History As We Know It..

In 1910, Boy Scouts began to flourish in the United States.  A couple of years later (in 1912) the founder of Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell, visited Nashville.  It was during this visit to Nashville that Troop 1, which is still active today in Brentwood, was started.  On February 13, 1912, a Troop from Franklin met a train carrying Lord Baden Powell.

In 1913, Professor Hal Peoples, of Battle Ground Academy died and the scouts in his Troop marched in his funeral procession.  After his death, Mr. A. C. Killeffer, Rector of St. Pauls Episcopal Church, formed a Scout Troop until 1918.  Mr. Bernard Campbell, Rector of St. Pauls replaced Mr. Killeffer and served as Scoutmaster until 1928.  Dr. Dan German took over from Mr. Campbell and ran the Troop until 1936, where the Troop membership was 30 scouts.  At that time, a man name Mr. Jim Woolridge, a retired Pullman Chef, bought the food, planned the menus and prepared the meals on all the camping trips.  The Summer Camps were on the Harpeth River near Old Town, Tennessee near Fernvale.  The Troop usually met on the Square and enjoyed tumbling and boxing. The only scout to earn their Eagle rank during this time was a boy named Sam Harrison.

About 1938, Mr. William Ewin started a Troop and they met in the Masonic Hall for 4 of 5 years. Several more boys were able to earn their Eagle rank, including a friend of John Green named Jack M. Pinkerton.

Around 1942, no male leadership could be found due to the war and the Troop folded. At the end of the World War II, a man named Mr. Buddy Mills moved to Franklin as principal of the Junior High School.  Mr. Mills started Troop 135 which was sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church located at Five Points.  He recruited Mr. Glen Davis, a teacher, to help him run the Troop for several years. 

Due to the outward migration of Davidson County, main stream commercial and residential growth had reached Franklin, Tennessee by the 1980s. The Cool Springs Galleria land mass began to develop in the mid 1980s, between Moore's Lane and Hwy 96 (Murfreesboro Road).  In the mid 1990s, the First Presbyterian Church built a new building at the northeast corner of Franklin Road and the new MacHatcher By-pass.  Troop 135 moved to this location and to this day has the same charter representative, First Presbyterian Church.  Troop 135 continues the tradition of the Boy Scouts program averaging 50 to 70 scouts annually.  Although no one can remember exact dates, below is a list of know Scoutmasters. 

• Buddy Mills 1940s+
• Glen Davis - 1940s 
• ..
• ..
• Duke Ellis - 1980s
• Fred Bounds
• Russ Little -1990s
• Fred Darville - 1999 - 2000
• Larry Carpenter - 2001 - 2005
• John Bontempi - 2006 - 2008
• Wade Hembree - 2009 - 2010 
• Craig Salazar - 2011 - Eagle Scout from Troop 135

Though much of the Troop's history is unknown, our gratitude extends to a host of adult leaders that have modeled moral character, leadership, and reverence to God to hundreds of scouts in our community.

Historical information provided in part by Pinetree.com, Russ Little, Duke Ellis and John Green.  As Mr. Little noted one afternoon, dates are hard to remember; it's the experiences and positive impact that matters the most.  Please submit any information related to Troop 135's history to the Webmaster