CHATTANOOGA, TN – The Cherokee Area Council of Scouting America is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Troop 2, chartered to St. Elmo Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Congratulations to Scoutmaster Ed Sunder and Troop 2, as five outstanding young people have earned the rank of Eagle Scout: Caden Gildernew, Phinehas Doe, Nathan Sunder, James Tracy, and Lyle Vaughn. The Eagle Scout rank places service at its core, and these new Eagle Scouts exemplify that ideal through impactful projects benefiting the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, Dade County Schools, Lookout Mountain Trails, the Town of Flintstone, Georgia, and Chattanooga Valley Middle School. Collectively, these projects contributed more than 600 hours of community service, engaging a multitude of volunteers and supporters. Since its founding in 2007, 26 young people have earned the rank of Eagle Scout through Troop 2. Among their many shared experiences, these Scouts fondly recall attending—and serving on staff at—Camp Sidney Dew in Armuchee, Georgia, as well as Skymont Scout Reservation in Altamont, Tennessee. They also attended Seven Ranges Scout Reservation in Kensington, Ohio, over several years. All five have now graduated from high school and are pursuing further education and careers in the Chattanooga region. Adding to this milestone celebration, the Sunder family of Flintstone, Georgia, marked an extraordinary achievement as Nathan Sunder became their sixth Eagle Scout. The youngest of six, Nathan joins his older brothers—Isaac, Samuel, John, Bennett, and Eddie—in attaining Scouting’s highest rank. The Sunder brothers completed Eagle Scout service projects that contributed nearly 800 total service hours. Project beneficiaries included Cloudland Canyon State Park, Audubon Acres, Chickamauga City Parks, and Chattanooga Valley Middle School. Looking back, their parents, Ed and Betsy Sunder, reflect, “It was a joy to watch the Scouts work together and see the boys become young men. Our boys have learned valuable skills, life lessons, and made lifelong friendships through Scouting.” Betsy grew up in a Scouting family and attended both Philmont and Sea Base as a youth member. Ed has served as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader for the past 22 years.  Looking ahead, Troop 2 is partnering with Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center alongside Cub Scout Pack 4 to welcome boys and girls ages kindergarten through 12th grade into the adventure of Scouting. Key volunteer leaders include Scoutmaster Brian Purvis, Cubmaster Joy Smith, and Assistant Cubmaster Jim Daughdrill..

23rd Annual Friends Of Scouting Luncheon Held Feb. 24

Aiden Castellanet - Student Body President from Signal Mountain Middle High School Interview from CityScope Magazine

The Adventure Begins!

100 years ago in 1925, the Chattanooga Council built their second scout camp, Camp Tsatanugi, the namesake of Boy Scout Road in Hixson. It served as the summer camp for 25 years, and was used for other activities for even longer. Two of the buildings from this camp still stand, now owned by the Highland Sportsman Club, which has done a great job of preserving them. The largest building is Patten Hall, which was given by the sons of John A. Patten in his honor. It served as the dining hall for the camp.

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90 years ago, the Chattanooga Council celebrated Scouting's Silver (25th) Anniversary with a Scout Exposition at the Memorial Auditorium. Mrs. James F. Finlay, a respected civic leader and active community supporter in Chattanooga during the early 20th century and known for her involvement in youth development and patriotic programs, played a visible role in public events including the 1935 Boy Scout Exposition. There, she portrayed Miss Columbia in the grand finale, joining over 1,200 Scouts from the Chattanooga Area Council in a pageant celebrating American values and youth leadership. Her participation reflected a broader commitment to uplifting civic spirit, supporting local organizations, and encouraging leadership and character development among young people in the region. Portraying Uncle Sam alongside her was Estes Kefauver, who would later become a reform-minded U.S. senator from Tennessee, nationally recognized for exposing organized crime in televised hearings and championing consumer protection, antitrust laws, and early civil rights efforts. Excerpt for the Chattanooga News – Wednesday, February 13 th , 1935 “The Scouting Trail to Citizenship is the theme of the 25th Silver Anniversary Scout Exposition to be held at the Memorial Auditorium at 8:00 pm on Saturday, February 16, 1935. More than 1,200 boys of the Chattanooga Area Council will participate. For the prologue, boyhood activities from the Stone Age, the Crusades period, the Pre-Columbian Era, and the early Pioneer Era will be highlighted. One of the principal features of the exposition will be showing the evolution of signaling from caveman until modern times. The demonstration of pyramid building and wall scaling will be given by a group of boys of Troop 41, while members of Troop 11 and 53 will exhibit many forms of first aid. The Sea Scouting program will present several demonstrations of their activities. A group of African American scouts will demonstrate the practicality of various scouting equipment including the scout neckerchief and scout staffs. The exposition will culminate with a gigantic demonstration of pioneering skills, including constructing a log cabin in only 15 minutes!" Thank you to the Cherokee Area Council History subcommittee for composing this article!

