On this day–Friday, July 28, 1961–the Crippled Crab was dedicated. Built after Boxwell Reservation at Old Hickory Lake opened in 1960, the Crab was funded primarily by the Nashville Kiwanis Club. The dedication began at 6:45pm that evening and including a family outing at the reservation. As the story goes, the building’s unique designed necessitated having a model brought on site so the builders could see how the awkwardly shaped administrative office was supposed to look.
The Construction of the Cripple Crab in August 1961.
All former Scouts and Scouters are invited to join us for the Scouting Alumni Reunion to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Middle Tennessee Council (MTC). On Saturday, September 25, 2021 the MTC will host an Alumni Reunion gathering as part of the Council 100th Anniversary Jamboree at Boxwell Reservation. The Alumni Reunion is opportunity for Scouts and Scouters from across generations to come together for friendship and fellowship and to celebrate Scouting. The reunion will take place at the Order of the Arrow Lodge at Boxwell from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm and will have a different theme every half hour. Each theme will include a short presentation. You are welcome to attend as many sessions as you like. A schedule of the themes is listed below.
For the Good of the Program: A Century of Middle Tennessee Scouting at Boxwell, 1921-2021
Have you ordered your history of Boxwell yet? The book contains history on all four Boxwell locations, maps, photos, and stories.
On reader of an early draft commented, “I will say that even though my family and I have no history with scouting, I found it to be a highly engaging exploration of how various moments in U.S. and local history during the last century are reflected through the lens of a local youth organization such as scouting.”
There are still several “repost round-ups” we’d like to do before the year is over. So many themes to explore! For this week though, we thought we’d take to the air!
Over the years, we have posted several aerial images of Boxwell. This week, we combine them all into one big post. Today an aerial photo of camp might not seem like that big a deal what with drones. But for most of Boxwell’s history, getting a good aerial photo was gold. Enjoy!
The VirtualBoxwell Team is sad to announce the passing of Frank Arias. Frank had served on the Boxwell staff from 1982 to 1985. He began his run at Boxwell as Stahlman’s Kitchen Director. At the end of that summer he joined the ranger staff as an Assistant Ranger for Willie Claud. He remained until 1985 when he moved on to other projects. Frank was a Vietnam Veteran, a Little League coach, and a Scoutmaster.
Frank Arias passed away July 22, 2021. He was 75 years old.
