First Boy Scout Club of America
The Royal Historical Society of London contacted the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum regarding the donation of the artifacts from the estate of Wallace F Watt, the first Boy Scout in America. The artifacts at the museum do not contain the original charter of the first Boy Scout Club that the Royal Historical Society is trying to locate. Diane Carlson, Museum Director, did provide crucial information on the chronology of Mr. Wallace’s life.
Wallace F. “Wally” Watt was born in Barre, Vermont in 1885. At the age of fourteen, he became the first member of the newly formed Boy Scouts Club in October 1909, four months before the organization was officially founded in New York City.
Wallace F. Watt moved to Michigan in 1913 to attend the University of Michigan where he received a Master’s Degree. He moved to Wacousta, Clinton County in the 1960’s. Mr. Watt, a veteran of World War I, remained active with the Scouts and served as a coordinator of the Clinton-Portland Scout District.
He retired from state employment in 1966 after serving in the Social Services and Mental Health Departments. “Wally” Watt, who was called America`s oldest Boy Scout, died in 1985 at the age 89. His widow donated his Barre, Vermont Troop 1 artifacts to the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum in St. Johns, Michigan.
Waterford Charter Township constructed the Wallace F. Watt Community Center in his honor.
History of the Founding of the Boy Scout Club
In 1907 William Foster Milne, a stonecutter emigrated to Barre, Vermont from Aberdeen, Scotland, where he had been active in the early scouting movement. In 1909 William F. “Billy” Milne learned of a small group of boys at the First Baptist Church in Barre, who were already members of the Boys Brigade. He offered them an alternative to their routine of marching and drills. By re-organizing into a new “Boy Scout Club” (Troop #1 in the United States) these scouts learned first aid, new outdoor skills and being helpful to others. “Billy” Milne went back to his native Scotland and brought back the books and materials he needed along with a British Charter. By 1910 Barre’s Troop #1 joined the Boy Scouts of America.
For further information, contact the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum. 989-224-2894. The museum is open to the public Wednesday 2 pm to 7 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm. A donation of $2.00 per person is recommended. www.pgsmuseum.com