BSA Troop 17
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      • Corey Shea Flagpole Dedication- June 2011
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Where in the world have we been?

7/25/2013

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Troop 17 has been on a lot of outings over the years, but just where were they?  You can now find out with the map below.
You can find this map permanently on our troop website under the "Upcoming Events" tab (yes, we are aware that it is a map of past events). :-)  Let's see what new markers we can add next year!

Right now, the map includes all the trips taken as far back as September of 2008.  That means we only need to find 85 more years of trips!

View Where We Have Been in a larger map
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Map of Troop 17's Eagle Projects

7/11/2013

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Eagle Scouts have been required to lead a service project since 1965.  Our Troop 17 has had 43 Eagle Scouts (& 43 Eagle Scout projects) since then.  It's quite impressive to see the difference that these Eagle Scouts have made in our communities.  The map below shows all the Eagle Scout projects that we know about. Note: You'll have to zoom out to see all of the projects.  We span the nation!

You can get a summary of the Eagle project, including date, Eagle Scout by selecting one of the Eagle Scout badges.  

 Note: We are still looking for the locations of quite a few projects.  If you know the details of those projects, please send an email to Mr. Gillogly.  Names of the missing projects are shown below the map.

View Troop 17 Eagle Projects in a larger map
1965 - David C. Horton
1967 - William B. Vernon
1969 - Robert B. Vernon
1971 -  David Fiederici
1977 - William Baurer
1985 - Leo Stacey Huott
1987 - Harold A. Cheyene II
1987 - Matthew Flannery
1988 - Stephen Roger Conant
1988 - Ross A. Dahlstrom
1990 - Eric J. Aubin
2000 - Scott Johnson
2003 - Troung-Vinh Phung
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Angle Tree District? What's an "Angle Tree"?

7/10/2013

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Troop 17 is part of the Angle Tree District of Annawon Council.  Have you ever wondered where the district name came from?  It's actually from a very important historic landmark.

From the "History of Annawon Council" on the Annawon Council  website:
In 1966 Annawon Council held a contest to rename the North and South Districts. Angle Tree was suggested by Gary Fish of  Troop 10 N. Attleboro, and Sachem by Barry Pinto Pack 6 of Taunton. Prior to 1964 the two districts were known a  North (Angle Tree) and South (Sachem) Districts. Sachem
came from a Scout reading Indian history.

The Angle Tree Stone exists in N. Attleboro, off 19 High St, on the North Attleboro/ Plainville  border.  The stone marker was
erected in 1790 (during George Washington's second term as president) to replace a dying White Oak tree that was used as
a boundary marker since 1640. It was designated as the border between Plymouth Bay Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony. It is the second-oldest such stone monument in the nation,  and also marks boundary between Norfolk and Bristol counties.
The stone has been given the status of a National Monument

More information on the Angle Tree Stone, including it's exact location.

Angle Tree District consists of units from Mansfield, Norton, Attleboro and North Attleboro.  It currently has 13 Packs, 12 Troops and five crews. 
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Did you know the Camp Norse bell came from Mansfield?

6/20/2013

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Everyone who's been to Camp Norse has seen this bell, but did you know that it actually came from Mansfield?

The 1,200-pound bell used to call firemen to action in the old firehouse on W. Church St. in Mansfield.  When a new firehouse was built on North Main street, the bell was not moved.  Instead, it was put into storage in 1930, when the old firehouse was demolished. 

In 1945, after 15 years of storage,  the Board of Selectman looked into donating the bell to Camp Norse.  It wasn't until 1960 that the bell actually made it to camp.  There, the bell was used for emergency calls and to call Scouts to chow at the camp. 

