Troop History

In January 1920,  Rev. John J. Keane and George Chapman organized the first Boy Scout program at St. Michael Church. So many boys joined (more than 120) that they organized into three troops, known then as St. Michael’s Boy Scouts - Troop I, Troop II, Troop III. At the time of our formation the troop was assigned to the New London, Connecticut Council #077, later called Pequot Council.  However, throughout the years we have always participated in the Narragansett Council in Rhode Island.  

Troop 9 Pawcatuck Was Once Troop 9 Westerly

Troop 9 Pawcatuck was originally Troop 9 Westerly. "Back in the day," Pawcatuck did not have a post office. Pawcatuck's post office was in Westerly and, therefore, the troop's mailing address was Westerly, Rhode Island. Since the troop was sponsored by St. Michael parish, which had a Westerly mailing address at the time, the troop was called Troop 9 Westerly. In the 1930s, the troop joined the Narragansett Council, the BSA council for Rhode Island scout troops. The troop remained Troop 9 Westerly for at least 50 years. 

In the 1980s the US Postal Service gave Pawcatuck it's very own post office and the troop's address changed to Pawcatuck, Connecticut. To be consistent with the change, the troop was renamed Troop 9 Pawcatuck. However, the troop is still in Narragansett Council — the ONLY Connecticut troop in the entire Rhode Island council!

Hollywood Farm - The First Troop Campsite

In the early years the troop campsite was Hollywood Farm on North Anguilla Road. This was the working farm of the Kelliher family. Their son Jack Kelliher was a scout in the troop, and later a scoutmaster. His family was very supportive of the scouting program and generously provided a spot on their property for scouts to camp. Access to the campsite was by hiking up Liberty Street from the church meeting place to a trail entering the woods across from the present-day McDonald's. That trail still exists today, although it's a bit overgrown and not as accessible as it was in the 1920s.

Scouts would gather at the churchyard with their packs and equipment on their backs and then hike the four blocks up Liberty Street to the trailhead. They'd hike through the woods until they reached the camping area near what is now North Anguilla Road. The Kellihers had given the troop a designated area in the woods on Hollywood Farm. Since it was dedicated specifically as a camping area for the exclusive use of the St. Michael Boy Scouts, the troop was able to make pioneering structures, such as tables, benches, etc., as well as campfire rings and cooking areas that were then available for permanent use.

Long-term camp, "summer camp," was initially at Camp Wakenah in Salem, Connecticut, in New London Council. But by the 1930s the troop began using Camp Yawgoog in the Narragansett Council in Rhode Island as our long-term camp, and that continues today to be the troop's regular long-term camp. Initially the troop camped in Tuocs campsite in Three Point for a number of years. (Tuocs is "Scout" backwards.)

Then for many years the troop camped at Cautantowit in Medicine Bow until they "out grew" the site. At that point, they added Wetuomuck and used both campsites while the troop was too big to fit in a single site. When the troop size shrunk down a bit, they went back to a single site and settled on Wetuomuck as the current summer camp area.

The Westerly Parade Caper

Elaine Donahue, daughter of Troop 9 Scoutmaster James Donahue, often heard a story about the early days of the troop. According to the story, the Westerly Boy Scouts were a prominent division in all of the local parades and were given very positive recognition by the community as they marched past the crowds lining the streets. The St. Michael Scouts assumed that they too would be proudly marching in the parades. Not long after the troop was formed in 1920, a grand parade was being organized in town. Fr. Keane and Scoutmaster George Chapman of St. Michael’s submitted the request for St. Michael Scouts to join the Boy Scout division. Much to their surprise, the parade committee turned them down. Thinking there was a misunderstanding or mistake, they resubmitted the request. They were turned down again, repeatedly. It soon became clear that the fact that they were sponsored by a Catholic parish had something to do with the rejection. Fr. Keane and the boys were fired up by the snub and vowed to find a way to circumvent the subtle discrimination. They developed a plan.

On the day of the parade the scouts and leaders dressed in their finest scout uniforms and, with their troop and American flags in hand, fifty-six scouts and leaders gathered in front of the church to pose proudly for a photo. They then marched from the church to across the Pawcatuck River Bridge into Westerly and waited patiently and politely on the sidelines for the parade to arrive.

Fr. Keane, wearing a top hat to be sure he could be seen clearly above the crowd, had a plan. He and his boys cheered and clapped for each of the parade divisions as they marched past. Then, as the Boy Scout division approached, Fr. Keane waved his top hat in the air and brazenly led his boys, 56 strong, onto the road and they joined the parade. The crowds on the sidelines roared and cheered and clapped their approval. They were never again "rejected" when they requested to join a Westerly parade. This photo is believed to have been taken just before the 4th of July Day parade in 1921. (Story and photo from the St. Michael Parish History Book)

Do you remember the words to the Medicine Bow Cheer?

Camp Medicine Bow Song & Cheer Oh, I’m a hayseed. My hair is seaweed. And my ears and made of leather, and they flop in rainy weather. Gosh oh Hemlock, I’m tough as a pine knot. For I come from Medicine Bow, can’t you see.
HEY HEY, BOW FOR THE BOW. RAH RAH, BOW FOR THE BOW. RAH RAH, HOORAH, HOORAH, MEDICINE BOW, RAH RAH RAH YEA!!