimed to be of “wholesome effect” and appealing to the instincts of youth. Teachers were actively encouraged by their state organization to bring Scouting into rural areas and small towns as a way to supplement classroom work and enrich students’ lives (VJOE 1915). Scoutmaster Prof. Russell obviously subscribed to this policy.
The scoutmaster’s report filed with the troop’s recharter paperwork in 1916 detailed a number of activities that the troop conducted during its inaugural year. The troop regularly met at the high school and engaged in a modest outdoor program. The troop held a four day encampment, two overnight hiking trips, and three daytime outings. The troop quickly became of tangible service to the Orange community. Scouts assisted the county Board of Health during its “clean-up week,” were ushers at a three day Chautauqua, and provided some assistance to the poor.
The second (and noteworthy) scoutmaster of Troop No. 1 was Rev. Frank C. Riley. Riley was born September 27, 1888, in Baltimore, Maryland, and was graduated from Crozer Baptist Theological Seminary (B. Div.) in Chester, Pennsylvania, and from the University of Pennsylvania (M.A.) — both in 1915. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Richmond College and was ordained in September 1913 at Lee Street Church in Baltimore — although this congregation had previously granted him a “License to Preach” in 1908 (Anonymous 1918; Riley 1995). He was an acclaimed football player while at Richmond College and at his other educational stops (Maxwell 1922; Riley 1995). In 1913, Riley also taught advanced Greek at McGuire’s University School in Richmond (Riley 1995).
Riley was called as pastor to Orange Baptist Church on November 14, 1915, and served here until 1930, with a one year’s leave of absence during World War I (McColley 1987; Riley 1995). Riley’s association with Troop No. 1 began rather quickly on January 7, 1916, when he registered as assistant scoutmaster of Troop No. 1. He quickly became engaged with the program and is noted as an “Assistant Scoutmaster” on a troop camping trip to the Montford neighborhood west of Orange (Grymes 1916), as well as on a camping trip to near Matthews’ Mill in April 1916 (Orange Observer 1916a). Riley took over as official scoutmaster upon the departure of Scoutmaster Russell in July 1916.
In March 1918, Scoutmaster Rev. Riley requested a leave of absence from Orange Baptist Church for the duration of the World War I (McColley 1987) and had made it known to the scout troop that he would be leaving Orange to attend Chaplain Training School at Camp Taylor, Kentucky (Grymes’ journal mistakenly identifies it as Camp Jackson). He left Orange in June of that year to begin his military service. He was commissioned as Chaplain and 1st Lieutenant on July 5, 1918, and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 318th Infantry Regiment (80th Division) of the U.S. Army Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He arrived in the European theatre on August 7th (Anonymous 1919; Riley 1995). His regiment participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive from September 26-November 11, 1918. His division took its position near the center of the Allied attack during the pivotal campaign, and in late September, he was caught in a German gas attack at Nantillois but suffered no critical injuries. He was discharged on June 2, 1919 (Anonymous 1933). He returned to Orange as pastor and scoutmaster of Troop No. 1 by July 1919 (McColley 1987). He continued as the Scoutmaster of the troop until his resignation from Orange Baptist Church on November 2, 1930, when he became the pastor at First Baptist Church in South Boston, Virginia (Orange County News 1930). In April 1928, Riley was officially recognized by the now defunct Lewis and Clark Boy Scout Council with a ten-year veteran certificate and was noted as the longest serving Scoutmaster in the council which covered the counties of Orange, Albemarle, Culpeper, and Madison (Orange County News 1928).
A March 1916 newspaper article indicates that the Troop’s permanent meeting location was the “Boy Scout’s room” above Norman C. Bailey’s store (Orange Review 1916). An August 1917 industrial appraisal indicates that Bailey’s store (known as NC Bailey and Co.) was established in 1909 (Orange Review: Industrial Edition 1917). The store was located on the north side of East Main Street in the Willis/Matthews building with the ground floor consisting of a dry goods store and a grocery (Sanborn 1915). Bailey operated there for many years (US Federal Census 1910, 1920, 1930). He was noted as a committee member of the troop in February 1928 (Orange County News 1928). For special events and ceremonies, such as Courts of Honor, meetings were held at the Orange County Courthouse and later at the Orange Baptist Church.
