10/27/2023
Our annual wreath sale has begun. Help support Troop 64 by purchasing a wreath or two. Sale goes through November 11 for delivery during Thanksgiving week. Beautiful, long lasting wreaths from George Didden nursery - $28. Message us here and Samantha will be in touch.
The Early Roots of Scouting in Carversville
The earliest record of Scouting in Carversville goes back to August of 1921 when the Rev. Charles Gerlinger and Harry Foster of the Carversville Presbyterian Church took the Boy Scouts to “a camp at Uhlerstown for a week’s outing.” How long the Troop was active in the 1920′s we don’t know.
On March 28, 1931 “A group of Citizens of Carversville” agreed to sponsor a Scout Troop. At that time small groups of Scouts were often considered “Tribes of Lone Scouts” if they weren’t large enough to be a Boy Scout Troop. The group was chartered as “Carversville Tribe No. 1.” The paperwork was marked BSA Region 3 (the Northeast Region), Council 777 (Bucks County Council’s number) and Tribe 64. We would presume that this group was the 64th Tribe or Troop to be chartered in Bucks County. In other years they were referred to as “Carversville Troop No. 1″ and “Lone Scout Tribe No. 64″ on the same paperwork. The Troop last re-chartered on June 21, 1937. Sometime during the next year the Troop was disbanded, along with over 6,000 other Scout Troops, due to a shortage of leaders brought on by World War II. In all, 29 boys were listed on the rosters during these seven years. When they met at the Carversville Church they had to fire up a generator if they needed lights and they had to build a fire in the pot bellied stove if they needed heat. They would hike and camp locally. Twice they went to Camp Buccou, the forerunner to Camp Ockanickon, located near Flemington, New Jersey. Annual events included decorating the Veterans graves in the Carversville Cemetery and participating in a Memorial Day observation in Carversville. One of their more ambitious projects was in 1933 when they collected two truckloads of food and provisions for Hoxie’s Philadelphia Harmonica Band for their week long camp at Deer Park, near New Hope. The Scouts camped here and were there for the concert along with 2,500 other people. The Buckingham and Rushland Harmonica Bands also participated in the grand event.
Organizing Troop 64
On October 3, 1944, the Rev. Philip Sailor made the following report: “A roster of boys has been secured who are now candidates for becoming Boy Scouts. The full organization of this group awaits our sanction and sponsorship as a Church. Thus, it is my hope you may see fit to vote at this meeting. Mr. DuBree, who has had wide experience in work of this kind in Philadelphia, together with Mr. Tomlinson, stand ready to lead the group of boys in their enterprise. My desire to have the Church sponsor this movement is strengthened by the fact that a group of young people just a little older than this group has almost completely been alienated from us through influences with which we seem to have failed to find a successful way to cope. This, as will be readily recognized, constitutes a problem such as I had in mind when I began this report. The group which we failed up to now to influence for good, needs the heartiest cooperation of all the forces available to us, such as the public school and the home to enable us to correct as far as possible our failure.” Earl Blair made a presentation about the principles of Scouting. After some discussion, it was voted that the Carversville Church would sponsor the organizing of a local Scout Troop. A committee was appointed which consisted of Rev. Sailor, Charles Hargens, Henry Wendte, Harvey Overpeck, Eli Hunsburger, Frank Magill, and James Walton.
