Troop 1, Palmetto Council

History

In the fall of 1909, an American businessman from Chicago was trying to keep a business appointment in fog-bound London.  From out of those milky shadows a young boy appeared, dressed in a quaint uniform. Without hesitation, he led the businessman directly to his destination. The businessman, William Bryce, was so impressed he offered the young lad a tip, which was politely refused. The youngster merely said it was his good deed for that day. There, on the fog-bound streets of London, instead of the windswept American West, the American Boy Scout movement started. The original scout movement had started in England in 1908 on an idea fostered by General Baden Powell. Within two years, it was accepted enthusiastically all over the British Empire.  When Bryce returned to Chicago, he explained the idea to his fellow businessmen and on February 8, 1910, the movement was officially started. The program became so popular that Congress issued a charter in 1912.

Troop 1 received its original charter from the Boy Scouts of America in 1914 when the Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Dr. W.H.K. Pendleton, was authorized to organize Scouting in the upper part of the state. In addition to being the oldest troop in South Carolina, Troop 1 is also the home of our state’s first two Eagle Scouts, Dr. George Dean Johnson and General William Childs Westmoreland. Our members take seriously the Scout Oath and Law, and seek to live out these values—honor, duty, loyalty, kindness, courtesy, courage and reverence for God and country—in their daily work and play. During their Scouting years, Troop 1 boys are scholars, school leaders, athletes and community volunteers. Since our founding, 226 young men have earned the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 1. These men’s legacies—as citizens, business and civic leaders, and philanthropists—stand as inspiration to the Scouts who follow in their footsteps. It is an admirable and relatively rare accomplishment to attain the rank of Eagle Scout; nationally, about 4% of all Scouts reach this goal over the course of their Scouting careers. In Troop 1, well over half of the boys ever in the Scouting program achieve this distinct honor, striving along the rigorous trail to Eagle in order to earn the special privilege of being a Troop 1 Eagle Scout.

A Scout is:

• trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind
• obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent

For more information on Troop 1, Palmetto Council

Website |  Troop 1

Contact | Tim Satterfield, Scoutmaster

Troop 1
The Episcopal Church of the Advent
141 Advent Street
Spartanburg, South Carolina, 29302-1904

Troop 1 is a unit of the Palmetto Council of the BSA, chartered by the Episcopal Church of the Advent. Troop 1 received its charter in 1914 and has the honor of being the oldest boy scout troop in South Carolina.