These words and the oath that followed were recited by hundreds of boys over the decades in the little log cabin on North Main Street, at the corner of Beason Road. In an article about the dedication of the Cabin in 1938, mention was made of a six-foot rattler skin displayed on the cabin's wall. The snake skin was still there in around 1950 when your editor was a sometime Scout.
In days of yore the Scouts did a lot of hiking, camping and nature study, and worked hard to earn Merit Badges in many different areas of interest, such as first aid, canoeing, forestry and bird study. Today they probably write computer programs, develop Web sites and have Game Boy tournaments.
No doubt the Scouts of 1938 all pitched in to “help” build and decorate the cabin. The carpenters and materials were provided by Cliffside Mills. Beginning in the 1960's the cabin served as headquarters for the Cliffside branch of the Rutherford County Rescue Squad. Today the building belongs to the county, and sits idle, awaiting its next incarnation.
Someone who remembers the cabin when it was brand new was Grover Haynes, Jr., who attained the rank of Eagle Scout in January of 1940.
The photo was made in the mid or late 1950s by Roy Lee Harris. If you have memories or knowledge of the little building or scouting in Cliffside, get in touch.
Photo from the Roy Lee Harris collection, courtesy of and copyrighted by James Harris.