When my son informed me that 1998 was the 70th anniversary of his Boy Scout Troop, my historian instincts were aroused. If he was correct, Troop 70 must have been started in 1928. According to the family encyclopedia, however, the Boy Scout movement in the United States began in 1910. It seemed inconceivable that Newtown would have been so far behind the nation in tending to its youth. My suspicions led me to the records of Troop 70, kindly supplied to me by Scoutmaster Gene Cox, and these confirmed that the troop had indeed been in continual existence for 70 years.

A trip through back issues of The Newtown Bee, however, showed that Newtown had Boy Scout groups in town almost as early as the founding of the organization, and there were other, similar youth organizations that even predated the Boy Scouts. Newtown was a very progressive town after all. The drive in the United States to create organizations for youth goes back before the turn of this century .As the 19th century came to a close and the
industrial revolution grew to maturity, the nation’s leaders became increasingly concerned with the state of the nation’s youth, especially those who were being raised in urban settings where they were no longer in contact with the traditions of the frontier.

Knowledge of nature and experience in the forest were denied to these youth as were the values that came with such knowledge and experience. In response to this, a number of youth organizations developed that set out to remedy these deficiencies in youth training. By the 1910s most of these organizations coalesced into the Boy Scouts. Several of the most successful early youth organizations were associated with western Connecticut. Ernest Thompson Seton and his Woodcraft Indians, for example, had their primary summer camp on Seton’s estate in Greenwich. Daniel Carter Beard, who lived in Redding during the early years of this century, founded the Sons of Daniel Boone (later called the Boy Pioneers). The purpose of this group was typical of many of the early groups and were laid out by Beard as follows: “The elevation of sport, the support of all that tends to healthy, wholesome manliness; the
study of woodcraft, outdoor recreation, and fun and serious work for the making and support of laws prohibiting the sale of game, and the preservation of our native wild plants, birds and beasts.” Beard also hoped to, “awaken in the boy of today, admiration for the old-fashion virtues of American Knights in Buckskin and a desire to emulate them.” The Boy Scouts were founded in 1907 in Great Britain by Robert Baden-Powell.
Ironically, it was Ernest Seton’s writings that greatly influenced Baden-Powell and several elements of Seton’s Woodcraft Indians were incorporated into the British Boy Scouts with only minor modifications. It was not until 1910, however, that the Boy Scouts crossed to the United States. This was
the work of Chicago millionaire, publisher William D. Boyce. The story of how Boyce became involved with the Boy Scouts is one of the much beloved stories of Scouting. According to the most popular version of the “Unknown Scout,” Boyce was in London on business in August of 1909 before launching off on a photograph and shooting expedition to East Africa. One afternoon shortly before leaving, the city was enshrouded in a pea- soup fog for which it is so well known, and Boyce quickly lost his bearings. While lost in the fog, he was approached by a boy of about 12 years old,
who carried a lantern and offered to guide him to the address he was seeking. When they reached Boyce’s destination, he offered the boy a shilling tip, but the boy politely refused saying, “No, sir, I am a Scout. Scouts do not accept tips for courtesies or good turns.” The boy’s behavior intrigued Boyce who, after completing his business, had the boy direct him to the local Scouting headquarters. There he spoke to an official of the organization and ~acquired a number of Scouting publications which he studied on the four month expedition to Africa. As a result, Boyce was determined to
bring Scouting to the United States, and on February 8, 1910 he filed incorporation papers for the Boy Scouts of America in the District of Columbia.

