Boy Scout Troop 39, Marlborough - History
Boy Scout Troop 39 is a member of the Leaders of the Revolution (LOTR) District of the Connecticut Rivers Council; Boy Scouts of America. We meet most Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Marlborough Congregational Church meeting hall on South Main Street. We camp at least once a month and also hike, canoe and backpack.
Scoutmasters
1941 - 1942 Harry Kinghorn
1942 - 1945 Ernie Thompson
1945 - 1948 Harry Kinghorn
1948 - 1950 Milton Button
1950 - 1960
1960 - 1961 Laurie Adelin
1961 - 1962 Robert L. Haight
1962 - 1965 Joel F. Kuhlberg
1965 - 1966 Stephen H. Merrill
1966 - 1975 Clifford L. Martinez
1975 - 1976 Eric Rorstrom
1976 - 1977 Paul R. Amanto Jr.
1977 - 1978 William Harriman
1978 - 1979
1979 - 1980
1981 - 1982 Thomas Fazzina
1982 - 1984 Warren Cyr
1984 - 1996 Bill Beyerly
1996 - 2003 Gil Thompson
2003 - 2006 Pat McGill
2006 - 2009 Mike Davis
2009 - 2011 Jon Wood
2011 - 2012 Rich Barstow
2012 -2014 Tom Bertelsen
2014 - 2022 Mike Steinbrecher
2022 - present Jeremy Billiel
A letter given to us by Mr. Harry Kinghorn, our first Scoutmaster.
"In the fall of 1941, my brother-in-law Dick Fuller came home from school one day and told me that he and his friends wanted a boy scout troop in town and they had picked me to be their scout master. Well, I thought a troop would be a good idea so I went to the then Charter Oak Council in Hartford and found out what was needed to form a troop. We needed at least 8 boys of age 12 or older. Marlborough at that time was mostly a town of family farms with a population of a little over 300 people, so getting boys of that age wasn't easy, but we persevered and made our goal. Then we persuaded the Marlborough Volunteer Fire Department to sponsor the troop with the Chief, Harry Kinghorn II (my father), the secretary John Fuller (my father-in-law), and assistant chief, Fred Austin for committeemen.
After visits and inspection by the council, we were finally given our charter in the spring of 1942. The boys, of course, were all Tenderfeet and had to pass the tests, and they all did. We had a lot of fun exploring the handbook and deciding what we wanted to do. We studied photography and trail marking as well as the required material, and the boys responded well. In June, I took a week of my vacation and took the troop camping at Gardner Lake in Salem. There they passed cooking, swimming and trailing and had a fun week. In September, I went into the Navy and a man named Ernie Thompson took over, assisted by Ben Lord, Sr. Upon my return in September, 1945, I picked up the reigns again and this time there were some more experienced Scouters to work with. We took ski hikes and regular hikes, one of which took us to Gay City State Park where a button factory had been about civil war time. We grubbed around in the dirt on the site and dug up many types of buttons. We formed a little orchestra with accordion, clarinet, trumpet, piano and drums at the old town hall. We couldn't do it now, but then we went to an old gravel pit and I taught them gun safety. The boys continued to work on their tests and made a nice progression. On several occasions we met with Troop 5 of East Hampton and competed in different games.
I gave up the troop in 1948 to a new committee and scout master and through the years scouting has prospered in town. I enjoy every moment of my involvement."
Click thumbnail image for a historic photo of Troop 39 scouts marching in a parade.
Can you help?
If you can add any thing to the Troop History
please contact the Troop Historian.
One busy Tuesday evening, we were visited by Mr. Milton "Milt" Button, also a former Scoutmaster for Troop 39. Here is some of the story he shared with us:
"Howard Dean was one of my Scouts, he's first Selectman now. Both Don and Peter Islieb were also one of my boys, and as you know, Peter Islieb became the first Eagle Scout of Troop 39. We used to camp at the Jackson farm over by Caffyn Drive. From Oct 1960 to 1963 I was with troop 232 in East Hartford."
Today, the troop is chartered to the Marlborough Congregational Church. Scouting BSA is open to boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18 years of age. (Although, Troop 0039B is a troop for boys. If you're interested in starting a troop for girls in Marlborough, contact our Scoutmaster.)
The purposes of the Scouting BSA are 1) character development, 2) citizenship training, and 3) mental and physical fitness. Many of its activities are oriented towards the outdoors, such as camping, hiking and canoeing.
Scouting here and in the rest of the nation is a scout-run organization, with the troop led by a senior scout. The scoutmaster is the adult leader, providing guidance and advice to the troop. The troop committee supervises troop activities. Scout patrols are tested in the skills learned at the troop meetings, in competition with other patrols in the troop and at district events. Marlborough is part of Leaders of the Revolution (LOTR), Connecticut Rivers Council.
Boy Scout Troop 39 provides "service to others" through projects that contribute to the community. Projects like our Scouting for Food collections. We canvas our neighborhoods, collecting food for the needy of our town. Historically the boys have accepted responsibility for raking the grounds of the historic Congregational Church.