On April 15, 1916, Grymes’ journal detailed a trip taken to identify a suitable camping location for the troop by the troop three patrol leaders (Grymes, Bassyl Gill, and Lewis Paxton). These scouts found a location along Pamunkey Creek “about ¼ mile from Mathews Mill,” approximately nine miles south of the Town of Orange, near the community of Lahore (Grymes 1916). This campground would later be known as “Camp Riley,” named for the troop’s new scoutmaster. On April 21, 1916, the full troop camped at this location for one night. No roster is known for this outing.
Troop outings were not limited to camping and hiking trips in the countryside. The troop also engaged in educational activities. On May 15, 1916, a joint trip by Troop No. 1 and the Orange High School physics class to the telescope observatory on “Observation Mountain” at the University of Virginia was hosted by Prof. Harold Alden of the University of Virginia. Prof. Alden lectured on the “McCormic” telescope, escorted the party through the Rouse Physical Lab, and explained wireless telegraphy. Observations through the telescope were made of Venus, Saturn, and the Moon. As noted in the Orange Review article, then Scoutmaster Prof. Russell expressed his gratitude to several Orange businessmen (some who were fathers of Scouts) for providing transportation for the 42 participants. This is the last specific mention of Prof. Russell as the Scoutmaster of Troop No. 1.
Frequent camping excursions around Orange were a fixture of Troop No. 1’s activities. These included trips to the area surrounding Town and to neighboring counties and local landmarks. One such camping trip took place June 9-10, 1916. The encampment was located about one mile beyond Gillum’s Mill (Madison Mills) near a feature on the Rapidan River called “Rock Swimming Hole.” A total of 15 Scouts made the trip with Asst. Scoutmaster Riley (Orange Observer 1916b; Grymes 1916).
The troop also held a number of week-long camps. Maybe the most notable was at Camp Riley. Fifteen scouts travelled (again) to Matthews’ Mill by wagon and held camp at Camp Riley from September 8-13, 1916. Here the Scouts spent much of their time writing letters to family, fishing, and swimming in Pamunkey Creek. Each night a guard was mounted (on a horse or mule) about 9:30, which attested to an affinity for some aspects of militarism during the early days of the BSA. On the following Sunday the troop marched in formation to the nearby North Pamunkey Church for the worship service. William Grymes noted that the troop made a very good impression, and the pastor allowed the scouts access to his vegetable garden, and another parishioner provided “four chickens and a suit box full of sweet potato and chocolate pies” (Grymes 1916). That Sunday afternoon saw a number of people visiting the troop at their camp. Monday evening was a time when the scouts held “war councils” and played “capture the flag,” a game still played by scouts today (Grymes 1916).
The week following their expedition to Camp Riley, the troop made a trip to the Montford and Liberty Mills neighborhood, near Somerset (Orange Observer 1916c). This trip attracted mostly younger scouts, and the Wolf Patrol probably did not participate. Only bare details were recorded by Grymes. The last major event during 1916 was held at the Orange County Fair, October 25-27th. Troop No. 1 scouts assisted the County Fair committee with crowd control and other tasks. A feature of the fair was an inter-troop competition, on the 26th, between the scouts of Orange Troop No. 1 and Gordonsville Troop No. 1 (now Troop #12). The competition demonstrated each unit’s ability to render first-aid for bleeding, fractures, and fainting, as well as bandaging techniques. The competition ended in a draw and each unit won a prize of $5.00 (Orange Observer 1916d, Grymes 1916). Unfortunately no list of competitors from either troop is available. A rematch was set for the 1917 Orange County Fair but it was not held as the Gordonsville troop failed to attend (Grymes 1917).
BSA anniversary week in February 1917 was an especially active time for Troop No. 1. The troop performed a community service project of distributing information around town on behalf of the Orange Civic League, and on February 10th made an anniversary hike to Buzzard Mountain, about one mile northeast of Rapidan in southern Culpeper County (near present day Coffeewood Correctional Center). Scouts making the hike were William Grymes, Brantley Willis, Joseph Houseworth, Harold Kinzer, Carlton Kinzer, Frank Perry, Wilson Porterfield, W. H. Herndon, and Phillip Barbour Stovin. As is still the custom of Boy Scouts across the nation every February, Troop No. 1 attended Sunday worship service at Orange Baptist Church where Scoutmaster Rev. Riley gave the sermon (Grymes 1917; Orange Review 1917).