The Original Scout Camp Mascot - Carranza the Mule

Chattanooga's First Scout Camp - Boulder Nook

Scout Shopping through History When you need a new scout uniform, you probably look online or head to the scout office on Lee Highway. Well, for most of Scouting’s history, this would not have been the case. The Scout office was just that, an administrative location. They distributed awards to Scoutmasters with advancement reports, but didn’t keep much else in stock. Until the 1990s, the majority of scout gear was sold through local department stores. Many alumni will recall that through the 1970s and 1980s the primary dealer in the Chattanooga area was JC Penney, at both Northgate and Eastgate Malls. Back to the 1930s, Loveman’s and Miller Bro’s department stores were the main distributors, often running ads in the scout newsletter. If they didn’t have something in stock, they would order it for you. In Cleveland the Hardwick Woolen Mills store became the main scout distributor early on. A Miller Bro’s location took over in 1968, JC Penney in the 80s, and Outdoor Adventures in the early 90s. Lafayette, GA had a retailer in the 1970s, a men's store called The Boston Store. The Tennessee Copper Company’s general store in Copperhill, the Smelter Store, was the main distributor for Polk County until closing in 1969. Ferris Maloof, then third-generation owner of the family’s general store, recalled filling this void in a 2024 interview with the history committee. “After the copper company’s store closed, I picked up the uniform business. I ordered from the National Supply, mostly uniforms. I had a few things like the cook kits and canteens and small stuff, I didn’t get in any really heavy stuff. Badges still had to be ordered by the scoutmaster from the office in Chattanooga.”  Having settled into the new office on Lee Highway, in 1994 the Cherokee Area Council obtained an official Scout Distributorship License. This expanded the store at our scout office and ended the era of department store distributors in this area, centralizing everything in one convenient location. If you have memories of shopping for scout gear at any local place not listed in this article, we’d love to hear about it! Thank you Jordan Broadwell for composing this article!

The Cherokee Area Council's Scout Service Center

The number of new families joining Scouting jumped 148% over the prior year, as parents seek a safe refuge from rising digital risks through authentic outdoor adventures. The number of new families joining Scouting eclipsed the number of those who joined in both 2024 and 2023. Local officials expect that hundreds of boys, girls and families will be welcomed into Cub Scouts as the weather cools. “Every great leader, athlete or innovator can trace their success back to those first, formative steps,” said Jared Pickens, scout executive and CEO of Chattanooga’s Cherokee Area Council, Scouting America. “In Cub Scouts, we empower young people with the courage, curiosity and skills they need to confidently embrace every new challenge and opportunity ahead. And I’m thrilled to be personally involved in the program as both a parent and volunteer.” Cub Scouts is known for offering a fun, welcoming and structured environment where all boys and girls can try new things, build friendships and discover their strengths. It’s more than hiking and camping, it’s about helping kids be prepared for life, Pickens said. Cub Scout programming is calibrated to help kids learn critical real-world skills including teamwork, problem-solving, empathy and perseverance. The program is designed to transform wide-eyed beginners into leaders capable of tackling any challenge with a “can-do” mindset. Over the last year, local Scouts have: ● Delivered 1,874 pounds of food to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank through the “Scouting for Food” drive and over 120,000 pounds of hurricane emergency relief supplies were collected, loaded, and shipped; ● Decorated 58,500 graves of veterans with an American Flag for Memorial Day; and ● Contributed 9,750 hours of community service on their path to Eagle. 58 young people earned the rank of Eagle Scout including 6 girls. Girls now represent 24% of local youth membership. As a parent of a scout, Pickens said he understands that balancing school, sports and other activities can be a challenge. That’s why the organization offers flexible programs that fit into busy schedules. This fall, parents can visit www.BeAScout.org to find a local pack and start their Scouting journey, he said. About Local Scouting Cherokee Area Council, Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost outdoor youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.” Scouting America welcomes all youth into its programs throughout 11 counties across Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. Our goal is to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow with us in a safe environment. Join Scouting today by visiting www.BeAScout.org . https://www.clevelandbanner.com/news/local-families-join-cub-scouts-at-record-rates-for-august/article_331e3fb3-f792-53b0-a4e9-b1b9869422ae.html https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/9/17/508705/Local-Families-Join-CubScou  ts-At.aspx

