Watertown Boy Scouts newspaper clippings, 1922-1967 (inclusive), 1922-1940 (bulk)
(Mixed Material)

Collection is open for use in the Local History Room, Watertown Free Public Library. Please contact Reference Staff for access.

The collection primarily consists of newspaper clippings about Boy Scouts of America activities in Watertown, Massachusetts printed between 1922 and 1967. Clippings from March 2, 1922 to June 13, 1940 have been pasted in chronological order onto the pages of a single bound volume. These articles are dated in pen. There are also a handful of loose post-1940 clippings which were left between pages unpasted. Most of these are dated, but they are in no particular order. Clippings are from Watertown, Massachusetts newspapers like the Watertown Sun and the Watertown Tribune-Enterprise, though there are also some clippings from the Boston Globe. Most are from regular columns dedicated to local Boy Scouts coverage. The clippings document and describe Watertown Boy Scouts activities, events, and leadership changes. Some list merit badge winners and examiners, or scout awards and promotions. Others include minutes of public events or narratives of scouting activities like local hikes undertaken or drills performed by Watertown troops. Accompanying the clippings is one black and white photograph which appeared in an unidentified newspaper with the title "Scouter notes 80th birthday" and the caption "gathered around the table starting with Ralph F. Perry…, Bob Manoukian, Bill Cowles, Tommy Hovanesian, Jeff Bejeck, Scoutmaster J. Arthur Riedle, Bob Armstrong, Tom Metcalf, and Kenny Boyajian. Not shown are Dave Hoffman, Committeeman William Bezanson, and Photographer Jim Metcalf."

Please use the following when citing materials from this collection: Watertown Boy Scouts newspaper clippings, Watertown Free Public Library, Watertown, Mass.

The Boy Scouts of America, a voluntary youth organization based on Robert Baden-Powell's Boy Scouts Association, was incorporated in 1910. The organization was founded to promote patriotism, independence, character development, and scoutcraft skills among boys ages 12 to 18. Just one year later, the first Boy Scout troops were organized in Watertown, Massachusetts. Local churches sponsored the earliest Watertown Boy Scout troops. The First Baptist Church organized a troop which was led for many years by Scoutmaster Guy V. Small. The Church of the Good Shepherd formed a second troop under Rev. Ogilby, and St. John’s Methodist Episcopal Church formed a third led by Scoutmaster John P. Bunker. Soon, the Watertown Boy Scout troops even had a small governing body to oversee and support local scout activities. Over the next few decades, Boy Scout programs continued to grow in popularity. In 1922, there were six troops in Watertown. A Watertown Boy Scout Council was formally established in 1923 and united with the Waltham Boy Scout Council in 1926. Troops sponsored by the Perkins Institute for the Blind (Troop 25), St. James Armenian Church (Troop 60), St. Patrick’s Parish (Troop 66), the Union Church (Troop 26), Phillips Congregational Church (Troop 34, led by Ralph F. Perry), the Hosmer School (Troop 52), the James Russell Lowell Parent Teacher Association (Troop 51), American Legion Post 99 (Troop 99), and other local groups and institutions sprang up across town. Just a couple years later, troops from Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Waltham, Watertown, Lincoln, Lexington, and Concord joined to form the Sachem Council. The Sachem Council oversaw Watertown Boy Scout troops until 1958, when it merged with other Councils in the Greater Boston area to form the Minute Man Council. Boy Scout troops met regularly to train in traditional scouting activities like hiking, camping, backpacking, orienteering, camp cooking, aquatics, woodcraft, and wilderness survival. Scouts earned badges by mastering various skills and adhering to a code of behavior that emphasized readiness and self-reliance. Watertown troops also participated in Council-wide activities like Scoutorama, an annual exhibition where scouts presented their work and skills, or summer camp at Camp Sachem, a 300-acre property owned and operated by the Sachem Council in Antrim, New Hampshire. In 1939, roughly 325 Watertown boys took part in Boy Scouts. By 1958, that number had reached 760. Some Watertown Boy Scouts grew up to be Watertown scoutmasters, and others ascended to local or regional leadership positions within Boy Scouts of America. Martin V. Tomassian and Charles T. Burke, Watertown Boy Scouts in the 1910s and ‘20s, went on to become a scoutmaster and council president, respectively. Local canoeist and Charles River authority Ralph F. Perry (1880-1968) was involved with the Watertown Boy Scouts for over 45 years. Known locally as the "Grand Old Man of Scouting," he served as a scoutmaster, merit badge counselor, troop committee chairman, district advancement committee member, and district commissioner. The Boy Scouts of America recognized Perry for his contributions to scouting and Watertown Troop 204 named an award after him.