The annual report provided with the charter renewal paperwork submitted to BSA Headquarters in 1917 summarized the previous year’s activities. The troop conducted two one week encampments, six overnight hiking trips, several day hikes, and a trip to President Zachary Taylor’s birthplace in Orange County. The troop service activities included; policing the county Chautauqua and county fair, distributed flyers for the Civic League Clean-up week, assisted with the King’s Daughters convention, conducted a paper drive for the Orange High School Patrons League. Scout Harold Kinzer was appointed troop scribe for 1917.
The second annual expedition to Camp Riley was held June 11-15, 1917. A total of 14 scouts and a cook, led by Scoutmaster Riley, hiked south from Orange eight miles along Monrovia Road to the Daniel’s Store with about 600 pounds of equipment for their 5-day encampment. They turned northeast and hiked to Matthews’ Mill where, due to a heavy rain storm, they spent the night of the 11th inside the mill. The campground was reported to be 1-½ miles from the mill, on the south side of Pamunkey Creek (Grymes 1917). The camp was probably in close proximity to the Matthews’ Mill Road. Just as with previous encampments, a scout “guard” was mounted on horseback each night. Rev. Riley was away from
the camp on Thursday evening for the weekly prayer meeting at Orange Baptist Church and to celebrate the first birthday of his daughter with his family (Grymes 1917).
In addition to its June expedition to Camp Riley, Troop No. 1 held another long-term camp from September 7-14, 1917, at what was labeled “Camp Coon” on the Rapidan River. William Grymes and the camp cook, Riley Hill, travelled from Orange with a wagon and cart loaded with equipment and supplies. Riley Hill, a young black man, was also employed by the Coleman Hotel in Orange as a cook. Their trip to Racoon Ford took them five and a half hours “over muddy roads and steep hills.” The remainder of the troop took Train #30 from Orange to the station at Mitchells, disembarked and hiked the rest of the way to the camp. The nightly guard duty was assigned randomly to two scouts each night, as was their tradition (Grymes 1917). The week was spent fishing, swimming, “loafing,” tramping about the vicinity, as well as practicing close order parade drills. On Sunday a general inspection was made by Scoutmaster Riley. This is the first mention of an inspection being made at any of the troop’s campouts. Grymes records that only two scouts passed this inspection — P. B. Stovin and an unnamed scout. Dirty fingernails caused the rest of the scouts to fail the inspection. Sunday morning was concluded with a worship service led by Scoutmaster Rev. Riley where he gave a brief sermon about the scouts using their opportunities, accompanied by Bible reading and reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
During the days that followed at Camp Coon, the scouts were up at 6:00 a.m., followed by breakfast, then fishing, rambling around, Scout skills tests, and going for mail (probably at the Mitchells Station/store). On September 13, there was a “Big Show” in Orange but due to an infantile paralysis (commonly known as polio) quarantine no one from the troop was allowed to attend (Grymes 1917).
Grymes’ journal revealed that by this time another patrol, the Owl Patrol, had been formed and was present at Camp Coon. Several scouts from both the Wolf and Owl patrols almost completed their second class advancement requirements during this week. However, Grymes had a harsh rebuke for some of the shiftless scouts who failed to use their time wisely. He was sorely disappointed that a handful of veteran scouts did not even try to finish their advancement tests while one new scout who had only been in the troop for about a month had quickly advanced (Grymes 1917).
On the night of the 13th a big campfire was built, and the scouts held “a war dance” that lasted over 45 minutes. Grymes reported that after everyone had gone to bed, he and Scoutmaster Riley snuck away and went to a dance held in a house not far from the camp. Incidentally, Grymes would turn 18 years old that coming December. After the troop broke camp later that week, the supply wagon driven by Frank Camper and cook Riley Hill got stuck near Somerville’s Ford on the Rapidan River. The remainder of the unit hiked via a different route to the train station at Winston and took the #15 train back to Orange. The following scouts were reported at Camp Coon: P. B. Stovin, L. S. Macon, Jr., W. H. Herndon, Frank B. Perry, Jr., Leslie B. Gray, Max Perry, B. T. Willis, Wm. W. Burgess, W. R. Porterfield, Wm. Greiner, H. H. Kinzer, Frank Jerdone, C. H. McIntosh, Frank Camper, Robert Houseworth, M. C. Bradbury, W. R. Grymes, and cook Riley Hill (Grymes 1917).
