Boxwell Greats: Harry William “Beany” Elam

One of the names most staff members will be familiar with, but actually know nothing about, is Harry W. “Beany” Elam.  Most know (or at least surmise) he was related somehow to WoodBadge, as Camp “Beany” Elam IS the Woodbadge camp, but beyond that little else.  As a man who was involved in Middle Tennessee Scouting for over five decades, we can hardly hope to give a full biography here.  However, we will try to fill in some holes!

We can find Elam very early in Middle Tennessee Council’s history.  The first troop in MTC–Troop 1–was formed in 1916, but quickly lost membership.  In 1922, Elam joined the troop and helped revive its membership.  With strong Robertson County connections, Elam’s real service was with Troop 144, which he led for 43 years, serving over 1000 Scouts during his tenure, producing over 200 Eagle Scouts.

Of course, it is the Boxwell connection with which we are most interested.  When Woodbadge courses began, they were hosted by the National Council at either the national headquarters at Schiff, NJ or at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.  According to Wilbur F. Creighton’s _Boys Will Be Men_, the course was held at Rock Island in 1951.  From there, “Beany” Elam directed the next six courses by the Middle Tennessee Council, MT-1 through MT-6 (1953-1961).  At this point, Woodbadge was a week-long on-site camping course and the Woodbadge camp was located in what is today Site 6 at Camp Craig.

An old story goes says that Elam himself brought wooden shingles from his chicken house and built a bulletin board across the gravel road from where today’s permanent Woodbadge shed is built.  This bulletin board was replaced in 1994 and the last Woodbadge held at Camp Beany Elam was MT-46, held in 2001.

Elam was a recipient of the Long Rifle Award and the Silver Beaver.  He is shown here in 1975, the year of his death.  Elam lived from March 25, 1902 to November 24, 1975.  His art, writings, and Scouting memorabilia were on display at the National Museum (at least) as late as 2013.

“Beany” Elam in 1975.