There's more to the bell's history.  It almost disappeared forever...
Excerpt from the History of Annawon Council on the Annawon Council's website:
In 1960 the camp received a bronze bell, dated 1891.  Howard Fowler, Editor of The Mansfield News and former Council President, was instrumental in procuring the bell from the Mansfield Fire Department. It came from an old firehouse on West Church St In Mansfield. There is a picture of that old fire house in the present firehouse recreation room.  The bell was stolen from camp in the mid 60�s. The stolen bell was traced  to a junk dealer by the name of Enos in Taunton. The junk dealer's cousin was on the USS Massachusetts Battleship committee with Chief Govain. He was nervous that he may get caught up
in the theft, so he told police about the junk dealer. The junk dealer had sold it to a salvage company in New Jersey. Police located the stolen bell  just prior to it being melted down. The bell was finally brought back to camp. Used to signal chow, the bell was originally located down at  the line cabins, close to the present Leo Yell nature building, so that Chief could walk up to it
and ring the bell. When the new dining hall was built the bell was relocated to it's present location.
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Scoutmasters

6/13/2013

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Since it's inception in 1923, Troop 1/Troop 17 has seen 22 Scoutmasters (two having served twice) 

1923 - Carl R.  Anderson
1924 - Wilbur Wallace Morrison
1925 to 1937 - Clarence H. Morse *
1938 to 1940- Wilber C. Fletcher
1941 to 1943 - Robert C. LaRoe
1944 to 1954 - Clarence H. Morse
1955 to 1956 - William Roger Bond *
1957 to 1963 - Robert DeLong
1964 to 1967 - Richard G. Horton
1968 - Jack MacPhee
1968 to 1970 - Robert  M. Delong *
1971 to 1972 - Edward A. Carr
1973 to 1975 - Allen L Willis Jr.
1976 - Norman J. Tompkins
1977 to 1983 - Robert C. Cormier
1984 to 1989 - Donald P. Curry
1989 to 1991 - Henry Aubin
1990 to 1992 - Richard Pupa
1992 to 1994 - Donald E. Bailey
1994 to 1998- Richard Nudd
1998 to 2004 - Ronald J. Boucher
2004 - 2007 - Rich Kelly
2007 - 2013 - Peter Ham *
2013 to present - James J Gillogly

* indicates recipient of the Silver Beaver award.
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What is a Boy Scout - 1923 style

2/21/2013

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In 1923, the year Troop 17 was founded, the "Handbook for Boys" posed the question, "What is a Boy Scout?"   We all know what a scout IS today.  Was it the same back in 1923?  Why don't you decide? 

What is a Boy Scout?

 A Glimpse of the Life of the Boy Who  “Belongs”


 A SCOUT! He enjoys a hike through the woods more that he does walks over the city street. He can tell north or south or east or west by the “signs.”  He can tie a knot that will hold, he can climb a tree which seems impossible to others, he can swim a river, he can pitch a tent, he can mend a tear in his trousers, he can tell you which fruits and seeds are poisonous and which are not, he can sight nut-bearing trees from a distance; he can reef a sail or take his trick at the wheel, and can pull an oar or use paddles and sculls; he knows the stars by name and can find his way by them; he can identify birds and animals and fish and knows the ways and habitats of each.

 A scout walks through the woods with silent tread.  No dry twigs snap under his feet and no loose stones turn over and throw him off balance.  His eyes are keen and he sees many things that others do not see.  He sees tracks and signs which reveal to him the nature and habits of the creatures that made them.  He knows how to stalk birds and animals and study them, in their natural haunts.  He sees much, but is little seen

 A scout, like an old frontiersman, does not shout his wisdom from the housetops.  He possesses the quiet power that comes from knowledge. He speaks softly and answers questions modestly. He knows a braggart but he does not challenge him, allowing the boaster to expose his ignorance by his own loose-wagging tongue.

 A scout holds his honor to be his most precious possession, and he would die rather than have it stained.  He knows what is his duty and all obligations imposed by duty he fulfills of his own free will.  His sense of honor is his only taskmaster, and his honor he guards as jealously as did the knights of old. In this manner a scout wins the confidence and respect of the people.

