The Boy Scouts of America Troop 47 in Fairhope celebrated their 85th anniversary this past weekend. The oldest continuous Scout Troop in the State of Alabama, Troop 47 has produced many of our current day community leaders.
Troop 47 has been sponsored by Fairhope United Methodist Church since 1953. The scout lodge was originally located on the church’s property, but in recent decades, the need for church expansion led to the lodge being moved to Single Tax property.
Now located in a beautiful setting near the high school, the Boy Scout lodge is a tribute to their past, and serves as a unique and wonderful meeting space for the young men of our community.
The scouts have planted over 3,000 longleaf pines on this piece of property. The dedicated and much loved Scoutmaster, Seth Peden, said that someday, the boys would return to see the trees reaching far above their heads.
The Scouts provided dessert for the ceremony in the form of a cake competition. This was my favorite cake. How can you go wrong with graham cracker tents and a pretzel bridge?
Months of preparation allowed attendees to look through carefully journaled scrap books
of many years  gone by.
Our wonderful Mayor, Tim Kant, attended the ceremony and read a proclamation congratulating Troop 47 on their 85 years of service to the community. The troop regularly performs honor guard duties at our many parades, holds clean up days and organizes various service projects throughout Fairhope.
Thanks to the involvement of strong adult leaders, Troop 47 has produced nearly 100 Eagle Scouts.
These scouts are now serving as our local civic leaders, teachers, physicians and businessmen.
Troop 47 is focused on developing the skills of all who have a desire to serve their community, nation, and fellow man. Any young man who wants to learn to camp (in woods full of chiggers), tie knots, fish and cook a meal over a fire started with no matches is welcome.
There was a seventh grader who recently took a hard bump to his face during a game of basketball. I asked if they informed an adult, but was told that it was okay because, “There were several of us there who were Boy Scouts and we knew how to stop the bleeding and take care of him.”
From everything I’ve observed, if I were ever in a perilous situation, I would most
definitely look for a member of Troop 47 to help me!
In addition to regular winter and summer camps, BSA Troop 47 also offers opportunities for the boys to explore the Mobile Bay Delta area and go on other adventure trips including whitewater rafting and hiking journeys out of state.
After the ceremony, everyone enjoyed a delicious cookout from Old 27 Grill , Hartmann, Blackmon & Kilgore, P.C. and dessert from the Scouts themselves. The Little Cake Shop in Spanish Fort, donated this fabulous cake for the celebration.
Congratulation on 85 years, BSA Troop 47!
Another piece of the puzzle that makes Fairhope such a
complete and wonderful small town.
For more information on Troop 47, click here.
Me and my son have just left the area (military) but the troop will always live in our hearts. You get spoiled being at that lodge, at that location, with the leadership, with the young boys. We will forever remember our time there and cannot wait to visit very soon.
That is a wonderful thing to celebrate.
I have the privilege of being the mother of one of these scouts (in fact he is actually in a few of the photos above!) and I can personally attest to the knowledge they gain being scouts. One time we were hiking in Tennessee and I fell and cut my wrist really bad, my son was the first one to get to me and immediately took charge instructing me on how to hold my hand a certain way to slow the bleeding and at the same time telling his dad to remove one of his socks to use to wrap around the cut. I was so amazed that I almost forgot about the paint I was in! ha/ha. Great article! (and BTW, I do believe the Troop has produced over 125 Eagles!)
Peace,
Debbie
Great story! I was using the program to count the number of Eagle Scouts, so either they weren’t all listed or I skipped a page! Thanks for the update!
“We knew what to do, we are Boy Scouts” powerful! Brought a tear to my eye. Great blog. Great pictures. Hooray for these fine young men.
What a wonderful asset to your community! This is such a great experience for these young men. I love the lodge and the graham cracker tents, too. Great photos!