The purpose, he said, “shall be to promote through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scout craft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the common methods which are in use by Boy Scouts.” The Scouting movement came to Newtown within a year of its national incorporation. Even before its arrival, however, there was at least one attempt to develop a boys’ organization. This effort, like all of the subsequent attempts to organize a Boy Scout troop, including the final successful one in 1928, centered on the ministers of the Congregational Church. In July of 1908, only seven months after being called to fill the pulpit, Rev. Alexander Steele put out a call that he was forming an “nondenominational” club for boys and men called the Knights of King Arthur. This was a national group and Rev. Steele was trying to form a local chapter. Unfortunately, not much is known about the national group beyond the
fact that it was absorbed into the Boy Scouts sometime in late 1910 or early 1911. There is also little information on the success of the local group.
They held another meeting for new members in September and from the tone of the announcement they were looking forward to completing the organization of the group at that meeting, suggesting that they were beginning their first season. The only other note about this group occurred in August of 1909, when it was announced that there were 13 boys in Camp Housatonic for ten days. It was noted that this was an increase of seven boys over the previous year. Although it is not explicitly stated, this group/must have been the Knights of King Arthur since those who were listed as
visitors to the camp were several who are known to have been active in the formation of the group and also in the later Boy Scout movement. A little over a year after the national incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America, on March 10, 1911, Rev. Steele called a formation meeting for a troop of Boy Scouts of Newtown. This meeting was a success and Troop 1 was born. The Knights seem to have either disappeared or been the nucleus around which the Boy Scouts formed. By September, the troop was thriving and held a conference which was attended by at least three Scouts from Danbury and a group from Bethel. The Bethel group was transported to the Newtown conference by a relatively new means of conveyance, an automobile.
This new technology was somewhat less than reliable, however, and it broke an axle in Dodgingtown. A new auto was sent over from Bethel but the lights on this vehicle went out a short time later so the Scouts were left in darkness and walked the rest of the way to the conference. They were put up at the home of Rev. Steele that night. The conference itself consisted of three speakers, one of whom, M. R. Woodhull, addressed the boys on the 12 points of the Scout Law. He later entertained the assembled Scouts by exhibiting a large blacksnake he caught a short time before on the banks of the Housatonic River and discoursing on the varieties of non-harmful local snakes. This was all followed by “a large spread” put out by the Newtown Scouts. The reporter noted that the church hall where this was being held was filled by a large number of Scouts from the Street (Main Street) and vicinity indicating that the early days of Troop 1 were very successful. Apparently, the early Scout troop was not looked on favorably by many of the town’s people. In September of 1912, Scout Commissioner Burt J. Thrall was moved to publish a defense of the organization in The Newtown Bee.
One of the misapprehensions was that the group was a religious organization and its motto “Be Prepared” a warning of some impending apocalypse.
After countering that misunderstanding, he put forth a good description of the way that the early Scout leaders conceived of the aims and goals of the organization: The word “scout” is used to mean “the one on the watch for the rest.” We have widened the word a little; we have made it fit the town, as well as the wilderness and suited it to peace times instead of war. We have made the Scout an expert in life craft as well as wood craft, for he is trained in the things of the heart, as well as head. and hand. Scouting we have made to cover riding, swimming, tramping,trailing,photography, first aid, camping, handicraft, loyalty, obedience, courtesy, thrift, courage, and kindness. Thrall ends by explaining that Boy Scouting is a free organization except for the expense of a uniform which was optional. There was, he noted, a fee of 25¢ dues for the Newtown troop, but that was the decision of the local group which would give them the rent they needed for a meeting room. In February of 1912, Rev. Steele, the guiding light of the early boys’ organization, resigned his post. Troop 1 survived because Burt Thrall agreed to become theScoutmaster and it remained an active troop for another year and a half. In that time, the boys again camped on the Housatonic below the Zoar Bridge in Monroe.