During the United States’ involvement in the Great War (1917-1919), scouts across the BSA fulfilled a variety of vital functions deemed important by the Federal government. These included: serving as lookouts along US coastlines; locating unlawful radio stations; providing assistance during the flu epidemic of 1918; conducting a nationwide census of and planting black walnut trees; collecting peach pits for use in the manufacture of gas masks; planting War Gardens and War Farms; selling subscriptions to the five loan campaigns during the War (the fifth campaign was initiated after the Armistice and sold Victory Bonds) for a total of nearly $355 million; selling subscriptions for War Savings Stamps, which totaled $52 million; and serving as official government dispatch bearers (BSA 1941). Scouts in Troop No. 1 participated in several of these initiatives, including war bond subscription drives and assisting the local red cross and civic league. Some details of these efforts have also been preserved in the Grymes journal.
Beginning in April 1917, the BSA organized nationally to overcome the war-time food shortage. Scout War Gardens and War Farms were begun as a way to supplement food supplies that were being diverted for military use in Europe. Nationally, a total of 12,000 war gardens and war farms were reported being grown in 1917-1918 (BSA 1941). Locally, Troop No. 1 was actively involved in the campaign to supplement food production for the War effort. In May 1917, Dr. Hume of Orange gave the troop permission to use “six lots” of unknown size on the John G. Williams’ farm. The precise location of this farm has not been determined, but it was likely in close proximity to the Town of Orange. The scouts cleared the donated field of undergrowth and prepared it for planting on May 19 and ploughed it the following Monday (Grymes 1917). Regrettably no other information about the troop’s war farm was maintained. Perhaps tending the garden was the responsibility of one of the other patrols in the unit.
Also in 1917, the government issued War Savings Stamps (WSS). When citizens purchased enough stamps for a war bond, the scout was awarded an “Achievement Button.” When a scout had orders for $250 in stamps from 25 or more individuals, he would receive an “Ace Medal.” Several Troop No. 1 scouts actively sold WSS in the spring of 1918, and P. B. Stovin appears to be the only Troop No. 1 scout awarded an achievement button and an Ace Medal for WSS selling efforts in August 1918 (Grymes 1918).
Scoutmaster Riley put a heavy emphasis on scouts selling Liberty Bonds and supporting the War effort. In April 1918, three scouts were also awarded medals for selling bonds for the second loan campaign (P. B. Stovin, Max Perry, and William Grymes). The medals were presented by Congressman Charles C. Carlin at a ceremony on April 13, 1918. Carlin was a member of the National Council of the BSA and was the US Representative from Virginia who in 1914 introduced the legislative bill for granting a Federal charter/incorporation to the BSA, which was signed into law by President Wilson in 1916. The Federal charter was important to the growth and sustainability of the young BSA movement, protecting the BSA and its insignia from brand infringement and competition from a myriad of rival youth organizations attempting to imitate the BSA and profit from use of similar uniforms and emblems. Only a few other organizations have received a Title 36 congressional charter, including the American National Red Cross (later the American Red Cross), The American Legion, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Wendell 2016).
The annual report provided with the charter renewal paperwork submitted to BSA Headquarters in the Spring of 1918 summarized the previous year’s activities. According to the report, the troop conducted a week long encampment and a ten day encampment. Service rendered by the troop included participation in the Second Liberty Loan campaign (with three scouts gaining medals) and the WSS campaign, as well as serving as dispatch bearers, escorts for US Flag and Service Flag raising, encouraged growing War Gardens by community members, service to the Red Cross, distributed notices for the county Board of Health and Civic League, and policing the county fair grounds.
