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26th AMENDMENT SIGNING | MEMORIES | YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Boy Scout Jamboree
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
June-July, 1950
Kentucky Scouts - Photo was taken en route to the Jamboree at Valley Forge
Row 1: Garner Robinson, Russell McClure, Charlie Flynn, Billy Watkins, David Hughes, Gordon Combest, ?
Row 2: Louis Diamond, ?, Phillip Macintosh, Bill Ramsey (smiling), ?, ?, ?
Row 3: Chester Kaiser, Richard Rogers, Harry Lee Conley, Karl Weddle, Tommy Holiday
Back row 2nd from right: Earl Clough
Since these scouts were from different areas in Kentucky, we have been unable to identify all the others.
Thanks to Dr. Garner Robinson for supplying this photo taken by Somerset photographer, R. C. Fuller
Bill's Jamboree diary (begun a day before his 13th birthday)
Boy Scout Jamboree - 1950
We left Lexington at 8:30 AM on the morning of June 27, 1950. Our first stop was in Maysville at 15 of 12. We picked up four boys from Northern Kentucky. As we traveled we sang many songs and had a wonderful time. Our next stop was a Chillicothe, Ohio where we had a most enjoyable swim and a wonderful meal. Our next stop was at Clarksburg, West Virginia where we changed bus drivers at 12:30 after midnight. We rode all night and stopped at the Tortula restaurant in Maryland. The time was 10 o'clock. We also got a box lunch there at the Tortula restaurant.
Our next stop was at Gettysburg where we toured various historic spots. From there we traveled on to Valley Forge arriving there about 6:00 PM. Much to our amazement, we found Valley Forge well inhabited even though we were two days early.
The weather, as a whole, was very nice on our journey to Valley Forge. We ate supper and set up camp and started swapping. We went to bed at 10:30.
Thursday. Friday, June 30. The grand opening of the jamboree.
We had breakfast, dinner, and supper and Friday we went to the arena, a great natural amphitheater. Pres. Truman spoke to us and told us what a great thing scouting was, not only in the USA but in foreign countries alike. After Truman spoke, a beautiful pageant was put on showing the hardships of Washington and his men and how finally they won.
Saturday, July 1. Today we had a chance to go to the foreign countries - anywhere there was “swapping.” We went to bed at 10:30.
Saturday we set up camp and got settled. Saturday night we went over to the campfire circle and saw the picture about the world jamboree in 1947. It was very interesting. We sang a song which was led by Earl Clough. Mr. Ferrell let us ask questions about the jamboree. We sang another song which was led by Mr. Wilkinson. We then said good night at 10:45. Taps was sounded.
Sunday. We got up at 7 AM and had breakfast. At 9 AM we had church. After church, we went swimming. Then we started up with our entrance way. Then we ate dinner. We went swimming after working some more on the entrance. And the rain began. It just rained a little at first (and we thought that was just good pre-jamboree training) but then it rained and rained and rained some more. All tents stood up, but the leaders’. (Mr. Redwine drove the peg that pulled loose.) There was water about 5 1/2 inches deep and some tents.
Sunday night we went to the mess hall to sing. We went back to camp and at 10:45 taps was sounded.
Monday. We got up at 7 o'clock and had breakfast. After breakfast, we started marching. We marched from about 10:30 to 12:00. We had dinner and then went swimming. Then it began with once more and it rained and rained more than it rained Sunday.
Monday night we went again to the mess hall and had patrol stunts they were very good. We went to bed at 10:45.
Tuesday we got up at 7:00 AM and had breakfast. We marched a while and then packed and got ready to go home. We had dinner and said goodbye to our good friends we had made at Offett. As we left, it was kind of hard to say goodbye because we had really made some good pals. Our leaders are wonderful even though sometimes their tent stakes came untied. Mr. Bedenbaugh and Mr. Ferrell are two great guys.