 A scout can kindle a fire in the forest on the wettest day and he seldom uses more than one match.  When no matches can be had he can still have a fire, for he knows the secret of the rubbing sticks used by the Indians, and he knows how to start a blaze with only his knife blade and a piece of flint.  He knows, also, the danger of forest fires, and he kindles a blaze that will not spread.  The fire once started, what a meal he can prepare out there in the open!  Just watch him and compare his appetite with that of a boy who lounges at a lunch counter in a crowded city. He knows the unwritten rules of the campfire and contributes his share to the pleasures of the council.  He also knows when to sit silent before the ruddy embers and give his mind free play.

 A scout practices self-control, for he knows that men who master problems in the world must first master themselves.  He keeps a close guard on his temper and never kames a sill spectacle of himself by losing his head. He keeps a close guard on his tongue, for he knows that loud speech is often a cloak to ignorance, that swearing is a sign of weakness, and that untruthfulness shatters the confidence of others.  He keeps a close guard on his appetite and eats moderately of food which will make him strong; he never uses alcoholic liquors because he does not wish to poison his body; he desires a clear and active brain, so he avoids tobacco.

 A scout never flinches in the face of danger, for he knows that at such a time every faculty must be alert to preserve his safety and that of others. He knows what to do in the case of fire, or panic, or shipwreck; he trains his mind to direct and his body to act. In all emergencies he sets an example of resourcefulness, coolness, and courage, and considers the safety of others before that of himself.  He is especially considerate of the helpless and  weak.

 A scout can make himself know to a brother scout wherever he may be by a method which only scouts can know.  He has brothers in every city in the land and in every country in the world.  Wherever he goes he can give his signs and be assured of a friendly welcome.  He can talk with a brother scout without making a sound or he can make known his message by imitating the click of a telegraph key.

 A scout is kind to everything that lives.  He knows that horses, dogs, and cats have their rights and he respects them. A scout prides himself upon doing “good turns,” and no day in his life is complete unless he has been of aid to some person.

 A scout does not run away or call for help when an accident occurs. If a person is cut he knows how to stop  the flow of blood and gently and carefully bind up the wound.  If a person is burned his knowledge tells him how to alleviate the suffering.  If any one is dragged from the water unconscious, a scout at once sets to work to restore respiration and circulation.  He knows that not a minute can be lost.

A scout knows his city as well as he knows the trails in the forest. He can guide a stranger wherever he desires to go, and this knowledge of short-cuts saves him many needless steps.  He knows where the police stations are located, where the fire-alarm boxes are placed, where the nearest doctor lives, where the hospitals are, and which is the quickest way to reach them.  He knows the names of the city officials and the nature of their duties. A scout is proud of his city and freely offers his services when he can help.

A scout is  a patriot and always ready to serve his country at a minute’s notice. He loves Old Glory and knows the proper forms of offering it respect.  He never permits its folds to touch the ground. He knows how his country is governed and  who are the men in high authority. He desired a strong body, and alert mind and an unconquerable spiit, so that he may server his country in any need.  He patterns his life after those of great Americans who have had a high sense of duty and who have served the nation  well.

 A scout chooses as his motto “Be Prepared,”and seeks to prepare himself for anything – to rescue a companion, to ford a stream, to gather firewood, to help strangers, to distinguish righter from wrong, to serve his fellowmen, his country, and his
God – always to “Be Prepared.”


 
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Troop 17 older than Annawon Council?

2/3/2013

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Troop 17 is actually 10 years older than Annawon Council.  

Troop 17 (then known as Troop 1) was chartered on Jun 1, 1923. 

In 1930 Annawon council was organized, but it was not until January 9, 1931, that it was incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts, and legally established as of April 20, 1933.

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Troop 17 started out as Troop 1

2/3/2013

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Did you know that Troop 17 wasn't always Troop 17?   Our troop, in fact, started out as Troop 1 when it was charted on June 1, 1923..  It was changed to Troop 17 after Annawon Council decided that the number 1 was too elitist.  Troop 17 was formed when we drew the number 17 out of a hat.   

Of course, in our hearts, we always knew that Troop 17 is #1!

Read more at Mansfield News' "This Old Town" by Harry Chase.

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