BSA Troop 11 and the Auburn community together share a very rich history. The troop was chartered in 1944 and has been in continuous operation since then, helping to build the minds, bodies, and character of Auburn’s young men for over a half-century! We are somewhat “laid-back” when it comes to uniforms and formality, but are “pushy” when it comes to camping, hiking, and canoeing, believing that lessons are best learned by experience! We try to go camping or have an outdoor high adventure activity every month.
Troop 11 was established on August 12, 1940 after the splitting of Troop 7. Troop 7 was the first Auburn troop and was formed in 1911, only one year after the Scout movement was founded nationwide. Troop 7 was not only the first Auburn Troop but only the seventh troop formed in the nation. Around 1947 the Scout Hut, originally called the Scout Lodge, was constructed on Auburn’s campus near the intersection of Mell and P.O. Davis Street, where Mary Boyd Hall now exist. The construction of the Scout Hut was approved and supported by the Kiwanis and Lions Clubs, the charter sponsor of Troop 11. The Scout Hut was the meeting place for Troops 7, 11, and 12. Around Thanksgiving of 1989 the Scout Hut was relocated to it’s current location on Heard Avenue.
Scouts are admonished to “Do a Good Turn Daily.” Likewise, scouts as members of the group that forms a troop should participate in performing organized good turns. Troop 11 has a long and rich history of Troop level good turns. During the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, participation in a city wide cleanup was an annual event. Assistance in handing out and retrieving bags for food collection from those who had honored the request has also been a nearly annual task for the last decade or so. On several occasions, members of the Troop have also aided in yard cleanup for the elderly and infirm.
Members of Troop 11 have been most fortunate in being able to participate in what has become known as high adventure. Scouts of Troop 11 have made frequent trips to Philmont Scout Ranch and Explorer Base, the best known high adventure are for scouting. In addition to trips to Philmont Scout Ranch, Troop 11 has also made trips to The Last Frontier (Alaska), Seabase, and explored the beaches of Normandy.
Camping is a very large part of the Troop’s activities. In years past areas at the old Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Chewacla State Park, the Odom Trail in Cheaha State Park, the Pine Mountain Trail in Roosevelt State Park (Georgia), Cumberland Island, the Okefenokee Swamp, the Sipsey Wilderness, Byrd Creek near Roxanna and numerous “Troop 11” places in the Tuskegee National Forest, among others, have been sites utilized for the Troop’s frequent camping expeditions.