Lakeview Scout House If you’ve ever been to Lake Winnie, you have probably driven right past the Lakeview Scout House and not realized it. This structure near the corner of Castleberry Rd and Lakeview Dr has hosted various scout meetings since at least 1961, possibly earlier. Troop 8’s early history is unclear, but our first documentation of them in Lakeview is in 1961. The scout house was owned by the Lakeview Lions club, who sponsored boy and girl scout troops, and probably built the structure. 92 year old former Troop 8 scoutmaster Marvin Thacker shared fond memories of the troop with the history committee. In 1968, “ a bunch of us got it fixed up. We had a wood stove, and eventually had an electric stove to cook on, but not much in there. We might have put a new roof on it too. It hadn’t been used in a good while, the grounds too, we had to do a lot of work on it. We had it in pretty good shape.”  A while after Marvin left the troop in 1972, Troop 8 briefly disbanded. It was reorganized under David Gasaway in 1975, who many will remember from his 12 year tenure as scoutmaster. Troop 8 thrived through the 80s and 90s, during which time ownership of the building passed into the hands of the council. Around 2008 Troop 8 met for the last time, and the scout house lay empty. Enter Troop 17. They had moved around the Fort Oglethorpe and East Ridge areas and were in need of a new meeting place. A Troop 17 leader made contact with the Scout House caretaker, and in 2013 they moved to occupy the available Lakeview Scout House. The council still owned the building, and in 2013 a private individual affiliated with Troop 17 purchased it from the council. Troop 17 still meets at the Scout House, carrying on a long tradition of scouting in Catoosa County. We hope they can continue to do so for years to come. The history committee pieces together stories like this from many different sources, and our information is often incomplete. We are always looking for more stories, photos and documents to preserve and share. Much of this info comes from the late Chris Ratliff, a Troop 8 Eagle Scout under David Gasaway, and Lynn Lawson, 20+ year Troop 17 leader. Please consider contacting us with information about your troop’s history! Thank you to Jordan Broadwell for composing this article!

Troop 10 Scouts out of Cleveland load up and head out onto the open water, ready for the 100 mile trek ahead. The group spends the week before the six-day trip making sure their skills were ready. "All the scouts on the water had to pass a swimming test. You have to make sure everybody is a proficient swimmer to do something like this," Troop 10 Scoutmaster Shannon Ward said. Ward said the troop has been an aquatics-based group for more than 100 years. "A lot of our scouts are scuba certified. They do a lot of canoeing," she added. The group started on the Ocoee, went through the Hiwassee and ended at Brown's Ferry Marina on the Tennessee River. Boston Heier is a youth leader for the group. He said there were times when the water's currents were challenging. "I definitely think going down the Ocoee was the hardest part. At times, whenever I was taking a break or I wasn't paddling for whatever reason, we would actually go backwards," Heier said. Abby Ross agrees, but said the challenges on the water taught her an important lesson in perseverance and teamwork. "We did a lot of miles. That was a little difficult. Sometimes the big boats would drive by and make waves that we would have to go over," Ross said. The older leaders of the group also had to learn how to work with the younger scouts and different experience levels. "Leading them was definitely a challenge and I definitely learned how to cooperate with them and make sure everyone had a good time," Heier said. A ground team of adults made sure the scouts had campsites and food ready at the beginning and end of each day. But Ward said, the overall goal was for the group to overcome and persevere together, building a bond that's long lasting. "The kids, they know that they make or break this troop. It's all about them. It's all about what they can achieve," Ward said. https://www.local3news.com/local-news/making-a-difference/making-a-difference-local-scout-troop-makes-history-with-100-mile-canoe-trip/article_b2ec1fe8-e80a-4430-aa06-c864a7390ded.html

