Our Purpose & History

Troop 72’s purpose is to provide middle and high school boys a safe place to come together and prepare for life's journey to become upstanding citizens. Our program is designed so Scouts will have fun, learn to respect others and perform community service. Over our 100+ year history, we have proudly supported over 275 Scouts along their journey achieving the rank of "Eagle" (Scouts BSA’s highest rank).

Troop 72 has been chartered by "The Presbyterian Church in Westfield" since 1917, only seven years after Scouting came to America, and we take great pride in being one of the few Troops in America with such a long and enriched history.

Why Join Troop 72?

Boys enjoy being active in our Troop throughout the year for several reasons:

Troop meetings are held every Monday night at Westminster Hall in the Presbyterian Church where Scouting skills are taught by senior Scouts, aided by Scoutmasters, and rank advancements achieved
Troop meetings are not mandatory, allowing Scouts to focus on school work and participate in seasonal sports and other activities without feeling overly committed
Monthly trips and activities during the school year are selected and planned by the Scouts, such as camping, backpacking, trips to historical sites, indoor rock climbing, orienteering, etc.
One week during the summer, Troop 72 visits Erincliff Island in Canada, which our Troop has exclusive access to and has been visiting since 1962. The Scouts enjoy hiking, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, boating, fishing and camping on the island and in the surrounding provincial parks
Our Troop also attends an organized week long BSA Camp each year, such as Camp Winnebago, Camp Allamuchy and Camp Rodney in Maryland, this provides even more opportunities for Scouts to earn rank advancements and merit badges
Our Scouts have access to our Troop’s Eagle Accelerator Program led by parents, some of whom are Eagle Scouts themselves
Our Troop sends one or two teams a year to the Pioneer District Klondike Derby, a friendly District wide competition which challenges Scouts’ skills in fire building, first aid, wilderness survival, tomahawk throwing, orienteering and knot tying
Friendships developed over years of Scouting often lead to Scouts over 14 years old attending Scouts BSA "High Adventure Trips", such as SeaBase, Philmont and Northern Tier to name a few