In an April 1918 entry, Grymes noted that four scouts, who were charter members of the unit, were to receive service stripes representing three years of BSA registration. He was probably referring only to members of the Wolf patrol as there were several charter scouts still registered in the troop in the Spring of 1918 who were eligible for the same service stripe. After the departure of Scoutmaster Rev. Riley to the army in mid-1918 to serve as a chaplain, William Grymes and Maurice Bradbury may have been asked to serve as Assistant Scoutmasters. Grymes’ signature inside the front cover of his BSA Scoutmaster handbook notes the dates of August 10, 1918 and January 23, 1923, accompanied by the notation of “Asst. Scoutmaster.” By August 1918, Maurice Bradbury had joined the military and was stationed at Fort Berrancas in Pensacola, Florida (Grymes 1918). Grymes made an obviously emotional journal entry on August 18, 1918, and described the troop’s dire leadership predicament: “This is our crisis. Mr. Riley is in France, Maurice Bradbury in Florida and I will be at V.M.I. after the first of September. If someone does not take charge of the boys at once, I fear there will be no organization at all. I hope somebody shows up soon. At present we have eighteen active boys enrolled.” (Grymes 1918). That ominous entry ends the Grymes’ journal.
Grymes’ statement raises a question. P.M. Watts was officially listed on the troop recharter paperwork filed in March 1918 as an assistant scoutmaster along with Grymes and Bradbury. However, a notation on the recharter application (entered by BSA Headquarters) indicates that Watts was dropped from the rolls the following year in March 1919. It is likely that Watts was not able to serve as a functioning leader for the troop and was only a leader on paper. It is ultimately unknown what allowance for troop leadership was made during the absence of Scoutmaster Rev. Riley and assistants Grymes and Bradbury. However, there were a few scouts on the roster who were 18 years old or older, and they may have served in an unofficial interim capacity.
A brief article in the October 7, 1918, edition of Richmond’s, The Times Dispatch provides the names of several Orange scouts who enlisted for military service. These were: Cpl. Maurice Bradbury and Privates Ben Grymes, Walden Sisson, Charles Newman, and George Smith. Grymes enlisted on April 25, 1918 and served in Unit 407 of the US Army’s Motor Transportation Corps. He was discharged on May 16, 1919. Cpl. Bradbury enlisted on July 11, 1918 and served in the Army’s 6th Trench Mortar Battalion. He was discharged on January 19, 1919. Walden H. Sisson served in Co F of the 13th Regt., US Marine Corps. According to his gravestone, George L. Smith served in the US Army as a private during WWI. The Times Dispatch article reports that Troop No. 1 raised a “service flag” (aka. Blue Star flag) and conducted a recognition service for their absent fellow scouts.
William R. Grymes enrolled in the Virginia Military Institute by September 1918 and subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 15, 1918. Grymes was promoted to the rank of sergeant and was discharged on December 10, 1919. Fortunately, all of these scouts and veterans of the Great War returned from military service and continued with their lives–some in Orange and some elsewhere.
The summary report of the previous year’s activities submitted with the 1919 recharter application indicates that the troop continued to tend its war garden and continued to sell War bonds to Orange County residents. The report also confirms that the troop distributed official literature on behalf of other civic organizations in the town. We also learn that the troop began to build a Boy Scout “cabin” somewhere in the vicinity of Orange. This would serve as its regular meeting place when completed. The cabin was unfinished as of March 1919. There is no confirmation that the cabin was ever completed or where it was located. In March 1919, the composition of the troop committee had changed little. Mayor Frank B. Perry, Larkin Willis, Jr., and J.W. Browning continued to serve in this capacity.
Scoutmaster Rev. Riley returned in June of 1919 from his military service and fortunately resumed where he left off as scoutmaster and pastor of Orange Baptist Church. There appeared to be no ill effects due to his year-long absence as the troop roster was brimming during the early 1920s. The following reconstructed roster of Scouts during the early years of Orange Troop No. 1 represents many of the prominent families in this section of the county. Many of the names below are still recognizable in the community today.
