Chinatown in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

First Chinese American Boy Scout Troop in America

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 20, 2021

1. First Chinese American Boy Scout Troop in America Marker

Inscription. The first Chinese American troop of the Boy Scouts of America, Troop Three of San Francisco, was founded by eight boys on this Chinese Methodist Church site in 1914. It is one of the oldest active troops in the United States.

Dedicated by the Troop Three Alumni and Parents Association the Thirteenth of October, 1991

(Chinese text not transcribed)

Erected 1991 by Troop Three Alumni and Parents Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations.

Location. 37° 47.697′ N, 122° 24.51′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Chinatown. Marker is on Washington Street west of Stockton Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 920 Washington Street, San Francisco CA 94108, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Spofford Alley / 斯呂宋巷 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Watershed History (North Shore) (about 300 feet away); Ross Alley / 舊呂宋巷 (about 300 feet away); Alleyways in Chinatown (about 400 feet away);

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Hang Ah Alley / 香亞巷 (about 500 feet away); The Birthplace of a Great City (about 600 feet away); California Star (about 600 feet away); Hang Ah / 香雅 (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Regarding First Chinese American Boy Scout Troop in America. Boyscout Troop 150 in New York City's Chinatown also makes the claim to being the first Chinese-American Boy Scout Troop in the US, claiming to have been founded in 1911. Which Troop came first, the one in San Francisco or New York, may hinge upon the relative meanings of "founded", "established" and "chartered", as they may have specific meanings relative to the BSA.

Also see . . . The History of the BSA SF Bay Area Council Began with Troop 3! (BSA Troop Three San Francisco).

"The year was 1914. In San Francisco's Chinatown, a group of eight young boys had found a worn copy of the Boy Scout Handbook. As they thumbed through the pages in the play yard of the Chinese Methodist Church, the boys were thoroughly intrigued and inspired by what they saw
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 20, 2021

2. First Chinese American Boy Scout Troop in America Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here just to the right of the garage entrance grating.
in this new youth movement, something that was non-existent in Chinatown at the time. Eagerly, they studied the sketches, the diagrams, and read the printed words. From that moment, they knew they wanted to be Boy Scouts."

(Submitted on November 22, 2021.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 358 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 22, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.