The exhibit in the bench shows some memorabilia like a canteen, a Boy Scout
Handbook, the photo of a boy confidently flipping a pancake from a campfire and me holding
an original flag with great wear holes in the fabric. The youthful aspect lead into the military
aspect which leads into the Paris Caucus. All of that is hugely important as a subset of US
history. Caring about our soldiers, which sometimes still isn’t the best, this more respectful structure
started with the Paris Caucus in 1919. That cool image is above the bench on the wall.
Handbook, the photo of a boy confidently flipping a pancake from a campfire and me holding
an original flag with great wear holes in the fabric. The youthful aspect lead into the military
aspect which leads into the Paris Caucus. All of that is hugely important as a subset of US
history. Caring about our soldiers, which sometimes still isn’t the best, this more respectful structure
started with the Paris Caucus in 1919. That cool image is above the bench on the wall.
The start of the Boy Scouts in San Diego have been linked to Post # 201. They received
accolades for their fund drives, and all manor of volunteerism. There was a pervasive sense
that when the man of the house didn’t return from the war or was so injured he couldn’t be
fatherly, the Boy Scouts would provide those life skills direction to the young boys of the
community. There was also a juvenile issue in San Diego which needed some attendance and
the Boy Scouts were there to help. The Scouts brought structure with badges for
accomplishments. Slogans about preparation, cleanliness and good behaviors were
emblazoned on many items. The Scouts taught boys to camp, read a compass, cook, sew and
generally take care of themselves. They were also a great introduction to the military lifestyle
which then led to a comfort in being recruited to defend the nation. A gateway if you will. There
are Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts (of the cookie fame) Brownies, and the pinnacle, the Eagle Scouts
(the oldest boys) who bring much to our communities in the form of exhibition projects.
I don’t want to say that the Scouts have fallen from grace, but they are not as popular as they
were during the heyday of Post 201. Sometimes an organization just gets too big. The idea of
manly men (ex military) teaching boys to become men seems natural, but got twisted.
Many people feel nostalgic for the heyday and there are collectors for Boy Scout items and I
was lucky enough to find such a person, Tim Melaney, who not only had Scout memorabilia, but in
particular Troop #1 objects.
Please see my curated set of images below. I didn’t choose the most expensive, collectable objects but rather things that show wear, graphics in both cloth and paper that show styles of the era. I loved many of the photos and while there are a lot of them I had to pair down. There are other displays around San Diego, so please explore. This is just the Nina-collection based on the Tim collection, culled from only San Diego during a sliver of time.
Note: Troop #1 is currently in La Jolla CA.
accolades for their fund drives, and all manor of volunteerism. There was a pervasive sense
that when the man of the house didn’t return from the war or was so injured he couldn’t be
fatherly, the Boy Scouts would provide those life skills direction to the young boys of the
community. There was also a juvenile issue in San Diego which needed some attendance and
the Boy Scouts were there to help. The Scouts brought structure with badges for
accomplishments. Slogans about preparation, cleanliness and good behaviors were
emblazoned on many items. The Scouts taught boys to camp, read a compass, cook, sew and
generally take care of themselves. They were also a great introduction to the military lifestyle
which then led to a comfort in being recruited to defend the nation. A gateway if you will. There
are Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts (of the cookie fame) Brownies, and the pinnacle, the Eagle Scouts
(the oldest boys) who bring much to our communities in the form of exhibition projects.
I don’t want to say that the Scouts have fallen from grace, but they are not as popular as they
were during the heyday of Post 201. Sometimes an organization just gets too big. The idea of
manly men (ex military) teaching boys to become men seems natural, but got twisted.
Many people feel nostalgic for the heyday and there are collectors for Boy Scout items and I
was lucky enough to find such a person, Tim Melaney, who not only had Scout memorabilia, but in
particular Troop #1 objects.
Please see my curated set of images below. I didn’t choose the most expensive, collectable objects but rather things that show wear, graphics in both cloth and paper that show styles of the era. I loved many of the photos and while there are a lot of them I had to pair down. There are other displays around San Diego, so please explore. This is just the Nina-collection based on the Tim collection, culled from only San Diego during a sliver of time.
Note: Troop #1 is currently in La Jolla CA.