Orange Troop No. 1 Roster 1915-1918
- Bassyl Gillc* (Patrol Leader 1916)
- Beauford Hoffman
- Benjamin G. Moncure
- Brantley Turpin Willisc
- Bryan Cavec (Asst. Patrol Leader-Wolf Patrol 1916)
- Carlton Kinzer
- Caroll Chewning
- C. Harold McIntoshc
- Charles L. Moncurec*
- Charles K. Newman
- Charles S. Moncurec
- Curtis Gillc*
- Dewey Garrett
- Douglas Johnson
- Earl Ware
- Ebbie McIntoshc
- Ernest Camperc
- Forset Gillc
- Francis B. Perry, Jr
- Frank Camper
- Frank Jerdone
- Frank S. Rogersc
- George Smith
- Gilbert Leake
- Henry Winn
- Harold Holladay Kinzerc* (Troop Scribe 1917)
- Joseph Eldridge Houseworthc
- Latimer Small Macon, Jr. (Asst. Patrol Leader-Wolf Patrol 1917-18)
- Leslie B. Gray
- Lewis T. Paxtonc (Patrol Leader 1916)
- Lewis Wrightc
- Maurice Culver Bradburyc* (Asst Patrol Leader-Wolf Patrol 1915)
- Maxey Perry
- Newman Robinsonc*
- Newman Baileyc
- Paul Amos
- Paul Grymesc
- Phillip Barbour (Coon) Stovinc (Patrol Leader 1916)
- Richard Winnc
- Rosseau Grimm
- Robert Houseworth
- Stuart Garrett
- Thomas Gray Terrellc*
- Willie H. Herndonc
- Walden Sissonc
- Wilbur Harlowc
- William W. Burgess
- William Greiner
- William Randolph Grymesc* (Patrol Leader-Wolf Patrol 1915-18)
- William Robinsonc
- Wilson R. Porterfield
- William Porter Carey Hatcherc (Troop Scribe 1915)
- Warren Paxtonc
c-1915 charter member of Troop No. 1; *-charter member of Wolf Patrol
References
- Ancestry.com
1910 Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
1920 Madison, Orange County, Virginia, United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
1930 Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. - Anonymous
1918 Bulletin of the Crozer Theological Seminary. Vol. 10, No. 1. Upland, Pennsylvania.
1919 History of the 318th Infantry Regiment of the 80th Division, 1917-1919. The William Byrd Press, Inc. Richmond, Virginia.
1933 Maryland in the World War, 1917-1919; Military and Naval Service Records. Vol. I-II. Baltimore, MD. Twentieth Century Press. - Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
1941 Service Record in the First World War. New York, New York. - Grymes, William R.
1915-18 “Wolf Patrol Journal, Orange Troop #1.” On file Orange County Historical Society. Orange, Virginia. - Maxwell, W.J.
1922 General Alumni Catalogue of the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - McColley, James 1987 A History of the Orange Baptist Church (First Known as the Orange Court House Church) from its Beginning on March 27, 1856 until September 9, 1986. Orange Baptist Church. Orange, Virginia.
- Orange County News
1928 “Scouts Hold Court of Honor.” Gordonsville, Virginia. February 16, 1928.
1930 “Rev. Riley Resigns Orange Pastorage.” Gordonsville, Virginia. November 6, 1930. 1935 “HC Clark Named Scout Committeeman.” Gordonsville, Virginia. September 26, 1935. - Orange Observer
1916a Untitled. Orange, Virginia. April 28, 1916.
1916b “Happy on a Hike.” Orange, Virginia. June 16, 1916.
1916c Untitled. Orange, Virginia. September 22, 1916
1916d “First at the Fair.” Orange, Virginia. November 3, 1916. - Orange Review
1916 “Hit with Ball.” Orange, Virginia. March 31, 1916.
1917 “Boy Scouts Observe Anniversary Week.” Orange, Virginia. February 16, 1917. - Orange Review: Industrial Edition
1917 “N.C. Bailey and Co., Inc.” Orange, Virginia. August 31, 1917. - Riley, Frank C., Jr.
1995 By the Name of Frank Riley: A Biography of the Rev. Dr. Frank Carson Riley (1884-1964). Privately Printed. - Sanborn Map Company
1915 Fire Insurance Map for the Town of Orange. New York, New York. - Virginia Journal of Education (VJOE)
1915 Volume IX, No. 1:239, Richmond, Virginia. - Wendell, Bryan
2016 “Accept no substitutes: On June 15, 1916, Woodrow Wilson made the BSA official.” Bryan on Scouting. Boy Scouts of America (BSA), June 15, 2016 https://blog.scoutingmagazine.
org/2016/06/15/june-15-1916-woodrow-wilson-made-bsaofficial/. Accessed February 13, 2018.
Central Virginia Boy Scouting Preservation Project 