1939 advertisement for Scouting in the Forum. Lots of interesting stuff starting with the strange graphic, which I can’t quite figure out. The aviation and signaling merit pages have dramatically changed, although the safety and athletic meritages are similar. Interesting comment: Scouting keeps boys out of the Booneville, Missouri,** Training School for Boys**. (which, when I Google, I see this: Originally opened in 1883 as a reformatory, it was heavily criticized as one of the nation’s worst juvenile institutions during the Great Depression. And of particular note is the comment that there was an octagon-shaped cabin at Camp Robinson. I don’t recall this, and I don’t remember the cabin that was there until the current structure was built in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
Maryville It’s Boy Scout Program
Teaching and Training Make Better Citizens
The Maryville Daily Forum, October 23, 1937, Page 6. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maryville-daily-forum-maryville-scou/200143913/
The Boy Scout Program has been recognized as one of the nation’s Great Assets in Citizenship Training. Scouting has the approval of leading educators, statesmen, and religious denominations of the country. On the foundation of DOING A GOOD TURN DAILY. Thousands of boys throughout the United States have grown to useful manhood under the good influence of BOY SCOUT teaching and leadership. These teachings have made them BETTER CITIZENS- They have been a character-building influence- have produced LEADERS in service to every community.
The Scout Oath is a direct pledge to self -control and service to others. It develops unselfishness–it inspires to the greater and better things in life. The Scout Motto Be Prepared” -leads to preparedness for the problems of life. Useful citizenship is the direct aim of the Scout movement, which prepares the youth of America to better assume the responsibilities of leadership in later years.
Who are the Leaders of Scouting in Nodaway County?
Troop and District CommitteeOliver K.
Olivar J Bovard, District Chairman. Edison Blagg, Finance. S. .J. Donahue, Camping and Activities.
Dr. Jack Rowlett, Health and Safety. Lee Meek. Court of Honor. B. W. Mahan, board of review and merit badge counselor chairman. U John. Kurtz, training, reading and 10-year program. Fred Newlon, organization and growth.
John G. Mutz, commissioner. Henry Blanchard, Deputy Commissioner. Chester R. Lyle, Troop 75 Scoutmaster.
Charles W. Churchill, Assistant Scoutmaster., Ernest Hartness, Lee Meek, James A. Smith, Sam Bithos and H. B. Cushman, troop con Virgil Hartness, Troop 74 Scoutmaster.
John Ford and Henry Turner, jr., Assistant Scoutmasters. Henry Blanchard, C. E. Cook. V. E. Bird, Walter Davis and L. L. Livengood, troop committee. Fred Davidson, jr., Troop 83 Assistant Scoutmaster.
John Rush, Roy T. Hainey, H. C. Moors, W. F. Tompkins, and Fred Davidson, troop committee.
Maryville As Scout Center.
Maryville is the Scout center for Nodaway County and is open to every community in the county that would like to have Scouting. Scout Activities Over 1,065 boys have received Scout Training in the past sixteen years in Nodaway County. 2,066 merit badges have been earned in the past sixteen years. 112 boys have been made First Class Scouts in sixteen years.
114 boys have been taught how to swim within the past five years. Over 163 have been taught all of the rules of Safety as laid down by the National Safety Council of America. All of these boys could direct traffic if called upon to do so.
Scout Activities
a. The Scouts have aided in distributing Red Cross material to solicitors in residential districts and distributed posters and advertising materials.
b. Distributed Some Safety pamphlets.
c. Collected clothes for the aid of the needy.
d. Helped during the tornado disaster of October 22, 1934.
e. Participated in all patriotic parades.
f. Two-day camp held at Camp Robinson, at which 70 boys participated. 40 boys attended Camp Geiger one full week, 5 boys attended National Jamboree at Washington, D. C., 12 Nodaway County Scouts have reached their majority by having four years or more in Scouting.
g. Fall festivals and other community gatherings.
h. Distributed food and water to starving quail and wild life during severe winters and through drought periods.
i. Have active Pathfinder program for boys from 9 to 12 years of age.
j. Patrol leader training course available for leaders.
