History of Troop 605

In the years following World War II, young men came home to Henderson County and started fresh on all manner of commerce, building and civic life.

The economy was getting back on its feet, retooling from the machinery of war to industry turning out washers, nylons and cars to meet the booming civilian demand.

At a Hendersonville Rotary Club meeting in the fall of 1947, local businessmen made their projections on the economic outlook for 1948.

The program was given by dry goods merchant Hugh B. Bowden, appliance store owner C. W. Kuykendall, car dealer T.D. Hunter, insurance man Frank Ewbank, and Green River Mills manager George Boys.

Clothing was becoming more available, but cost was not likely to go down; shoes especially were in short supply and expected to increase in price. Appliances were becoming more available but distribution was still based on 1931 demographics despite the post-war migration and explosive demand.

The auto industry fell 16 million passenger cars behind during World War II, Hunter told the gathering, and because of a steel shortage post-war production had not caught up.

Insurance was selling steadily. Although rates were level, higher home values increased the cost. "For instance, a house insured for $5,000 before the war now costs twice that much and requires additional insurance," the Times-News reported.

The payroll at the mill had increased 160 percent, Boys told the Rotary Club.

Yet, if there was uncertainty about washing machines, new dresses and Chevrolets, the resurgence of the Boy Scouts was in plain sight.

Recruitment

The same day as the Rotary meeting, the Land of Sky District of the Boy Scouts met in Mayor A.V. Edwards' office in City Hall to elect officers. Forrest B. Gardner was elected chairman and Lloyd Biggerstaff district commissioner.

The following February, a full-page ad in the Times-News announced a recruiting drive for Scoutmasters and troop committee members. The ad listed 12 troops in the county, including the newly chartered Troop 5 of Edneyville.

The Edneyville troop, now Troop 605, celebrates its 61st anniversary this year. It was chartered in November 1947, with Minor P. Wilson as Scoutmaster.

After their mother's death, Wilson and his brother and sister were raised by his maternal grandparents in Hendersonville.

When the Second World War broke out, Wilson was teaching school and also leading a Scout troop in Pinehurst. During World War II he served as an officer under Gen. Patton's command of the Third Army. Returning to Henderson County, Wilson, then about 37 took a job at Edneyville High School, where he organized Troop 5. Other leaders were Assistant Scoutmaster H.E. Pryor, troop committee member James F. Lindsey and Rector R.J. Fowler.

While other troops in Henderson County have as long a history and as deep a tradition, none matches Troop 605's numbers.

Accounts in the Times-News of Boy Scout advancements in April and May of 1948 mentioned the first Scouts: James Lindsey, Boyd Frank Lyda, Dono Jones, Grady Hill, James Davidson, Billy Barnwell, David Phipps, Bill Grant, Jimmy Rickman, Grady Corn and Grady Martin.

The first Eagle rank was earned by Billy (Bill) Barnwell in April 1950, followed by John Freeman, Vernon Jones and Jimmy Rickman. In 1968, the troop hit its high mark, with 126 Scouts, which must have been nearly all the male Scout-age population of Edneyville High.

Under Wilson's guidance, 169 boys earned the rank of Eagle. Since 1992, Don Henderson has led Troop 605, adding 41 more Eagles, for the troop's total of 210.

Thumbing through old clips of the troop's history in 1948, Henderson stopped on one name.

"Jimmy Rickman was one of the best basketball players ever around here," he said. "Minor used to open up the (Edneyville) gym for him to practice."

Everyone has a Minor Wilson story like that. It usually starts with his Tarzan yell, a loud cry that carried through the woods summoning his charges to race from hither and yon and touch him within 30 seconds. This was required whether it meant jumping in the lake and swimming to him or climbing a tree to reach him on a high branch. Penalty: one push-up for every second over the half-minute allotment.

Early roots

While this is the 61st anniversary of Troop 605, the real roots of the troop go back two decades earlier. The deeply rooted families in the Apple Valley from Fruitland to Gerton trace the troop's origins to 1927, when Scoutmaster Harley B. Rhodes Sr. organized Troop 7 along with Jacob Hill, H.P. Moss and W.V. Barnwell.

The valley is still thick with the descendants of those founders, themselves branched from the county's pioneer farming families. The troop roster to this day is a roll call of local genealogy: Bradley, Harris, Lanning, Lyda, Rhodes, Stepp, Connor, Gilbert, Freeman, Griffin, Henderson, Honeycutt, Pace, Ward.

A fire warden and the first to man the fire tower on Bearwallow Mountain, Harley Rhodes was generous with his time and his land. Back in the 1920s, Rhodes had land on Bald Top Mountain that he allowed Scouts to use for camping and hiking.

The troop went inactive during World War II, and was chartered as Troop 5 in 1947, sponsored by the Edneyville Grange, under Wilson as Scoutmaster.

Don Henderson, the current Scoutmaster, says the key to the troop's long unbroken tradition is community support and generational leadership.

"A lot of the ones that went through as boys have come back as adults and helped as leaders," he says. "I wanted to make sure my son had the opportunity to be in Scouts just like I was.

"We've actually got more adults on the roll than boys. A lot of them are not that active but when I need something special there's somebody I can always count on."

Like who? John Laughter, good with mechanics, fixes the troop motorboat. Tyson Orr owns a tree service. Tyrone Phillips, a shooting enthusiast and scuba diver, teaches both. Alan Ward, a stock broker, is personal finance merit badge counselor. Robbie Gilbert, a re-enactor, demonstrates blacksmithing and 200-year-old cooking technique.

David Pace, a retired Air Force major, is an organization man and knows carpentry and electronics expert. Tim Gordon, a sheriff's deputy and paramedic, teaches first aid. Mark Freeman, a surveyor, teaches orienteering. Chad Johnson, contractor, helps build and repair. Gary Johnson, county bus garage supervisor, keeps the troop bus running and cooks barbecue, with help from Stacy Rhodes and a bunch of cousins. Josh Lanning, a DOT engineer, works on building. Rick Miller, a banker, leads training and advancement.

Never mind that Henderson, a carpenter and retired shop teacher, knows everything about building a house from the concrete footers to the tip of the chimney, and can guide the troop bus around harrowing mountain curves.

History continues

Whether this year should properly be called the 61st or 80th anniversary is immaterial; it's accurate to say that Scouting has been going on in the Apple Valley since 1927, and the rich history of the troop continues.

Scoutmaster Harley Rhodes' son, Marvin, achieved Eagle, as did nine grandsons: Allen Clay Hyder, Boyd L. Hyder, Larry Rhodes, Gary Rhodes, Stacy Rhodes, Timothy Reed, Clyde Freeman, Alden Connor and Kevin Connor. A great-grandson, John Brian "J.B." Rhodes earned his Eagle in 2003.

Hendersonville Times News
Written by Bill Moss