History
If you have not noticed by now, Troop 9 has a long history and is one of the older Boy Scout troops in the nation. Back in 50's a scout created the "troop logo" that reflects some our history. There have been minor updates over the years and this logo was last used until about 2010.
The Logo should be rendered with the official troop colors in Lincoln Green and an Old Gold background.
The "bell" and the letters "ZR" reflect on Troop 9's first Scoutmaster, Francis Oliver "Belzer.
1910 is the year the troop was started.
The cross and the initials "IUMC" reflect the fact that Irvington United Methodist Church has been our sponsor since the beginning.
In 2010 we were in the Pioneer District
and that is part of the Crossroads of America Council
The Beginning
In 1910 F.O. Belzer organized Boy Scout Troop 9 at Irvington M.E. Church (now Irvington United Methodist Church). According to a book published at the 25th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America,
The following are a few of the many early Troops which might be mentioned and which preceded their local Council organization. ...F. O. Belzer of Indianapolis in 1910 with Troop 9 of the Irvington M. E. Sunday School... and so the roster of early Scoutmasters might be expanded to cover the entire country. *
* Source: pages 249-250, Murry, William D.The History of the Boy Scouts of America,New York, NY, publisher: Boy Scouts of America, 1937After such success with Troop 9, "Chief" Belzer went on to start the Central Indiana Council (now Crossroads of America Council) in 1914-1915. He also helped organize one of the one of the early scout camps, Chank-tun-un-gi (now Camp Belzer). CLICK HERE to see many of these details contained in a 1947 obituary for "Chief Belzer".
From then to now
Since Troop 9 was started we have had a long string of dedicated scoutmasters. CLICK HERE to see that complete list of Troop 9 Scoutmasters.
In the late 1970's the troop struggled with as few at 12 registered boys, but with the support of the church, and dedicated adult leadership it has survived and now even flourished.
In 2019 with the support of the Irvington United Methodist Church and the Troop Committee Troop 9 decided to charter a Girls Troop and were proud to welcome girls into the program for the first time. Unfortunately, the Pandemic cut participation rates and the girl's troop never recovered and officially folded in 2022.
Firecrafter
You can't mention Troop 9 History and not talk about Firecrafter. If you are involved in Scouting in central Indiana, you will have heard of Firecrafter, but if not, it is a Scouting oriented service organization somewhat like Order of the Arrow. Our first scoutmaster, "Chief" Belzer started Firecrafter in 1920 and with that legacy, many members of Troop 9 are very much involved. The Firecrafter program is centered on summer camp and the ranks can only be earned at summer camp. There are three ranks; Camper Woodsman, and Firecrafter, and they roughly correspond to the requirements for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class. One of the bigger challenges for the highest rank, Firecrafter, is to build fire-by-friction. For more details about Firecrafter, please visit www.firecrafter.org.
Present
Today we generally send about a dozen boys to summer camp. At almost any meeting we have a core of dedicated adults helping each of the patrols. At spring and summer break, we have former Troop 9 scouts, that were off to college, drop by to see how things are going.
The troop was started in 1910, but Troop 9 was officially chartered in March of 1911. We have been continuously chartered since our first charter was issued. At the 100 Anniversary of Troop 9, we updated the official Troop Logo.
Troop 9 has been around a long time and we are proud of our history, but as you can see this page is short because while history is interesting, it is the young boys and girls that grow up into men and women, that define Troop 9.