Troop 414 was founded in 1970, within what is now the Massabesic District of New Hampshire’s Daniel Webster Council. Our Founder, the late Reverend James Scotland, was pastor of the Bedford Presbyterian Church at the time. Reverend Scotland is himself a Distinguished Eagle Scout, and his oldest son was the troop’s first Eagle. Throughout the history of the Troop, over 130 boys have advanced to Scouting’s highest rank -- Eagle Scout.
The troop’s local and state-wide reputation is built on the commitment of strong adult leadership. In addition to our knowledgeable Scoutmaster, we are very fortunate to have active experienced Assistant Scoutmasters, and our Troop Committee comprises of many registered parents each year.
But the real engine that drives Troop 414 is the boys! The Troop is operated under the “Boy-Led Troop" (BLT) leadership model. Our membership has risen and fallen through the years in synch with the town’s demographics. We also have many Scouts who live outside the town who have specifically selected our Troop for our reputation and leadership.
As a troop, we keep busy. We participate annually in the town's Pre-Memorial Day parade. Each November, we organize BSA's Scouting for Food collection for the whole town of Bedford and involve the other town Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs, as well as Girl Scout units. We participate with our institutional sponsor at the yearly Scout Sunday service, then prepare brunch for up to 200 people following the Church service. We attend each year's District Camporees, Klondike Derby, and Cub Scout Chuckwagon Derby, as well as state-wide events including scout jamborees and air shows.
We have always believed strongly that “outing” is the largest part of “scouting”. The troop camps 12 months a year in a wide variety of environments: in New Hampshire, throughout New England, and sometimes even further afield. We have, in the past, also sponsored troop travel adventures to destinations including New York City; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; Montreal, Quebec; and the Berkshires region of Massachusetts. Each camp-out has a program theme, some of which include: advancement, hiking, a parent and son weekend, and winter wilderness survival.
Almost twenty years ago, Troop 414 built a handicapped-access campsite, called Griffin Woods, within the property of Bedford’s Camp Allen, an Easter Seals-owned camp which serves physically-, intellectually-, and developmentally disabled youth. It now serves as our “home court” campsite, and we spend at least a couple of weekends there each year to maintain the site as a troop community service.
Camp Allen has also been the beneficiary of many Eagle Scout Leadership Service projects, developed by Eagle candidates from both our troop and the other troop in town. Another Eagle project, a large 16X16 shed benefitted our chartered organization, the Bedford Presbyterian Church.
Troop 414 participates in different summer camp programs each year . We offer one week of resident camping at Hidden Valley Scout Reservation, a Daniel Webster Council-owned property within the Griswold Scout Reservation in Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire. HVSR offers a traditional, troop-based, advancement- and recreation-centered program. Also at GSR, is Camp Bell, which offers a more high-adventure program and involves camping and cooking by patrol. This tradition is built on one of the greatest benefits of the Scouting program -- good friends, made in the woods.
Troop 414 promotes the many national high-adventure opportunities offered by BSA: Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmaron, New Mexico; BSA Sea Base located in Summerland Key, Florida and Great Abaco Island, Bahamas; Northern Tier High Adventure Base, located near Lake Superior on the Canadian border; and the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia. We also encourage our scouts to participate in council contingents to National and World Scout Jamborees.
Troop 414 is definitely a troop on-the-go! We work closely with the town’s three Cub Scout Packs to recruit new members at Cross-over, and always welcome boys aged 11-17 to join us on the great family adventure that makes us what we are--
Troop 414, Boy Scouts of America.