Stahlman Friday Night Campfire, 1980s
Sometimes the photo does all the work for you. Ernie Ragsdale at a Stahlman Friday Night Campfire. Photo by Russ Parham.
A silhouetted Ernie Ragsdale introduces a Friday Night Campfire, 1980s.
Curtis B. Haley
While there are many names we associate with the early days of Scouting in Middle Tennessee, such as Leslie G. Boxwell and “Coach” William Anderson, there is perhaps one name that we SHOULD know, but don’t: Curtis Haley.
While Boxwell and Anderson are important for the professional side of Scouting that develops in 1920, Haley is middle Tennessee’s very first Scoutmaster. He applied for “a commission” in July 1910, days after reading about the new organization in the newspaper. Never involved in the professional organization, Haley remained active in Scout leadership until 1935, when he finally “retired” from Scouting.
“He Started Scouting in Nashville” from “The Nashville Scouts’ Own Page” in The Tennessean Magazine, pg. 13, April 4, 1937.
The “founder” of Scouting in Nashville, Curtis Haley.
The Staff at Night
Anyone who has worked on Camp Staff knows that night time is the best part of the staff experience. Work responsibilities are generally over and the time to hang out with friends has begun. And, if there’s something to be gotten into, night time is probably when that will happen.
In this photo of Craig staff in 2006, we can see things several staffs can relate to. There are poorly hung flies, ugly furniture, and living platforms only found in staff sites. And, there’s the one guy with a guitar. It seems like there is always one guy with a guitar.
How this photo is different is its modernity. Yes, there are electric lights here and a fan, which have been present at other points in Boxwell’s history. But you also see, dead center, a television set and what appears to be either a DVD player or game console sitting on top. Specifically, video games in the staff site are a modern occurrence!
A photo of the Craig staff at night, Sunday, July 9, 2006.
Chain Letters
It is hard to know sometimes what is front page worth and what is not. This particular article appeared on the front page on the Tennessean on Dec. 28, 1931, though in fairness, it was “below the fold”! It must have been a slow news day!
For those of a certain age, chain letters were real thing. Today, social media forwards are of a similar vein, but chain letters were always more ominous. The letters arrived at your home and promised either great riches or dire circumstances if you did not forward the letter on and maintain “the chain.” As the article demonstrates, chain letters went back quite a long way. And Lord Baden-Powell did not care for them one bit!
“Boy Scout Organizer Against ‘Chain Letter’,” The Tennessean, Dec. 28 1931, pg. 1.
Lord Baden-Powell’s feelings on chain letters are expressed quite clearly here.
The Grizzard Gateway, pre-Dedication
Here’s something you don’t see very often–the Grizzard Gateway without any signage.
The Gateway was dedicated on July 11, 1976 and thus, this photo takes place shortly before then. How do we know? Clearly, the gateway is complete, but there is no dedication plaque on the front side. The other thing to note about this photo is the tree line. Today, the road into the reservation is completely covered by the canopy; here, the sky is quite clearly visible.
Today, the Gateway has had some renovations. The cedar log has been replaced by a metal pole and the itself is now anchored in the woods behind the gateway. At this time though, the whole thing is free-standing.
The Grizzard Gateway before any signage and before its dedication on July 11, 1976