Troop 3 is currently meeting from 7-8:30PM on Thursday evenings at Braddock Street United Methodist Church on Wolfe Street.
Troop 3 has a long history in the Shenandoah Valley. It was established in spring 1915 and we have been continuously chartered by Braddock Street United Methodist Church since 1928. Troop 3 is a youth-led, meaning the Scouts determine the direction of the program and planning of most events. We have great youth, adult, parent and sponsor support. Camping and outdoor programs continue to be at the heart of our program to build character, citizenship and personal fitness. We are dedicated to modeling the values of the Scouts BSA, particularly those of leadership, citizenship, and service to others.
Our Scouts regularly participate in camping events, both as a troop and with the local Shenandoah Area Council. We are active as volunteers in the local community, and we gather regularly to learn new skills, engage with our peers, and have fun!
Troop 3 meets on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the Scout Room located under the overhang at Braddock St. United Methodist Church, 115 Wolfe St, Winchester, VA 22601.
Our Leaders are well-trained and experienced in scouting. Many, if not most, were active scouts in their younger years. Our Troop Committee meets regularly to help guide the direction of the troop.
“…in the spring of 1915 Troop 3 made its appearance,” states Volume One of The Trail, published by Boy Scout Troop 1 of Winchester on October 22, 1917. Troop 1 had been formed in September 1914, according to this publication and Troop 2 followed in December.
An article located in the Shenandoah Area Council files entitled “Scouting in Winchester,” author unknown, apparently confirms this. This article stated, “In the fall of 1914, Troop 2 came into existence, with W. Richard Jolliffe as Scoutmaster, and this was followed by the formation of Troop 3 with Eugene B. Cooper as Scoutmaster.”
The Trail reported that “At a meeting of the council held in the early part of the summer of 1919, the plan was adopted and the local troops united into one troop,…”
The “Scouting in Winchester” article stated that in 1922 the arrangement of the three troops combined into one was abandoned. Troop 1 was reorganized by Eugene Cooper who served as Scoutmaster through 1947. From 1922 until 1928 this was the only troop in Winchester.
On November 1, 1928, an application for charter for a local council of the Boy Scouts of America was signed, the decision having been reached by the local council on September 28, 1928. Application was received in the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America on November 7, 1928. With the formation of the Shenandoah Area Council, additional troops were organized.
In November of 1928, the Methodist Episcopal Church South, Winchester, Virginia applied for a charter for a troop of Boy Scouts to the local council Troop Organization Committee. By November 19, 1928, approval for the charter was granted by the Council of the Boy Scouts of America. 1
Troop 3 has been chartered every year since 1928 by Braddock Street United Methodist Church. Troop 3 continues to prosper because of the unselfish devotion of volunteer leaders to this program.
