History

1910

Troop 23 was formed in December 1910. At the time, the troop met in a barn at the Old Bliss Estate, which is now Owl’s Head Park. As remembered by John Falk (T.23 – 1925), ”The barn was a monstous scary place loaded with large Bliss Foundry patterns, even in the generous horse stalls.  Two rooms at the rear served as offices for the Troop. The Meetings were devoted to advancement training, marching drills on the adjacent parade grounds, interpatrol contests plus some fun and games.”

1920-1930

Sometime later in the late 20’s or early 30’s the Troop lost the Bliss estate and moved to the local YMCA on 4ht Avenue and 67th Street. Later in the 30’s the Troop met in the Gym of Bay Ridge High School and was sponsored by a group of concerned citizens.

1947

In 1947 the Troop moved to its current location at Our Lady of Angels. It was brought to O.L.A. by the late Bishop Reilly. The troop has continued at OLA and now the oldest Troop sponsored by a Catholic Church.

2020

With the COVID-19 restrictions in effect, the troop has adapted by holding half of the general meetings online and conducting patrol meetings online every week. Moving away from our usual venue in the OLA Cafeteria, we shifted to outdoor meetings to comply with health guidelines. Unlike many other groups, we continued to meet regularly, which allowed us to maintain nearly all of our membership throughout this challenging period.

2022

The troop, historically recognized as the oldest Troop sponsored by a Catholic Church, transitioned to being chartered by the Greater New York Councils (GNYC) in September 2022, upholding its esteemed legacy.

Despite this transition, the church continues to support us by providing a meeting space in the OLA Auditorium and storage for our scouting gear and equipment.