The Long Lost Portrait of E. E. Murrey

From 1960 until 1994, Camp Murrey was Boxwell’s “family camp.”  In the early years, a family camp made a great deal of sense.  In a world where women stayed home to care for the children and men worked, it was only logical that when the men took their vacation for summer camp that there be a place for his wife and children. This place was Camp Murrey.

Like the Parnell and Stahlman, Murrey was one of the reservation’s original camps. Also like Stahlman and Parnell, Murrey had an official portrait made of its namesake, E. E. Murrey.  Unlike Stahlman and Parnell (the men), Murrey was not a volunteer–he was a professional, specifically the long time treasurer of Middle Tennessee Council.

As part of the 1994 Capital Development Campaign, Camp Murrey was transformed into Gaylord Cubworld.  For several years after, the dining hall retained the name of “Murrey Dining Hall.” Today known simply as CubWorld Dining Hall, the portrait of Murrey no longer hangs here.  Indeed, some time after 1994, the portrait was taken down and stuck in a closet.  Rescued from this slow death, the photo here is from 2005, taken after years of slow deterioration.

The portrait of E. E. Murrey, which used to hang in Murrey (now CubWolrd) dining hall. Note the deterioration of the painting.

Official Registration for the 2014 Boxwell Staff Reunion has begun, but only two weeks remain in the official registration in order to attend the event.  Whether you have received your official invitation or not, if you are a Boxwell Staff member, you are welcome to sign up at the Council website.  Specifically, you can find the Reunion Registration here: http://mtcbsa.doubleknot.com/event/2014-boxwell-scout-reunion/1502262

Remember, Official Registration ends Friday, May 2.

The VirtualBoxwell Team

2014 Boxwell Staff Reunion

A National Inspection, 1970

Every summer at Boxwell, a National Inspection occurs.  Most staff are well aware that the inspection happens, though very few are privy to what occurs.

In 1970, Chris “Kit” Eckert–the reservation photographer–was brought along to document the experience.  As the inspection team visited Stahlman waterfront, the kitchen, the rifle range, and paperwork at Cripple Crab, Eckert captured the activities on film–even the rare Steak Supper held beneath the trees at the Cook’s Cabin.

Here the inspection team visits the (still operating) Pump House.  Out front in Council Executive Ward Akers.  Obscured behind him is Boxwell Head Ranger Bobby Smith. Akers and the team are looking out into Horseshoe, where water was pumped into the Pump House from Old Hickory Lake before purified and sent out the rest of the Reservation.

As the story goes, every summer during staff week, the staff was told Boxwell was “the Fourth Ranked Camp” in the nation.  Is this true?  There is no documentary evidence for it, but the theory goes that being No. 4 was close enough to the top that it encouraged the staff to work that much harder to be Number One.

The 1970 National Inspection team checking out the Pump House. Ward Akers is in the foreground. The group is overlooking Horseshoe Bay.

Hidden Places on the Reservation

Anyone who has worked at Boxwell for any extended period of time gets to know the reservation like the back of his hand.  As a result, one quickly finds that there are a variety of “hidden places”–locations on the reservation that are not known to most Scouts or Scouters.  Some of these places are in fact hidden, while others are out in the open and just off the beaten track.

Among these many places are barns.  Before it was a Scout Reservation, Boxwell was a farm.  Well, more than one farm actually.  Thus, at one point, there were several barns either on the reservation or directly adjacent to it.  These barns were used over the years as depositories for… well, junk.  One such barn was just off the main camp off of Woods Ferry.  A variety of kitchen equipment was put here to be used by former Assistant Rangers like Farmer Bush.

The barn pictured here is actually a barn that used to exist at Camp Stahlman.  Located in the field between Site 1 and the lakefront, this barn became a dump for broken cots and old staff furniture.  It burned down in the mid-2000s, but is pictured here in its fading glory in May 2003.

Stahlman’s depository for broken cots and staff furniture.