Our Charter | Legend of the Troop | Outdoor Program | Indoor Program | Advancement | History of Boy Scouts | Code of Ethics   Click here for a Map to the Scout Hut TROOP 1002 INFO Our Charter Representing Over 30 Years of Scouting Serving over 35 boys from the cities of Richmond, Rosenberg, Fulshear, and Sugar Land, Texas Chartered by St. Johns United Methodist Church at Richmond, TX   Back to Top The Legend of Troop 1002...by Scoutmaster Preston Weatherred(ret.) Some years ago St John's Methodist Church in Richmond, Texas was preparing for its sesquicentennial celebration, and in the process one of our members went to great lengths to assemble a scrap book containing photos, news clippings and records pertinent to our church and the Richmond community over the involved period.  Amongst the photos assembled were several pictures of the 1913 Flood, when the Brazos and Colorado Rivers joined at Richmond.  Closer examination of one revealed a youngster in a militaristic uniform, that could only have been a Boy Scout.  I was surprised and wondered how in the world did a Boy Scout get to sleepy little agricultural Richmond that early in American Scouting??? About three years later, my wife, Carole, in process of compiling her family genealogy, discovered a cousin whom she had never known in Houston, a Mrs. Joe Deleery.  Contact was made, and subsequently, we got together for a visit at their home.  During the evening, we were making plans for another get together and I mentioned having a conflict with a particular date due to my Scouting obligations.  Joe asked if I was involved with Scouts, and upon my acknowledgment, told me that his dad had been one of Robert Baden-Powell's original campers and amongst the very first Boy Scouts in history.  Joe went on to say that his Dad, like so many British boys, had upon completion of his education, chosen the sea as his profession. He then excused himself and went into the bedroom for a moment to fetch something. Upon return, Joe Jr. told me that his Dad was serving as a junior deck officer aboard a British freighter in 1912 and was taken ill. He was diagnosed with Malaria by a doctor in Vera Cruz, Mexico, and advised that the best treatment regimen at the time was lots of fresh air and exercise.  In typical British fashion, Joe Sr. took the doctor's advice and proceeded to walk from Vera Cruz to Galveston.  Joe Jr. then showed me a diary his dad had kept on that trip, and there was indication, supported by Joe Jr., that upon arrival in the U.S., Joe Sr. had planted the seeds for Scouting along the way.  Unfortunately, our church records were lost in a fire in 1926, but one of our older members then in his 90's and now deceased recalled that St. John's had been sponsoring Scouting since the early days of the 20th Century, and before the First World War. He also recalled that Scouting had been introduced by a Brit.  I think it is safe to assume that Joe Deleery and that "Brit" were one and the same and that Scouting in Richmond got its start from that encounter. St. John's was the first organization to sponsor a Scout Troop in Fort Bend County and our Troop's formation was the result.  We have the distinction as being the oldest Troop in Fort Bend County and possibly in Texas, and certainly, the lineage, that direct link with the first Scouts is worth remembering and adds to our grand heritage. Preston Weatherred                                                             Scoutmaster(retired) and recipient of the Silver Beaver Award Back to Top The Outdoor Program One outing per month - Canoeing and High Adventure are focus activities The Troop owns over a dozen canoes with access to an additional dozen canoes Spring camping focuses on Canoeing.  New Scouts are paired with expert Canoeists.  Canoeing Merit Badge is encouraged. Troop has most of the equipment needed to get a new Scout started including Tents, Troop boxes full of Cooking gear, and merit badge books.  Most Scouts prefer to get their own gear shortly after joining. One week at summer camp per year One High Adventure outing every year   Back to Top The Indoor Program Meetings held three Monday nights a month at 7:30 PM at the "Alive" youth center at St. John's United Methodist Church in Richmond, TX.  Program focus is on preparation for the next scheduled outdoor program. In-House merit badges offered 3-4 times per year before/after meetings or on Saturday's.   Back to Top Other Activities Junior Leader Training (two times per year) Scout Fair booth (Spring) Meat Sales (Easter and Fall)   Back to Top Advancement Four "Courts of Honor" per year (Feb, May, Aug, Nov) where scouts are recognized for merit badges earned, ranks achieved, or other awards noted. Boys are encouraged to attain movement through the ranks with Tenderfoot/Second/First Class reached the first year, then one rank per year thereafter. Troop has an Eagle attainment rate well above the national average.   Back to Top History of Boy Scouts Scouting, as known to millions of youth and adults, evolved during the early 1900s through the efforts of several men dedicated to bettering youth. These pioneers of the program conceived outdoor activities that developed skills in young boys and gave them a sense of enjoyment, fellowship, and a code of conduct for everyday living. In this country and abroad at the turn of the century, it was thought that children needed certain kinds of education that the schools couldn't or didn't provide. This led to the formation of a variety of youth groups, many with the word "Scout" in their names. For example, Ernest Thompson Seton, an American naturalist, artist, writer, and lecturer, originated a group called the Woodcraft Indians and in 1902 wrote a guidebook for boys in his organization called the Birch Bark Roll. Meanwhile in Britain, Robert Baden-Powell, after returning to his country a hero following military service in Africa, found boys reading the manual he had written for his regiment on stalking and survival in the wild. Gathering ideas from Seton, America 's Daniel Carter Beard, and other Scoutcraft experts, Baden-Powell rewrote his manual as a nonmilitary skill book, which he titled Scouting for Boys. The book rapidly gained a wide readership in England and soon became popular in the United States . In 1907, when Baden-Powell held the first campout for Scouts on Brownsea Island off the coast of England, troops were spontaneously springing up in America . William D. Boyce, a Chicago publisher, incorporated the Boy Scouts of America in 1910 after meeting with Baden-Powell. (Boyce was inspired to meet with the British founder by an unknown Scout who led him out of a dense London fog and refused to take a tip for doing a Good Turn.) Immediately after its incorporation, the BSA was assisted by officers of the YMCA in organizing a task force to help community organizations start and maintain a high-quality Scouting program. Those efforts climaxed in the organization of the nation's first Scout camp at Lake George, New York, directed by Ernest Thompson Seton. Beard, who had established another youth group, the Sons of Daniel Boone (which he later merged with the BSA), provided assistance. Also on hand for this historic event was James E. West, a lawyer and an advocate of children's rights, who later would become the first professional Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. Seton became the first volunteer national Chief Scout, and Beard, the first national Scout Commissioner.  Back to Top Click here to view the Troop 1002 Code of Ethics Home | Troop Information | News | Links | Skills | Advancements | Members | Photo Album | Adults This site was last updated Tuesday, December 26, 2006 11:57 PM