Mission Statement
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
About Troop 499
Troop 499 is an active, boy-led troop located in southwest Fort Worth. Troop 499 is led by our Senior Patrol Leader. He is elected to this position by his fellow scouts and serves for a term of 6 months. The youth leadership are trained to perform their tasks and we are strongly committed to having trained adult leaders to guide and mentor our scouts.
Our troop meets throughout the year and at least one troop campout is held each month including a week long summer camp where scouts work on rank advancement, earn merit badges and spend time with friends. New scouts are encouraged to achieve their First Class rank within their first year of becoming a scout and the Troop’s first year program is designed to make this possible. More experienced scouts have the opportunity to participate in high adventure treks including Philmont, Sea Base, & Northern Tier. involved by offering opportunities for leadership and high adventure activities.
A Short History of Troop 499
Troop 499 was originally chartered in November, 1965 with 15 boys and was sponsored by Wedgwood United Methodist Church. Wedgwood UMC acquired and moved into the facilities of the old Wedgwood Country Club located between Wonder Dr. and Wrigley Way (a block east of JT Stevens Elementary School). The church had a full commercial kitchen which worked great for the troop’s annual pancake supper fund raiser. There was also a swimming pool that the troop could use and lots of open land for learning outdoor skills, playing outdoor games and even camping on occasions.
In July, 1980 Wedgwood UMC closed their doors and merged with another congregation but remained the troop’s official sponsor until recharter in February, 1981. Pack 499 was also sponsored and met at the same location until then. At that time the pack went to nearby JT Stevens elementary school to meet but they only met once a month and the troop met weekly and could not afford to pay for meeting at the school until a sponsor was found. In July 1981 the Troop moved to Westminster Presbyterian Church where a family in the troop were members. At that time the church's location was at SW Loop 820 between Old Granbury and Trail Lake. When they moved to the current location the Troop did not go with them because they planned to build in phases and there was no place for the Troop to meet as the fellowship hall was the sanctuary.
In March 1981 the Troop moved to Christ Lutheran Church where another family from the Troop belonged. They were located on Old Granbury Road near Trail Lake Drive and included the old Fire Station in what is now Chinese Baptist Church.
In May of 1989 after Westminster had its permanent Sanctuary in place the Troop was invited back and moved to its present sponsor and started meeting in the fellowship hall.
| The primary source for this history is Don Strickland. Don joined Troop 499 in May, 1966 when he bridged as a Webelo/Arrow of Light from Cub Scout Pack 403 (from another district). Like everyone else who joined before February, 1967, Don was typed in on the original charter. This year, 2014, Don will have completed 51 years of continuous registration in the Longhorn Council. The first 3 years were with Pack 401 the remaining 48 years have been with Troop 499. |