Historical Badges And Other BS

Wynken and I went over to his Scoutmaster's house to work on requirements for earning the historical merit badge of Carpentry.

To celebrate the Boy Scouts' 100th anniversary there is a lot of hoopla this year. (For example, Wynken just got back from the National Jamboree at Ft. AP Hill with several thousand other Scouts in scorching weather.) The BSA has brought back some merit badges that have been retired or replaced by modern equivalents. These badges have the same exact requirements that were available in 1910 and they can ONLY be earned this year.

These include: Carpentry, Pathfinding, Signaling, and Tracking.

These also list the original requirements as written in 1910–1911. Think about how times have changed as you complete the requirements a Scout your age would have done a hundred years ago. 

As the Boy Scouts of America celebrates 100 years of Scouting in the United States, today’s youths will have the opportunity to experience a piece of the past. 

The four vintage merit badges that will count toward rank advancement are being released for the centennial year only, giving Boy Scouts a hands-on opportunity to experience the exciting past of the BSA.

Earning these historical merit badges should be more than just earning another merit badge. By reading these merit badge pamphlets and completing the requirements as close to how a Scout of 1910 would have done them will be your true growth experience.

We got everybody squared away on saws, planes, squares, levels, hammers, rules, clamps, and so on without incident.

My personal favorite is the manual hand drill. Works like a champ with a little elbow grease and nobody puts an eye out with an electric!