Boy Scouts of America Bronx Council Records, 1915–2013

Prior to 1915, the Scout Program in The Bronx was administered by the Manhattan Council. During the year 1915, the Scout Program was overseen by the Manhattan-Bronx Council. Early in 1916, a committee composed of Bronx Park Commissioner Thomas W. Whittle, Eugene L. Delafield, and Professor David H. Bull formulated plans for the proposed Bronx Council. In March 1916, the Committee presented its recommendation for the organization of the Bronx Council at a meeting held in the office of the Hon. Douglas Matthewson, President of the Borough of The Bronx. Among those present were Mr. Matthewson, Hon. Cyrus C. Miller, Hon. James A. Hamilton, and Herman W. Merkel. These four charter members continued to serve uninterruptedly through more than a generation of Scouting. The report of the Committee was approved and on April 6, 1916, the National Council, Boy Scouts of America, issued the first charter to The Bronx Council.

Shortly after the Scout Movement took hold in the U.S. in 1910, a number of Troops were organized in The Bronx, including Troop 21. This Unit was sponsored by the Olmstead Avenue Presbyterian Church and is one of the oldest in the country. The former Allan Mansion, located at 159th Street and Mott Avenue, served as headquarters. Here the Council held all its meetings and it proved to be important factor in the successful development of Scouting through the borough. It was here also that the Scoutmasters Club met regularly, training courses were conducted, Board of Reviews held, and illustrated camp talks given on the lawn. As many as six Scout Troops were able to use the building at one time for meeting, and for a time, it was the home of several Scout Executives.

Elaborate ceremonies were held at the house on a Saturday afternoon in June 1916, when the Bronx Council formally took possession. The keys to the building were presented to Father Francis X. Duffy, first Chairman of the Executive Board. At the time he was Pastor of Our Savior’s Roman Catholic Church in The Bronx.

When the First World War occurred, the great lawn behind the mansion was converted into a “War Garden” and Scouts took turns in raising bumper crops. Scouting enjoyed a continuous expansion from the period of the Council’s creation in 1916.

This organizational history has been adapted from William A. Stumpp, “Some Pages of Historical Facts of The Bronx Council Boy Scouts of America” (1958), including in this collection in folder 3.

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