History of Troop 933

On February 21, 1919, the first Boy Scout Troop in Vidalia was organized with ten boys as charter members. The first scoutmaster was 34-year-old Walter Lee Downs, Superintendent of Schools at the Vidalia Collegiate Institute (Vidalia High School). The Vidalia Public School System was the Troop's first Chartered Organization (sponsor). The school system sponsored the Boy Scout Troop through 1928.

The Kiwanis Club of Vidalia was the true sponsor and supporter of the Troop from its inception. Professor Downs was a member of the Kiwanis Club. In 1929, the Kiwanis Club of Vidalia officially assumed the role of Chartered Organization and has retained its sponsorship to the present day. Although the troop sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Vidalia has had different numbers assigned in years past, it has remained Troop #933 since 196 1.

The first scout hut was a wood frame house located on the east side of Church Street between 5th and 6th Street. The McNatt, Greene and Thompson Law Offices currently occupy the site. The original Scout Hut lasted for 41 years. The Kiwanis Club of Vidalia purchased six metal Quonset huts from Camp LeJune, North Carolina. The City Council granted the Club permission to erect one of the structures at the comer of Winona Street and 5th Street. According to Carl Cannon, Club President at the time, the Club spent $800.00 on the project. This expenditure depleted the Club's funds for the year. The other structures were donated to Scout Troups in Reidsville, Claxton, Brooklet, and Metter.

In 1993, through the leadership of Matt Oxley, Troop Committee Chairman, the Kiwanis Club of Vidalia stepped forward to erect a new hut. The old "bam raising" method was used with a dawn to dark marathon on November 5, 1994, involving more than 100 volunteers. Through thousands of hours of work by Kiwanians and local citizens, a $25,000 donation from the Sweet Onion Classic Golf Tournament, a $5,000 donation from the American Legion, and numerous other donations of goods and services, the new hut became a reality. The Scouts held their first meeting in the new building on January 28, 1995.