Memorial Day is the day we set aside to honor those who gave their lives in service to this country. Ahead of the holiday, Scouts from the Cherokee Area Council placed over 60,000 flags in Cleveland, Tracy City, Ringgold Soddy-Daisy and the Chattanooga National Cemetery on Saturday. The Scouts were joined in their efforts by both leaders and parents. Scout Executive and CEO of the Cherokee Area Council Jared Pickens explained how this event can teach the Scouts about honoring those who served. "It is truly incredible to see this service provided to our community by these young people," Pickens said. "This is a fantastic learning experience for our Scouts – to respect the service of those laid to rest in these sacred places." Greg Lee, Volunteer Vice President of Program for the Cherokee Area Council, described the importance of getting young people involved early on. "A lot of younger Scouts don't exactly know why we're putting the flags out or what it symbolizes, what Memorial Day is, what's Veteran's Day, what's Armed Forces Day, so we kinda try to educate them on part of that, where Memorial Day is those who have lost their life in defending our country for our freedoms," Lee said. Lee tells us he's been involved with placing the flags for about 25 years, but the view never gets old. "It's really neat to watch as you stand back at the amphitheater to watch up over the hill as the red, white and blue goes in the ground," Lee said. The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is also honoring those who served. Park Ranger Will Wilson said those soldiers are the reason the National Military Park exists. "Park Historian Jim Ogden will be giving a torchlight tour of Chattanooga National Cemetery and telling some of the stories of some of the soldiers that were involved here," Wilson said. Wilson hopes people who attend the torchlight tour leave with more connection to its history. "This is a place of remembrance now and a place that really speaks to us as a nation and who we are," Wilson said. In a release, the Scouting America Cherokee Area Council said they were "thrilled" to honor Medal of Honor recipient Captain Larry Taylor on this year's commemorative patch. "We are honored to serve these local heroes once again this year," Lee said. Starting Wednesday of next week, the Scouts will begin taking the flags back down, Lee said. Those interested in volunteering to help with this can contact the Cherokee Area Council. https://newschannel9.com/news/local/scouts-honor-fallen-heroes-by-placing-flags-in-area-cemeteries-for-memorial-day?fbclid=IwY2xjawKimNVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFLSWE3U1ROWW1jUU0zVmRRAR7UO86NlXwM0XqhuHorIYMZBSV2BkmTRPDLapOWnwp7fwexJ-YOnUBE55AThg_aem_mxfJyyX4mPAr0Z3m1jxphA

Eisa Eilertson: T roop 1020

Scouting Founder Dan Beard Honored at Chattanooga Pow-Wow On March 21, 1928, Scouts from the Chattanooga area gathered at Memorial Auditorium for The Spirit of Tsatanugi, a Scout pageant and Pow-Wow honoring Daniel Carter Beard, one of the founding leaders of Scouting in America. The event was described as one of the most vibrant and memorable celebrations ever presented by the local Scout organization, drawing an audience of between 3,000 and 4,000 people. According to the Chattanooga Times, the program began at 8 p.m. and featured a wide range of performances and demonstrations reflecting Scout life, including a “Day in Camp” program and a theatrical variety show, which was praised for its creativity and enthusiastic participation. As the National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts, Beard took part in the evening’s events by presenting Eagle Scout badges to youth who had earned Scouting’s highest rank. He was introduced by R.T. Faucette, head of the local council, and later addressed the audience, speaking about the mission of Scouting and his lifelong commitment to supporting youth development. Beard shared how meaningful it was to be welcomed in Chattanooga—his first visit in 31 years—and reflected on his personal ties to the region through his father, who had connections to notable historical figures and helped design the flag carried by Kentuckians in the Texas Revolution. Council Executive R.T. Faucette, a longtime admirer of Beard, spoke of his legacy: “Scouting began in part because a young man from Kentucky, moved by the lack of welcoming spaces for children in a big city, made it his mission to create positive opportunities for youth. Today, thanks to leaders like Dan Beard, Scouting has become a movement that empowers young people across the country to grow, lead, and serve.” Wearing his signature frontier-style hunting shirt and breeches, Commissioner Beard arrived at Chattanooga’s Terminal Station, where he was welcomed by a local reception committee. That morning, he and his wife visited various sites around the city, followed by an informal afternoon reception at Scout headquarters. All local Scouts were invited to meet one of the movement’s founding figures, at a time when Scouting in the Chattanooga area had grown to include nearly 10,000 participants. Thank you to the Cherokee Area Council History Sub-Committee for writing this article.

Eagle Scout, Blake Webber, talks about his experience in the caving community.