In September 1913, the national Boy Scouts make a major change to tighten the organization. An annual due of 25¢ was now charged and each Scout was expected to fill out a registration form with his name, address, and rank, which would be sent with the money to the national headquarters. In return, each Scout received a certificate showing that the Scout was in good standing for one year after the certificate was issued, there is probably no causal connection, but
subsequent to this announcement, there is no notice of Troop 1 for the next five years. Troop 1 appears to have lapsed, for in July 1918 a call goes forth from the pages of The Bee to attend a meeting at the home of Arthur Smith, the business manager of The Bee, “…for the purpose of discussing the advisability of forming a troop of Boy Scouts in Newtown.” The guiding light of this organizational meeting was Rev. Edward Grisbrook who had become the new minister of the Congregational Church in mid-May. That organizational session led to the first meeting of the reconstituted Troop 1 and Rev. Grisbrook was overwhelmingly elected Scoutmaster. P. H. McCarthy became the Assistant Scoutmaster and a single patrol was formed with Seaman Mead Jr. as patrol leader, Cornelius Houlihan, assistant patrol leader and Elsworth Chase, scribe. Very soon a second patrol of younger boys was formed, and Troop 1 was again active. By August of the next year, the troop was strong enough to hold a regional field day. This was held on the grounds of the newly organized Newtown Country Club. The Bee’s account of the day’s activities offers a good glimpse into one of the Boy Scouts early functions: The Scout Field Day on Friday at the Country Club grounds was a notable success. At 11 a.m. was a parade, with Seaman Mead as marshal. The Danbury troop participated in the parade and the events of the day. There were Scouts on bicycles, then the Scouts drawing a float, representing wireless or “Uncle Sam’s Minutemen.” The parade started from the head of the Street and broke up at the Country Club grounds. In the Scout first aid race, using the fireman’s lift to bring the patient in, the Newtown troop won out. In the first aid stretcher case, using two Scouts, the Danbury troop won. The 100 yard dash was won by John Ray in the first prize and Jacob Schoch, the second. The one half mile race was won by James D. Corbett. A picnic luncheon was enjoyed by the Scouts at the Club grounds. The base ball match was won by the Newtown nine, with a score of 22 to 10. W. T. Cole generously donated two base balls to the winning team. William Cole, who donated the baseballs, was the superintendent of Fabric Fire Hose. John Ray, who won the 100 yard dash, was a member of one of the few black families in Newtown, so it appears that Newtown’s Troop 1 was integrated, something that most other Boy Scout troops would not be for several decades.

In May of 1923, Rev. Grisbrook resigned to answer a call to a parish on the other side of the state, and the troop again lapsed into silence. Its next and last resurrection occurred in 1928 and the man responsible for this was Rev. Paul Cullens who had taken over the pulpit of the Congregational Church at the beginning of that year. Rev. Cullens would remain the minister of that church for 36 years and during that time he was the undisputed leader of youth activities in Newtown, including the Boy Scouts. The reorganization meeting was held on January 10, 1928 and Troop 1 was formally back in existence as of that meeting. Within a year, however, the troops of northern Fairfield County, which had been part of the Waterbury Council, were moved to the jurisdiction of the Bridgeport Council. Unfortunately, the Bridgeport Council already had a Troop 1 which had been formed earlier than the Newtown troop. As a result, the Newtown troop became Troop 70, a designation it has held up to the present. The newly reconstituted troop quickly became very active. By June 20, 1928, 15 boys had passed their medical exam and traveled to the camp of the Waterbury Council for a week of camping activities and classes in outdoor living. By the beginning of February of the next year, troop strength had risen to 33, 15 Scouts had achieved their second class rank and several more had advanced to first class. In addition, at that same meeting several medals were given out as follows: …medals were given by Troop Committeeman Stanton to Dean Perry as the best fire builder. Perry with six others was given a stick of wood, two matches and an axe, a knife, and a pail of water; he had the water boiling in 13 minutes. Wesley Stanton and William Cutler finished
second and third. Robert Gannon received a medal for tying seven different [knots] in a total of 24 seconds which is a troop record.

William Cutler has a medal as the best signaler, using the semaphore alphabet, and Walter Holcomb possesses a fourth medal for proficiency in lighting a fire by rubbing sticks as the Indians did before there were matches. On November 5, 1929, Scouting in Newtown set another milestone in place with the formation of its first Girl Scout troop. As might be expected, Mrs. Cullens was the founder and leader of that troop. Both of the Cullens had been active in Scouting since their youth. Rev. Cullens had achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and had been associated with Scouting as a leader for over 20 years before he re- formed the Newtown troop. It’s not surprising, therefore, to find that the Newtown Scouts enjoyed a range of special activities far beyond those of other neighboring towns. One of these special activities was conducted under the authority of the Pine Tree Patrol.

