An interesting story from our archives, this one from 1954.
Mr. Pratt had a program in the troop in those years which rewarded scouts who showed "Good Scouting" throughout the year with participation in various trips across the Continental US and Canada.
The trip in 1954 is documented in the Scout News from September of that year.
Six scouts joined Mr. Pratt on this trip - Ronald Parry, Haig Alemian, Fred Belcher, Raymond Tourigny, William Gunville, and Kenneth Sherman.
They left home on June 25th, traveling south to spend the first night at Camp Horseshoe, near Rising Sun, Maryland. They spent the next two days in Washington DC seeing the sites, and even witnessed a hurricane during their stay. (Most likely part of Hurricane Alice. This was a very active hurricane year as people may recall, including Hurricanes Carol and Edna which struck New England later that summer).
They proceeded further south over the next few days, through Virginia, visiting Roanoke Island, Kitty Hawk, and on to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where an emergency struck. Ron Parry had a sudden attack of appendicitis, which required a wild midnight ride with police escort to Conway, about fifteen miles away from Myrtle Beach. A they traveled to that hospital they had to pass through an area that was actively fighting a forest fire on both sides of the road for almost 6 miles. Ron was operated on immediately, and recuperated for 4 days in the hospital there.
The scouts camped in Myrtle Beach while awaiting Ron's discharge, at a beautiful camp on the beach. After Ron's discharge the scouts traveled further south to the remains of Dorchester Fort, between Charleston and Summerville, South Carolina. This was an old ruined town settled about 1695 by a missionary company from Dorchester and Weymouth, Mass. All that remained at that time were the walls of the fort, a ruined church tower, and a spooky cemetery. The following day the scouts proceeded into Florida, visiting the Okefenokee Swamp, staying near Jacksonville. The scouts continued all the way south to Daytona Beach, Orlando, and St. Cloud, staying with the Ford family there. The return trip began July 13th, with a loop north along the gulf coast to Pensacola, north through Alabama and into Chattanooga, where they went to the top of Lookout Mountain, followed by a winding ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway with a stop at Chimney Rock and the Shenandoah National Park through Virgina, a stop in Gettysburg July 20th, and a final 370 mile stretch back to Weymouth, arriving home July 21st.
Some photos of this trip are below.
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| Members of Troop 2's first "Good Scouting" trip pose on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Left to Right - Haig Alemian, Kenneth Sherman, Raymond Tourigny, William Gunville, Ronald Parry, and Fred Belcher. |
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| While Ron Parry recuperated from his illness, the other members of the "First Trip" improved the opportunity to wash their clothes. This was in the back yard of the Ford home at St. Cloud, Florida. Left to Right - Haig Alemian, William Gunville, Fred Belcher, Kenneth Sherman, and Raymond Tourigny. In the background are orange and grapefruit trees. |
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| Outside Washington DC - left to right - Ray Tourigny, Haig Alemian, Ken Sherman, Fred Belcher, and Mr. Pratt |
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| Lookout Mountain, Tennessee - left to right - Ken Sherman, Haig Alemian, Fred Belcher, Bill Gunville. |
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| Bill Gunville and Ken Sherman at Fords house in Florida |
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| Scouts at Old Fort Dorchester - Fred Belcher, William Gunville, Kenneth Sherman, Raymond Tourigny, Haig Alemian, Ronald Parry - in the ruined church tower. |
Thankfully Mr. Pratt took the time to label the backs of these photos and a few others from this era, and they remained grouped together in an envelope for 50+ years.
If you have any suggestions or feedback on these historical postings, please contact Mr. Chase.
