Howard C. Coughtry, the creator of this collection and Scoutmaster for Troop 73, was a resident of New Scotland, master carpenter, Christmas-tree farmer and outdoorsman. From the Sixties to the Nineties, Coughtry wrote regular newspaper articles for the Altamont Enterprise about the troop’s civic and recreational activities. During his life he compiled over one hundred binders documenting Troop 73 and its predecessor organization, Troop 1 (1920-1928).
Scope of Collection
The collection consists of 18 boxes (18 lin. ft.) of material documenting the activities of Troops 73 and 1. The bulk of the collection consists of drafts of Coughtry's newspaper articles as well as photographs, correspondence, and miscellaneous printed material. There is also a smaller quantity of loose photographs, newspaper clippings, broadsides, certificates, and photocopies of administrative files including charter applications, renewals, and rosters. There is a small amount of ephemera such as neckerchiefs and patches that commemorated significant events and achievements of Troop 73.