On July 10, 1933, a group of six older Scouts of first and second class rank embarked on a trip to Chicago to visit the Century of Progress Exposition. The expedition was led by Paul Cullens with Jerome Jackson acting as assistant. They took both men’s automobiles and behind Rev. Cullens a trek cart was hauled with the boys’ camp gear. Throughout the trip, telegrams were sent back to Harold Smith of the local troop committee who in turn passed them on to The Bee for publication. The Exposition itself was the centerpiece of the journey and three days were spent exploring every corner and exhibit that the fair had to offer. The trip out and back, however, was done at a leisurely pace and frequent stops were made to see historic and educational sights. On the trip out, for example, they stopped to inspect a coal mine, descending over 1,000 feet into one of the mine shafts. They also visited the dirigible hanger of the Akron and had a chance to climb through her sister airship. The Akron itself had crashed three months before. The Pine Tree Patrol, a special patrol within Boy Scout troops dedicated to sophisticated expeditions such as the trip to Chicago, was still a relative rarity when Cullens organized the patrol for Troop 70. Within two years, however, it would establish itself with yearly summer trips to the north woods of Canada.

The first of these trips began in August of 1935 and occurred almost by accident. The original intent of this trip had been to travel to Maine and canoe the Machais River in the wild northeastern part of the state. When the group got to Portland, however, they found the area around the river had been closed to camping by the governor due to forest fires which had been raging out of control. The patrol, therefore, changed directions and destinations. Traveling two days to the west, they arrived in Montreal. Then traveling north to Mattwa on the Ottawa River, they took some time off
to see the capital of Canada. Further north at Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, only essential gear was put into a small motor boat which carried the patrol across Lake Nipissing and into the French River. Here the canoe trip began with eight boys, two Scouting adults, and Harry Dokis, their Indian guide, in six canoes. This two week trip was followed by many others, all to Canada, and with many returns to the French River. By the mid 1930s, Rev. Cullens had firmly established the Boy Scout movement in Newtown and his wife had done the same for the Girl Scouts.

Gradually, other needs of Newtown’s youth were met as the Scouting program expanded to include first older boys and then the younger ones. As early as 1934, a Sea Scout program was c begun. It only lasted a couple of years due to the difficulty of buying and maintaining adequate sea craft, but it would be replaced later with an Explorer post. The needs of the younger boys were, served by the creation of a Cub Scout pack sponsored by the local Rotary Club in May of
1948. Whereas in the rest of the Scouting movement Newtown was in the fore- national Boy Scout organization had issued its first Cub Scout charters in April of 1930, over 18 years before being chartered in Newtown. There had even been an abortive attempt to form a Cub Scout Pack by the Sandy Hook Fire House in 1945. The girls had successfully organized a Brownie Troop as early as 1934, with the assistance of Mrs. Charles Goodsell, but the Cub Scouts were mysteriously late in being formed. Rev. Cullens continued to serve the Boy Scouts as Scoutmaster until 1954, and
he continued to serve as the head of the local Explorer post until his retirement from the ministry in 1964. His overall role in the Boy Scout movement in Newtown has more recently been recognized by the formation of the Cullens Youth Association. This had its origins back in 1946
when a 9.1 acre parcel of land on Church Hill Road between the railroad tracks and St. Rose Church was purchased by a group of Boy Scout adult
leaders who formed “The Boy Scouts of Newtown” specifically to purchase the property from the railroad. A building fund was started during that
same year and it quickly raised $5,000. This allowed the Scouts to erect two cabins on the property by 1948 and this became their meeting and
camping center until 1968. Between that year and 1976, the buildings were rarely used and began to deteriorate badly.

On November 9, 1979, a major change occurred in the Newtown Scout movement when the Cullens Memorial was incorporated out of the former Scouts of Newtown, Inc.

Three years later, the Church Hill property was sold and Camp Wipawaug, an unsuccessful day camp located off Taunton Lake Road on a tributary of Taunton Pond, was purchased. This included a 21 acre parcel of land with some outbuildings and a pond. By 1987, the board of directors of the Cullens Memorial felt that the name Cullens Youth Association more correctly fit the intent of the organization and the modern Cullens facility was established. It stands as a fitting tribute to a man who guided the development of Newtown’s youth throughout the middle years of the 20th century and who was responsible for creating a stable Troop 70 which, unlike its predecessors, has lasted for 70 years.