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Troop 201's History Because of the lack of information, very little is known about the efforts to bring Boy Scouting to Longview and East Texas. As with a lot of organizations that started around the time Troop 1 (201) was started, some of the early records are rather vague. We can only convey to you what those records show happened in the effort to start a Boy Scout Troop. Sometime (probably in the Fall of 1916) prior to February of 1917, a number of interested citizens talked among themselves about Scouting and how to get it started in Longview. It should be noted at this point that the records indicate about three years earlier a man named Sam Fuller tried to start a Troop, but his efforts failed because he tried to make money out of it. The records show that Dr. D. B. McPherson, E. Hamvasy, druggist, and Jr. R. Sparkmon, banker, were selected to begin efforts to form a Troop. They secured forms from the National Council in New York City. These three signed on as the Troop Committee. They recruited a Scoutmaster, B. H. Griffin, a druggist, two Assistant Scoutmasters, Harry Pouncey and Kirby Pouncey, who owned Pouncey Cycle Co. Twenty-nine boys were registered originally. All of this was brought together when application was made on February 19, 1917 to receive a charter from the Boy Scouts of America. We have copies of the application showing it being received by National March 6, 1917. In September, 1917, we have another application for a Troop with the same Troop Committee, no Assistant Scoutmasters and J. Pope Koon, a teacher, as the Scoutmaster. On this application, they registered thirty-two boys of which eighteen had been listed on the first application. These documents are dated September 22, 1917. In the application where it asks for the name of the former Scoutmaster, it is answered as being Dr. Russell Pirkey. Dr. Pirkey was, at that time, the Pastor of the First Baptist Church. Historical records show Dr. Pirkey left the First Baptist Church in June 1917, having come to Longview in 1914. It is not known if the Troop met for a very short time with Mr. Griffin, but for whatever reason, he was replaced temporarily by Dr. Pirkey. We do not have a copy of the first Troop Charter. It was probably sent to Mr. Griffin. We do have, among many others, a Charter dated March 31, 1918, giving authority to use the Boy Scout program for one year. We also have charters for 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922. All these charters show J. Pope Koon as Scoutmaster. The Charter dated March 31, 1922 designates the Troop to be a five-year veteran Troop. Our original Charter apparently was effective April 1, 1917. |