Great Smoky Mountain Council

The Great Smoky Mountain Council was founded as the Knoxville Council in August 1911. Upon official incorporation of the Knoxville Council, Dr. Charles H. Gordon, associate state geologist of the University of Tennessee, was elected its president. R.E. Mooney was treasurer, Miss Leah Fletcher, principal of the Rose Avenue school, was the secretary, and Prof. W.J. Barton, principal of Knoxville High School, was named the Scout Commissioner. The executive committee of the council was completed by; E.W. Ogden, Frank West, Frederick Bonham, Dr. A.S. Keim, and Rev. B.A. Williams.[1]

By October 1911, six troops had been organized in various sections of the city comprising a total of about 100 scouts. Scoutmaster Solon Kipp organized a troop in the Mountain View school and community, as well as Troop No. 5 in Park City. A.R. Wilson was scoutmaster of Troop No. 1 in South Knoxville; Duncan White was scoutmaster of Troop No. 2 in East Knoxville; R.W. Tapp was scoutmaster of Troop No. 3 (probably at the YMCA) in the uptown district; W.T. Scott was scoutmaster of Troop No. 4 in North Knoxville; and Herbert Henegar was scoutmaster of Troop No. 6 in West Knoxville. By the end of November, Herbert Henegar could no longer continue as scoutmaster for his district, and Hugh F. VanDevented was appointed scoutmaster over West Knoxville.[2]

An article in The Journal and Tribune reported on January 29, 1915, that the council was finally reorganized as the Knox County Council with a service area that officially covered all of Knox County. This new council was re-chartered under the leadership of:

• David T. Blakely, president;
• P.C. Mathis, secretary;
• Dr. Charles H. Gordon, vice-president;
• Frederick T. Bonham, treasurer;
• W.C. Armistead, Deputy Scout Commissioner; and
• William P. “Buck” Toms, Scout Commissioner

The 1916 summer camp for the Knox County Council was held at Chilhowee Park and appeared to be very successful. It was named camp Ottosee, after the original name of the lake at the park. An article in the August 28, 1916 edition of The Journal and Tribune reported that the encampment was under the supervision of Commissioner Toms and scouts received instruction in swimming, first-aid, Scoutcraft, and camp hygiene. Troop No. 4 had the most scouts in attendance, and they won the field day competition on the last full day of camp.[3]

In October 1916, a financial campaign was begun to develop funding for the hiring of a Scout Executive and the purchase of a permanent scout camp. The campaign was under the overall supervision of Special National Field Commissioner C.M. Abbott, and upon completion of a successful campaign, the Knox County Council was designated a first class council by BSA Headquarters. A total of over $10,000 was quickly raised and a scout headquarters was established in the Merchant’s National Bank building. In January 1917, Robert John Charles, director of the boys department of the Norfolk, Va. YMCA, was hired as the Scout Executive for the Knox County Council. He appeared to be well qualified and had even served as field scout commissioner while in Tampa, Florida. The Council included approximately 225 officially registered Boy Scouts, 10 scoutmasters, and 15 asst. scoutmasters in 10 troops at the time of his hiring.[4]

In early May 1917, Executive Charles resigned his position with the Knox County Council to take a position with the YMCA in Tampa, Florida. Within a week after the departure of R.J. Charles, John Gore was appointed to the position of scout executive by the council’s executive board. He quickly assumed this new role on June 1st, and within a month, he organized Troop Nos. 15, 16, 17, and 18 in the city.[5]

Knoxville scouts living up to their motto to “Be Prepared”, quickly put their training to the test when the steps of the Park City high school collapsed under the weight of over 1300 students (although a Nov. 19, 2016 article in The Journal and Tribune cite 1700 students). Scouting magazine (Vol. 3, Number 21 from Mar. 1, 1916) reported that several scouts from Troop Nos. 2, 4, and 5 were present and provided a quick and correct first-aid response to the injured. Their actions won praise locally from the Park City Schools Superintendent J.R. Lowry, as well as from BSA Headquarters in New York.[6]

By June 1917, Council officials began seriously searching for property on which to establish the Council’s permanent scout camp. A classified add in the June 18, 1917 issue of The Journal and Tribune requested property containing 10-50 acres, on a body of water with good swimming facilities, and within 10-12 miles from Knoxville. Within a few years, the Council would purchase and develop a permanent camp near Powell, Tennessee.[7]

The Cumberland Council was formed in Lenoir City in 1927 and a council of the same name was formed in LaFollette from 1921-1923. The Great Depression saw the consolidation of these councils into the Knoxville Area Council. The name was changed in 1943 to its current incarnation.[8]

In 1915, the Knox County Council's first summer camp was held at Camp Helpful, near Elkmont, in what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Four years later, camp was held at a facility in Powell known as The Scout Ranch.

In 1936, the Knoxville Council leased a patch of property on Norris Lake from the Tennessee Valley Authority. This soon became the Council summer camp, named Camp Pellissippi. 1938 saw Camp Pellissippi's first summer camp season; 75 Scouts attended with 600 in attendance the following year. Pellissppi Lodge 230 of the Order of the Arrow is named for the camp.

In 1952 several Scout leaders including William Perry "Buck" Toms purchased a plot of property on the shores of Watts Bar Lake using proceeds from a Scout show. Three years later, the first summer camp was held at Buck Toms with 155 Scouts and leaders in attendance. The first campers arrived by boat, due to the lack of any road to the camp grounds. Electricity was implemented at the camp in 1957.

In 1977, the dining hall at Camp Pellissippi was destroyed by fire. The summer camp was rendered defunct and although the council has retained the property as a campground for troops, it has not served as a summer camp since. This left Camp Buck Toms to serve as the sole summer camp of the Great Smoky Mountain Council.

1994 saw the renovation of Buck Toms with the addition of several buildings, including a dining hall that greatly increased the camp's capacity.

The council is divided into ten districts:[9]

• Catoosa District, consisting of Cumberland, Fentress, Pickett, and Roane Counties
• Chehote District, consisting of central Knox County
• Cherokee District, consisting of Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, and Jefferson Counties
• Cumberland District, consisting of Campbell, Claiborne, and Scott Counties
• Echota District, consisting of northern Knox County and Union County
• Pellissippi District, consisting of Anderson and Morgan Counties
• Sequoyah District, consisting of southern Knox County and Sevier County
• Toqua District consisting of western Knox county and parts of Loudon County.
• Tuckaleechee District, consisting of Blount County and the Greenback section of Loudon County
• Unaka District consisting of Meigs, McMinn, and Monroe Counties

Pellissippi Lodge #230 is the Order of the Arrow lodge that serves the Great Smoky Mountain Council in East Tennessee. Its headquarters are located in Knoxville, TN. The Order of the Arrow is an organization that is dedicated to cheerful service and brotherhood, and is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scouting in Tennessee.

• https://historyofscoutingeasttennessee.wordpress.com/2020/01/04/boy-scouting-appears-in-knoxville-tennessee-1909-1917/
• http://www.eastTNscouts.org
• Camp Buck Toms is near 35°46′31″N 84°41′30″W