On this day–Saturday, July 31, 1954–the first Wood Badge course exclusively for Middle Tennessee Council was held at the Rock Island Boxwell. The week long course was actually the second Wood Badge session held at Boxwell with the first being for the whole Southern region in 1952. Middle Tennessee Council became the first Southern council approved to offer the course and so MT-1 came into being in 1954. Harry “Beany” Elam of Troop 144 in Springfield, TN was the Scoutmaster. Wood Badge would be offered every other year as a week long course in August while Boxwell remained at Rock Island.
Want to learn more about Boxwell history? Buy the first Boxwell history book, For the Good of the Program, available for pre-order until August 31, 2021 here: https://mtcbsa.doubleknot.com/event/a-century-of-middle-tennessee-scouting-at-boxwell-1921-2021-book-pre-order-cc120/2832417