Camp Robinson Established
One mile north of Maryville the camp on the property of the late F. P. Robinson is situated.
There is a constructed housing facility here for 50 boys to stay overnight, with bunks and a fireplace for heating. The natural surroundings are ideal for all activities, such as camping, cooking, and hiking. tions: are ideal, and the waterways are tested before being used; one of the most beautiful areas in this vicinity. Camp Robinson Scout troops at all times.
Its octagon cabin is suitable for a campsite, made along the lines of the sanitary condition from the well is maintained by the boys.
Cost and Financing
At an extremely low cost Maryville is financing this very effective boys’ program. During the past year beginning October 1, 1936, the per boy cost has amounted to $4.60. When one considers that for every boy who goes wrong and is sent to Boonville, it costs the state and county $540 for one year, this seems entirely reasonable and very practical.
Preventive work is much more appealing than the so called curative program that rarely succeeds in curing.
Scouting costs money for the same reason as our church or school programs. This money is raised each year through voluntary subscriptions and represents the community’s civic outlook and determination to use every sound and practical program to make the town a better place in which to live and torear our families.
SCOUTING IS THE BEST KNOWN ANTIDOTE FOR CRIME.
How the dollar is spent:
Hiking and camping …$ .25
Salary of part time director……22
Administration .03
Training .14
Activities .28
Records, forms, postage, clerical, office supplies and phone… .08
Total: $1.00
The Maryville Troop is an Active Service Group for the Community
Built on the principle that troops stand ready to ready to assist in any worthy civic eneterpirse.
Finance Campaign
October 27-28-29
“DO A GOOD TURN DAILY”
Jokes About Scouting Being Cheaper Alternative to Sending Boys Gone Bad to the Missouri Training School for Boys in Boonville
- “In 1937 the town found a budget miracle: sign a boy up for Scouts and you get knots, not knocks — much cheaper than a ticket to Boonville!”
- “Why did the mayor toss the juvenile budget at the Scoutmaster? Turns out a whistle and a compass cost less than a one-way to the Missouri Training School.”
- “Attendance at troop meetings soared — mother said it was cheaper than bail, and the boys came home with merit badges instead of an invoice.”
- “They called the Scout uniform ‘reform by khaki’ — cheaper than involuntary board and much better for Sunday photos.”
- “The council meeting: ‘We can send him to Boonville or buy him a sleeping bag and teach him to pitch a tent.’ Vote was unanimous — tents won by a landslide.”
- “Town policy: when a boy went bad, they didn’t ship him off — they taught him to tie a square knot. Works every time, or at least makes the problem easier to carry.”
- “Scouts vs. Boonville — one teaches you to find your way by stars, the other charges you for the map. Guess which one’s easier on the ledger?”
- “Why Scouts beat the training school in 1937 budgeting? Because you can’t auction off a merit badge to balance the books.”
- “Councilman: ‘We can’t afford the Training School.’ Scoutmaster: ‘We’ll take him.’ Councilman: ‘Really?’ Scoutmaster: ‘Sure — one week camping and a stern talk; if he still misbehaves we’ll teach him to march. Marching’s cheaper.’”
- “If a boy needed reform in ’37, the Scouts would give him chores, discipline, and a patch — all for less than the price of a prosecutor’s saddle.
Jokes About Octagonal Scout Cabins in the 1930s
- “They built the cabin octagonal so no one could ever claim they were sleeping in the corner for a week.”
- “Scoutmaster: ‘It’s octagonal for good reason.’ Kid: ‘Which is?’ Scoutmaster: ‘More walls to blame your bunkmate on.’”
- “In the 1930s the octagonal cabin saved money — eight sides, one stove, and twice the stories about the same ghost.”
- “Why octagonal? So the compass merit badge finally felt at home.”
- “Town planner: ‘Why eight sides?’ Scoutmaster: ‘So every patrol gets a corner and no patrol gets a cornered patrol.’”
- “They said the cabin was modern architecture. The boys called it ‘mystery angles’ — especially when they tried to hang a hammock.”
- “The octagonal cabin: where every argument about chores went around in circles — and then around another angle.”
