by Ray Ezell<\/mark>, Virginia Headwaters Council Historian<\/mark><\/h5>\nThe date of the original organization of the Boy Scout troop in Louisa, Virginia (Troop No. 1) is unknown, but it is certain that it was within the first few years of the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), sometime during 1910-1915. The earliest known mention of Louisa Troop No. 1 in local newspaper accounts is from an article in The Richmond Virginian<\/em><\/strong> newspaper on July 31, 1915. The article reported that Troop No. 1 of Louisa camped at the Piedmont Assembly Grounds outside Gordonsville and participated in a parade along with Gordonsville Troop No. 1 for the Piedmont District of the Disciples of Christ annual gathering. These conclave gatherings generally drew several thousand people to the small town of Gordonsville which had a resident population of about 800-1000 in the early twentieth century. Louisa Troop No. 1 and Gordonsville Troop No. 1 held joint activities and drills (which probably included displays of Scoutcraft, campcraft, first-aid, etc), as well as public service activities at the Assembly Grounds, making a positive impression on the participants at the Assembly meeting. The leader of Gordonsville Troop No. 1 at this time was Scoutmaster Rev. Cumpston, and the leader of the Louisa troop was Scoutmaster Lewis S. Pendleton, a Louisa attorney. <\/p>\nAnother early mention of Louisa Troop No. 1 was on August 1, 1918, in an issue of the Culpeper Exponent<\/strong><\/em> newspaper which reported that the troop participated in the Orange County Red Cross day at the Piedmont Assembly Grounds at Gordonsville. The unit demonstrated first-aid techniques along with Gordonsville Troop No. 1. The Louisa troop was probably very active during the 1917-1918 (during the United States\u2019 participation in World War I), but for some reason these activities escaped mentions in the press of surrounding localities. The reader should note that the local Louisa newspaper was not available for examination for these years (this is where most of the mentions of the troop\u2019s exploits would have been published).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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Another early mention of Louisa Troop No. 1 was on August 1, 1918, in an issue of the Culpeper Exponent<\/strong><\/em> newspaper which reported that the troop participated in the Orange County Red Cross day at the Piedmont Assembly Grounds at Gordonsville. The unit demonstrated first-aid techniques along with Gordonsville Troop No. 1. The Louisa troop was probably very active during the 1917-1918 (during the United States\u2019 participation in World War I), but for some reason these activities escaped mentions in the press of surrounding localities. The reader should note that the local Louisa newspaper was not available for examination for these years (this is where most of the mentions of the troop\u2019s exploits would have been published).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \t\n<\/div>\n