From the Archives, February 26, 2017

Original OA Constitution

Founded at the Narrows of the Harpeth Boxwell, the Wa-Hi-Nasa chapter of the OA has long been associated with camp.  Indeed, in its early years, camp was critical to the OA as the tap-out ceremonies were only done at Boxwell and it was camp staff who nominated candidates!

Seen here is the first Constitution of the Wa-Hi-Nasa lodge from 1938, along with its first amendment.  You can see it was short document and is definitely a relic of its time (The “Nashville Council” for instance).  The amendment actually lowers total fees due to the chapter from a dollar to 90 cents, which shouldn’t be too surprising.  1938 is still in the middle of the Great Depression.

The document belonged to the now departed O.E. Brandon, Jr., who was not only of the VERY first to be inducted to the Lodge, but staff member at the Narrows Boxwell and a writer for the Council’s first newsletter, The Bugle.

OA constitution

A scanned copy of the typed and original OA constitution

From the News, February 22, 2017

Anderson Says…

For about a decade, starting in December 1939, William J. Anderson had a regular column in The Tennessean.  When he started the column, he was Council Executive, but he continued with the column for a time after he retired and Ward Akers took over the position in 1947.  Many of the articles were obviously on Scouting and its benefits, but Anderson discussed a variety of things, including education, parenting, juvenile crime, and often religion.

This week’s article is one of Anderson’s pieces.  The piece is from December 1946.  For those of you who aren’t up to speed on your American history, World War II is over and the Cold War has begun.  By this point in the year, there is a strong fear of the growth of Communism.  “The Long Telegram” has been written; Churchill has identified the “Iron Curtain”; the Bikini Atoll atomic test occur over the summer; and, Greece and Turkey are threatened by communist forces (soon to lead to the Truman Doctrine).  With this background in mind, take a look at Anderson’s commentary.  (Walter Winchell was a journalist/gossip columnist, who would go on to support Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for communists.)

Anderson, William J. “Anderson Says: Scouting Will Not Tolerate Communist Infiltration,” The Tennessean, December 1, 1946, pg. 18.

Anderson, Communists

Article by William J. Anderson, 1946

From the Archives, February 19, 2017

A Boxwell Family, 1970

Did you know that Boxwell had a jeep?  Clearly not the most important detail you every heard, but it helps explain this photo.  For years, Boxwell screen materials from Fort Campbell and this jeep was part of those… “left overs.”

But it is who is in the Jeep that really matters.  We believe the driver is Audry Manis, but next to her is Elizabeth Jackson, wife of Parnell Program Director Jimmy Joe Jackson and Program Director of Camp Murrey.  In the back seat are Lisa, Cindy, Leann and Nell Human.  The first three are the daughters of Reservation Director Ed Human.

And why are they driving around?  There is one more player in the Jeep: Tim Manis, who had been stung by a wasp.  The group was driving around the reservation in the Jeep to stop Tim from crying.

This was part of the Boxwell family in the early 1970s.

Humans, Jeep, 1970

The Human Sisters in the Boxwell Jeep with Audry Manis and Elizabeth Jackson outside the Cripple Crab, summer 1970

From the Archives, February 12, 2017

Parnell Waterfront

The photo this week shows us Parnell Waterfront as it appeared in 1971.  At this point at Old Hickory Boxwell’s history, there was no Camp Craig; everything on the other side of Parnell Bay was Camp Light.

Part of what makes this photo interesting is where it is taken from: Explorer Island.  The island’s coast is not yet covered with trees, nor is coastline of the reservation.  Thus, you could walk along the edge of Explorer Island and get good photos of not only the Waterfronts, but the Cripple Crab and the OA lodge too!

As for Parnell waterfront itself, the arrangement seen here–a swimming area (left) and a boating area (right)–would pretty much be the same set the camp would use through its last summer in 1998.

Parnell Waterfront

Parnell Waterfront from Explorer Island in 1971. Photo by Michael Seay.