Boy Scouting Begins in Harrisonburg, Virginia – Central Virginia Boy Scouting Preservation Project
by Ray Ezell, Virginia Headwaters Council Historian
Boy Scouting in Harrisonburg, Virginia is older than in many other localities in the Commonwealth where Scouting has early roots. The first Boy Scout troop in Harrisonburg was led by Scoutmaster Daniel P. Wine and Assistant Scoutmaster Clyde C. Peters (both were railroad mail clerks), and was established in late 1910, less than a year after the Boy Scouting movement was formally incorporated in February 1910 in Washington, D.C. An announcement of the formation of the first troop (Troop No. 1) in Harrisonburg under the leadership of Scoutmaster Wine appeared in the December 14, 1910, edition of The Times Dispatch of Richmond. The brief article declared that Troop No. 1 was the first organized Boy Scout troop in the Valley. Although the validity of this claim cannot be conclusively determined, the troop in Harrisonburg was certainly one of the first troops organized in the Shenandoah Valley region. Troop No. 2 in Harrisonburg, led by Scoutmaster Rev. John L. Jackson, was reflexively organized a short time thereafter in early 1911, but details of the formation of this second unit are not well known. What is known, is that Scoutmaster Jackson came from a parish in Baltimore to Harrisonburg and was the rector of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church here.
In Harrisonburg, the early success of Boy Scouting cannot be untangled from team sports, especially baseball. Sports teams provided a ready-made vehicle that local scout troops used to satisfy their need for competition and as a mode to showcase themselves to their communities. Troop Nos. 1 and 2 of Harrisonburg fielded active baseball teams shortly after their formations. Baseball competition began between Troop Nos. 1 and 2 during the Spring of 1911. The April 4, 1911, edition of the Harrisonburg Daily News reported that the Wineites (Troop No. 1) squared off against the Jacksonites (Troop No. 2), and Troop No. 1 won the contest 17-6. From this article, we learn that Troop No. 1’s team was composed of scouts (?) Harmon, Harry Burtner, (?) Devier, (?) Taliaferro, (?) Humble, (?) Deck, (?) Bassford, and (?) Noll. Troop No. 2’s team was composed of scouts Bob Yancey, (?) Dean, (?) Hughes, (?) Zirkle, (?) Moore, (?) Winkley, (?) Messick, (?) Warren, and (?) Patterson. The April 13, 1911, edition of the Harrisonburg Daily News subsequently reported that Troop No. 1 won the second baseball game between the troops by a score of 8-4, which was held at the baseball field near the Woodbine Cemetery. Troop No. 1 won the third game in the series by a score of 6-4. The fourth game in the series was played at the High School baseball field, but the results of the game could not be found in the archival record. The last of the seven game series between the troops was played on May 15th, but the outcome could not be found. It’s likely that each team also played other youth teams in Harrisonburg (e.g., YMCA, schools, other Boy Scout teams, etc.), but confirmation of this could not be found.
A brief article in the April 10, 1911, edition of the Harrisonburg Daily News reported that the Harrisonburg Scouting movement had their headquarters above the People’s Bank on Main Street, and that a reading room/scout library had been established here. Two fundraising programs were given for the benefit of Troop No. 1 on April 11th at the city’s two movie theatres, the Edsonia and Virginia theatres.
In July 1911, Troop No. 2, under Scoutmaster Rev. Jackson, hiked to Yancey, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There they camped at the property of Rev. J.R. Ellis for several days before hiking back to Harrisonburg. Jackson continued as scoutmaster of Troop No. 2 until he resigned the pastorate of the Emmanuel church and moved out of the area in the late summer of 1914.
Troop No. 2 apparently filled its vacant scoutmaster position. In November 1912, Troop No. 2 gave a demonstration of signaling, first-aid, and other scoutcraft at the Shenandoah County YMCA conference at Woodstock. The conference discussed means and methods to engage teenage boys in productive recreation and civic activities and provided a ready audience that was receptive to the message of Scouting among boys.
The Harrisonburg Daily News reported that the local scout council (a committee that directed Scouting in the city) had elected a slate of officers in late January 1912 in an attempt to secure a council charter from Boy Scout headquarters in New York City. As was common, men of high community standing were selected to serve in council leadership roles. George N. Conrad elected president of the council. Conrad was Commonwealth’s Attorney and was a member of Virginia state senate from the 8th District (1916-19) and an alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia in 1920. James C. Johnston, a science professor at the State Normal School in Harrisonburg, was elected vice-president and treasurer, while Abner K. Fletcher, Jr. was elected council secretary. Fletcher was the circuit court clerk. William Dean, a local photographer and businessman, was elected scout commissioner (aka. chief scout). The council consisted of twelve members which met in their headquarters in the second floor above the People’s Bank. There is no reason to believe that the charter was denied by BSA’s headquarters. The Harrisonburg Council was probably approved by the late winter/early spring of that year as a second class council (with no paid executive).
