Troop 162 History
Chartering Organization
Troop 162 was originally chartered in 1940 to the Laymen's Fellowship of the Congregational Christian Church, North Hampton, New Hampshire. At some point during the 1940’s its charter was changed to the North Hampton Congregational Church. Later, it reverted back to the Laymen’s Fellowship of Congregational Christian Church. In 1968, it was chartered simply by the Congregational Christian Church. In 1969 the church became United Church of Christ and the troops’ new chartering organization.
During the 1980s, the North Hampton Fireman’s Association became the chartering organization, and troop meetings were held at the fire station.
Finally, in 1994, United Church of Christ again became the chartering organization and troop meeting were again held at the church. The Men’s Breakfast Group sponsored the troop for its first year back with the UCC. The following year, a minor name change resulted in the troop being chartered by United Church of Christ Men’s Breakfast Club.
The Men’s Breakfast Club continued chartering the troop until 2010, at which time the United Church of Christ began sponsoring the troop directly.
North Hampton Troop 162 was chartered by the following organizations:
Scoutmasters
Troop 162 has been fortunate to have a long history of excellent Scoutmasters willing to volunteer their time and energies in helping the young men of our troop grow into successful adults. Our scoutmasters have been:
Eagle Scouts
Troop 162 has many Eagle Scouts associated with the troop, both as scouts and scouters.
The first Eagle Scout associated with our troop was Donald G. Hellberg who earned his Eagle on November 26, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan. He moved to North Hampton shortly thereafter and joined our troop in October 1946. Donald was an active member of our troop, serving as a patrol leader and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He attended a three day National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) in Bloomington, Indiana in September of 1948 as a representative of our troop.
Woodbury Fogg was the first scout to actually earn his Eagle with Troop 162. Woodbury earned his Eagle in June of 1965. David Palmer was the next Troop 162 scout to earn his Eagle. He did so in December 1969 and fellow scouts Rich Elliot and Craig Kelleher earned their Eagles the following month in January 1970. All three were presented their Eagle awards in a specially convened Court of Honor. According to the Portsmouth Herald of February 28, 1970, “The boys were honored before an overflow audience jammed into the local town hall to witness the event which according to officials was unprecedented in North Hampton history.” To this day, there has never been another three-person Eagle Court of Honor in North Hampton.
Richard Elliot’s (Eagle 1970) brother, David Elliot also earned his Eagle from Troop 162 in 1973, marking the first set of brothers to earn Eagle in our troop. Since then, Matt Sturtevant (Eagle 1997) and his brother, Pat Sturtevant (Eagle 2000), and Aaron Waechter (Eagle 2002) and his brother, Joel Waechter (Eagle 2006), are the only other siblings to earn the rank of Eagle in our troop.
Two Troop 162 Eagle Scouts, David Elliot (Eagle 1973) and Dylan Croston (Eagle 2003) later went on to become professional members of the Daniel Webster Council staff.
See the Eagle Honor Roll for a complete list of Troop 162 Eagle Scouts.
Troop 162 Locations
Over the years, Troop 162 has met in the Congregational Christian Church, later known as the United Church of Christ, the North Hampton Fire Department, and the North Hampton Town Hall. On occasion, the troop has also held outdoor meetings at North Hampton’s Dearborn Park.
Shakedown campouts, where new scouts are introduced to camping and basic scouting skills have been held in a variety of locations. One favorite location in recent years for shakedowns is on the Little River Nature Trail in the conservation area behind the North Hampton School, land originally donated to the town by the family of Woodbury Fogg, our first Eagle Scout.
Interesting Facts
Community Service
Scouts from Troop 162 have participated in innumerable community service activities, from a manhunt for a missing Epping boy in 1964 to blood drives, CPR and first aid clinics, knot tying classes, tree planting (over 500 trees planted), trail building, multiple sign building projects, park and beach cleanups, cemetery restorations and cleanup, erection of a pavilion at Dearborn Park, construction of dugouts, landscaping, shed construction, construction of fire access roads in conservation areas, and many other projects. The troop has worked with other local church organizations, conservation commissions, schools, parks, and community service organizations as part of its commitment to service.
Outdoor Adventures
Over the years, in addition to weekend camping trips, kayaking, whitewater rafting, canoeing, hiking, bike trips, ice-fishing, and occasional multi-day events, scouts from Troop 162 also enjoyed week-long summer camps every year, with many scouts attending multiple weekly sessions per summer. Typical outings include backpacking, tent camping, and cabin camping adventures, some of which may include rock climbing.
High Adventures
Scouts from Troop 162 have attended numerous national high adventures, including Florida Sea Base (sailing and scuba diving in the Bahamas and Florida Keys), New Mexico’s Philmont Scout Ranch, and West Virginia’s The Summit. During the summer of 2015, Troop 162 Eagle Scout Zach Parrot attended Philmont Scout Ranch. In addition to attending local camporees, and state jamborees, scouts have also attended National Jamborees with over 24,000 other scouts in attendance.
Order of the Arrow
Troop 162 has numerous scouts who are members of the Order of the Arrow, the national honor society of scouting. Starting with Donald Hellberg (Eagle 1945) who attended the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) in Bloomington, Indiana, to more recently, when Troop 162 Eagle Scout Eric Roch attended a six-day NOAC gathering with over 15,000 other OA members in Lansing, Michigan during the summer of 2015.
Vehicles
Troop outings generally involve use of family vehicles, from small cars to large SUVs and pickup trucks, sometimes even hauling of trailers. At one point in late 1960s, Troop 162 owned a bus that it used for scouting adventures. In the summer of 1969, Troop 162 hosted a nine-day, 1800-mile “East Coast Tour” bus adventure with about 30 local scouts and leaders participating. The troop acquired in 2015 a troop trailer, thanks to the generosity of a scout parent.