- “Camp legend: if you whisper in one corner, the opposite corner responds — mostly with someone snoring.”
- “Octagon was practical — with eight walls you could pin up eight different ‘Who left the latrine lit?’ posters.”
- “The Scout motto adopted there: Be Prepared — especially for tripping over that one weird corner.”
- “They taught geometry in the octagonal cabin. Curriculum: how many boys can you fit before someone starts a new patrol?”
- “Even in the 1930s the cabin was eco-friendly — less roof per square foot, more places to hide from the Scoutmaster.”
How Bad Was the Missouri Training School for Boys in 1937?
In the 1930s, the facility now known as the Boonville Correctional Center operated as the Missouri Training School for Boys. Originally opened in 1883 as a reformatory, it was heavily criticized as one of the nation’s worst juvenile institutions during the Great Depression. [1, 2, 3]
The institution struggled severely during this era. Conditions were marked by understaffing, assaults, and poor living standards, leading users in historical forum discussions to reach a consensus that the facility failed in its mission. [1, 2, 3]
Key historical realities for the Boonville Training School in the 1930s include:
- Overcrowding & Demographics: The facility held up to 650 boys at a time. While meant to house youth under 17, ages among the incarcerated population actually ranged widely, with some reports showing inmates spanning from 7 to 30 years old. [1, 2]
- Mass Escapes: The environment was notoriously difficult to manage. For example, in 1931, over 200 boys escaped. This caused immense friction with local residents, who resorted to guarding their properties with shotguns due to a lack of state control. [1]
- Reforms & New Facilities: Because Boonville was highly overcrowded and failing to reform youths, the state opened an additional, more specialized reformatory for older offenders (ages 17–25) called Algoa Farms in 1933. [1]
- Local Town History: Boonville itself became infamous for the last public hanging in Missouri, which took place in the hanging barn of the old Cooper County Jail in January 1930. [1, 2]
While the institution was intended to offer education and agricultural training, it was frequently investigated for its harsh, prison-like environment throughout the 1930s. [1, 2, 3]
Octagonal Scout Cabins in 1937
In 1937, octagonal Boy Scout cabins offered unique advantages well suited to the era. The eight-sided geometry provided Scouts and Works Progress Administration (WPA) work crews with superior space-to-perimeter efficiency, easier material handling during the Great Depression, and a highly practical, centralized layout for training and meetings. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Specific advantages of this architectural style included:
1. Material and Construction Efficiency
- Shorter Timbers: Constructing an octagonal wooden or log cabin allowed builders to use significantly shorter logs than a sprawling, rectangular design. This made the logs easier to transport, cut, and lift into place—a crucial benefit for Scouts and fathers building the cabins by hand with limited funds. [1, 2, 3]
- Material Economy: An octagonal shape encloses roughly 20% more interior space and volume for the same amount of perimeter wall compared to a square or rectangle. This maximized the usable indoor area for troop meetings while minimizing building material costs. [1, 2]
2. Space and Group Dynamics
- Centralized Meeting Spaces: The design naturally lent itself to an open, unbroken floor plan. By arranging Scoutmaster offices or storage in the corners, leaders had a clear line of sight to the entire troop at once. [1, 2]
- Improved Visibility and Sightlines: In an era when Scouts frequently learned knot-tying, pioneering, and first aid in large groups, the multi-angled walls provided excellent diffusion of natural light and ventilation, illuminating all sides of the room without needing to break the cabin up into cramped corridors. [1, 2, 3]
3. Structural Stability & Environmental Resilience
- Wind Resistance: The symmetrical, multi-sided form naturally diffuses harsh wind loads better than flat, broad walls.
- Thermal Efficiency: Because there are fewer sharp \(90^{\circ }\) corners for wind to catch, and a smaller exterior surface area compared to a rectangle of the same size, these cabins were highly efficient to heat with a single, central wood-burning stove. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
4. Community Landmarks and Teamwork
- Iconic Presence: Octagonal cabins often served as highly visible, distinctive community landmarks. For Scouts, it gave them a sense of civic pride to construct an eye-catching building during the WPA era, where they were actively encouraged by the national organization and manuals like Boys’ Life to build troop headquarters.