History
History
Troop 267: A Glance at the Past
In the Chautauqua region, Fredonia’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 267 is known for its forward-moving, engaging program. It was founded in the early fifties as Troop 67. Many details of its first years are unknown except that the American Legion in Fredonia supported the troop then and still does today.
The troop changed its number to 267 in 1973. At this time, two councils merged, the Chautauqua County Council in New York and the Elk Lick Council in Pennsylvania. They formed the Allegheny Highlands Council and eventually merged with the Seneca Lake Council. In the seventies, organized activities were few. Boy Scouts was one of them, and the lack of competition helped the troop thrive.
However, the eighties presented more options like soccer and hockey. The troop’s numbers dropped to only five Scouts, a couple of whom were relatively inactive. Mr. Chris Eichmann took the helm as Scoutmaster of Troop 267 in the early nineties and aimed to improve leadership and participation. Summer camps and adventure trips attracted local attention and recruits from Cub Scout packs, building the troop to about 45 boys. Concurrently, all five of the Scouts that persisted through the eighties became Eagle Scouts.
By the 2000s, the troop had again declined. The number of boys went down for lack of a trained Scoutmaster. Mr. Eichmann stepped up for a second time in 2010. Once again, through improvements in adult and youth leadership, as well as a reorganization of supplies, the troop was up and running strongly again. To add to this, the American Legion hosting the troop picked up the charter of another Cub Scout pack and gave them our number. The troop began monthly campouts, summer trips to Camp Merz, and a few excursions to Camp Massawepie in Tupper Lake, New York. Mr. Thomas Annear took over the troop for a period of three years starting in 2017. In 2019, a girls’ Troop 267 was launched, joining the boys in all of their activities.
As with all things, Covid-19 moved Troop 267 to the digital realm. A trip to Philmont Ranch, a camp in New Mexico treasured for its Scout heritage, had to be postponed. Mr. Jim Stenger became Scoutmaster in 2020 and has overseen the troop until now in 2023.
We currently have thirty-five Scouts, and a strong activity-based program. Our troop has seen sixty-one Scouts to the Eagle Scout rank and looks forward to further advancements and achievements in years to come.
BSA Troop 267 Historian Cayden M. May 25, 2023