1924 to the Present Day
The origin of Troop 101 dates back to 1923 when a local group of people met in November at Shelby High School to organize the 68th troop in the United States and the second troop in Cleveland County. Troop 101 was founded in 1924 and designated Troop 2 with Shelby High School as its chartered organization. Henry M. Davis, a 28 year old unmarried teacher at Shelby High School, was the first scoutmaster of Troop 2 and had previously served as scoutmaster of Troop 1 in McCormick, South Carolina from 1919 to 1923. The troop met on Tuesdays at 7:15 in the central high school building. Mr. Davis was again scoutmaster in 1925 and the meeting time was moved ahead to 7:45 PM.
In 1926, 22 year old Edwin Clyde Hunter became scoutmaster and Troop 2 met on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 PM at the scout room in the Ceph Blanton building. This was the year local business merchants designated the chartered organization as "Independent or Community". The charter recorded that those boy scouts "built and equipped a cabin without outside help." Their first camping trips were to the E.F. McKinney farm on North Lafayette Street Extension. Mr. McKinney allowed the troop to use a site at the bend of the First broad River where a log cabin was soon built measuring 40 feet long and 35 feet wide. This cabin became their first activity building and the troop would gather at the church on Friday afternoons in uniform and march to the cabin "military style". There they would work on merit badges and enjoy swimming in the river. During this year, 5 boys spent 7 days at camp for one dollar per day.
First Baptist Church was prominent in the early national Boy Scouts of America movement and chartered Troop 2 in 1927. Henry B. Edwards, 23 years old, became scoutmaster and Dr. Hubert S. Plaster was assistant scoutmaster. These two leaders were also active in initiating troops as Bellwood, Dover, and Shelby Mill. The boy scouts met on Mondays at 7:15 PM in the Royster building and this was the first year the boys all had uniforms. The opening of Lake Lanier at Tryon in 1927 coincided with the troop's reorganization and enhanced its popularity among the boys. Scoutmaster Edwards accompanied his troop to an encampment at Lake Lanier the first summer of its operation and the troop continued it as a regular event each program year. In 1928 the boy scouts met on Mondays at 7:30 PM at the scout room in the Lineberger building and that year 18 boys spent 7 days at camp for one dollar per day. Mr. Edwards served as scoutmaster for the troop until the end of 1929.
One of First Baptist Church's stalwart members, Judge E.Y. Webb, introduced in the United States Congress the bill which led to the national charter of the Boy Scouts of America. Judge Webb, who had always been a strong supporter of scouting, was a Congressman at the time and led an effort before Congress which made history on June 15, 1916 when both houses granted to the Boy Scouts of America a national charter. Judge Webb headed the organization of the first scout troop in Cleveland County in 1923 at First Presbyterian Church in Shelby. The Piedmont Council was also organized by Judge Webb and was first comprised of five counties, eventually expanding to eleven counties. Since 1967, Cleveland County has been officially designated the Battleground District of the Piedmont Council.
Our first local troop number was Troop 2 and our first national troop number was 68. This designation was recorded by the council on the troop charters in 1933 and 1935. Our national troop number changed to 101 in 1937 and was first recorded by council on Troop 2's charter for that year. When Troop 2's charter expired November 30, 1960 the council was in a transition period and every troop was reassigned new number. It was recorded on the charter for February 1961 that the new local troop number was designated Troop 101.
In the early years of scouting, the troop put on skills demonstrations and participated in competitive events in a roped-off portion of the street at the corner of Marion and Washington. In 1930, 35 year old O.V. Hamrick was scoutmaster and noted on the charter that his boy scouts went to Charlotte for an entire week for the Old Soldiers Reunion and helped with the Spanish American War Veterans Reunion of North Carolina at Shelby. The Cleveland County Fairgrounds always offered space for scout exhibits in which the troop entered to showcase and promote scouting.
Later years found the scouting program carried out in a metal building behind the church where the child care center is now located. The troop then moved to the Clyde Short building where the church activities building is now located. For a short period, the boy scouts met in the church basement. When the church acquired the car wash property across Washington Street from the activities building, the building space was given to the troop to use as its activity and meeting place in 1995. 
Don Costner who was scoutmaster during this time, dedicated countless hours renovating the building into a superb training facility and scouting complex. Mr. Costner also procured two additional trailers used for transporting boy scout gear on outings.
Troop 101 with its rich histroy and a tradition of excellence continues to be one of the premier "super troops" in the Battleground District of the Piedmont Council.
The History of Troop 101 1924-Present
Troop 101 Scoutmasters 1924-Present
Troop 101 Outings and Trips 2007-Present
