75 Year History

75 Year History of BSA Troop 33

1920-1995

1995 marks the 75th Anniversary of Boy Scout Troop 33 of Takoma Park, Maryland. Takoma Park Presbyterian Church has sponsored Troop 33 continuously since the troop's charter on June 22, 1920.

Troop 33 has a proud record of service and achievement. The newly chartered troop of the 1920's undertook community projects such as a clean-up of the Sligo Creek area. On February 22, 1932, a select patrol from Troop 33 performed the opening ceremony of the George Washington Bicentennial Birthday Celebration at his birthplace in Wakefield, Virginia. Eight men associated with Troop 33 served and died in World War II.

In 1957, Troop 33 purchased 43 acres of rolling timberland east of Romney, West Virginia, for a permanent troop camp with funds donated primarily by the parents of Waldo E. Schmitt, one of the former Troop 33 scouts who perished in World War II. Today, Camp Waldo E. Schmitt includes a large main cabin, a Venture Scout cabin, numerous patrol camp sites, a lake, and nature trails.

In 1972, Donald E. Patti became scoutmaster of Troop 33. Under his leadership, the troop grew in size, often numbering over 100 scouts. Monthly outings were planned and included such activities as camping, backpacking, caving, rock climbing, biking, hiking, and canoeing. A monthly service project, the delivery of the city newspaper, was successfully undertaken for over 10 years. The yearly Troop 33 summer trip took the scouts, and the more adventurous of their families, camping at scenic places along the Eastern seaboard as far north as Acadia National Park in Maine, as far west as Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and as far south as the Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. Sadly, Scoutmaster Don Patti died of a heart attack while on the summer trip of 1994. He is greatly missed.

In its 75 years, over 40 scouts of Troop 33 have reached the highest level of scouting achievement, the rank of Eagle Scout. Today, Troop 33 is thriving with over 50 scouts and a host of adult leaders serving the greater Takoma Park--East Silver Spring area. As Troop 33 celebrates its 75th year, it looks forward to scouting into the 21st century.