Boy Scouting Appears in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1909-1917

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The original establishment of Boy Scouting in Knoxville dates to October 1909, predating (by four months) the official incorporation of the BSA in February 1910. Local leaders of the Knoxville (Central) Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) are credited with organizing the first Boy Scout troop in the city. It was not unheard of for American scout units to be formed in the months or even years before Scouting was officially born in the United States by requesting organizational materials (i.e. the Scouting handbook, unit charter) directly from the headquarters of British Boy Scouting in London, England. ...

William Perry “Buck” Toms, Earl C. “Pocket” Ford, and E. Warren Dance were the men who established that first Knoxville Boy Scout troop in late 1909. Earl Ford was the YMCA assistant physical director, and Toms, who would later serve as the Commissioner of the Knoxville Council, was the director of the YMCA and its president from 1911-1914. Troop No. 1 was also referred to as... For more details on the development of Scouting Knoxville Read Here...