Demolition of Stahlman Dining Hall

The Groundbreaking ceremony for the Aubrey Harwell Leadership Center were held on Sunday, September 15. Aubrey Harwell, former Rock Island staff member, spoke as did several others. After a series of brief presentations, golden shovels were lifted and dirt was tossed.

Of course, the new building will sit atop the grounds once occupied by Stahlman Dining Hall. We had the opportunity to take a number of photos of the building in various states of demolition. We can say unequivocally that whatever drawbacks the sixty-five year old building may have had, it was solid and built in a way that buildings today just are not. In short, it was stout.

So, this week we share one of the many photos of the demolition of Stahlman Dining Hall. This photo was taken on a Thursday; the demolition began on Monday. The excavator is working on the back part of the kitchen. The rest of the building is in piles out of frame.

An excavator removes part of the roof of Stahlman Dining Hall, Thursday, August 8, 2024. Collection of Grady Eades.

Boxwell Brownsea

Summer camp 2024 was unique in part for its new approach to scheduling. However, it also tried some new approaches to old program. In this case, the first year camper program–the Rank Requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class–got an overhaul.

“Boxwell Brownsea” took Scouts from both Craig and Stahlman and put them together in one reservation wide troop at Beany Elam. Scouts were broken into patrols from there with staff members serving as patrol guides/instructors. Different days were dedicated to different skill sets, such as First Aid or Swimming. Most of the requirements for the three starting ranks in that skill set were covered, reenforced through games and patrol competitions as well as hands on practice. The program also incorporated most of the requirements of Scouting Heritage merit badge as well as a trip to the Museum. As an added incentive, youth who had completed Scout rank (a great deal more involved than it used to be!) before camp received $20 in Boxwell Bucks to spend at their camp’s Trading Post.

We’ll showcase Boxwell Bucks some other time. This week, we wanted to show the Boxwell Brownsea patch. To our knowledge, this is the ONLY patch showcasing the face of Leslie G. Boxwell.

Boxwell Brownsea Patch, 2024. Collection of Grady Eades.