It's official: The Historic Merit Badge program begins today

At long last, the Boy Scouts of America has released the details of their long awaited Historic Merit Badge Program first announced back on January 12, 2010.

The program honors Scouting's rich 100-year history by introducing today's Scouts to the merit badges earned by yesterday's youth. To bring the badges into a 21st-century context, the BSA has created supplemental information guides that will accompany scans of the original merit badge pamphlets.

• The badges can be earned beginning today, and requirements must be completed by Dec. 31, 2010.

• Historic merit badges do count toward a Scout's rank advancement.

• Each merit badge emblem features a gold border, which will help identify it as special to the centennial year.

Pamphlets for these badges will not be reprinted. Instead, Scouts and Scouters can go online to find digital scans of the original pamphlets.

Here are the requirements for each of the historic merit badges:

Pathfinding

To obtain a merit badge for Pathfinding, a Scout must:

1. In the country, know every lane, bypath, and short cut for a distance of at least two miles in every direction around the local scout headquarters; or in a city, have a general knowledge of the district within a three-mile radius of the local scout headquarters, so as to be able to guide people at any time, by day or by night.
2. Know the population of the five principal neighboring towns, their general direction from his scout headquarters, and be able to give strangers correct directions how to reach them.
3. If in the country, know in a two mile radius, the approximate number of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs owned on the five neighboring farms; or, in a town, know, in a half-mile radius, the location of livery stables, garages and blacksmith shops.
4. Know the location of the nearest meat markets, bakeries, groceries, and drug stores.
5. Know the location of the the nearest police station, hospital, doctor, fire alarm, fire hydrant, telegraph and telephone offices, and railroad stations.
6. Know something of the history of his place; and know the location of its principal public buildings, such as the town or city hall, post-office, schools and churches.
7. Submit a map not necessarily drawn by himself upon which he personally has indicated as much as possible of the above information.

Here is an Information Guide and original booklet for the merit badge.

Tracking

To obtain a Merit Badge for [Tracking], a Scout must:

1. Demonstrate by means of a [tracking] game or otherwise, ability to [track] skillfully in shelter and wind, etc., showing how to proceed noiselessly and “freeze” when occasion demands.
2. Know and recognize the tracks of ten different kinds of animals or birds in his vicinity, three of which may be domestic.
3. Submit satisfactory evidence that he has trailed two different kinds of wild animals or birds on ordinary ground far enough to determine the direction in which they were going, and their gait or speed. Give the names of animals or birds trailed, their direction of travel, and describe gait and speed; or submit satisfactory evidence that he has trailed six different kinds of wild animal or birds in snow, sand, dust, or mud, far enough to determine the direction they were going and their gait or speed. Give names of animals or birds, their direction of travel, and describe gait and speed.
4. Submit evidence that he has scored at least 30 points from the following groups:
   Group (f) and 4 of the 5 groups (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) must be represented in the score of 30 and at least 7 points must be scored from (a), (b), or (c). Make clear recognizable photographs of
5. (a) Live bird away from nest - 4 points each
6. (b) Live woodchuck or smaller wild animal - 3 points each
7. (c) Live wild animal larger than woodchuck - 4 points each 
8. (d)  Live bird on nest - 3 points each
9. (e)  Tracks of live wild animal or bird - 2 points each
   AND
10. (f) Make satisfactory plaster cast of wild animal or bird tracks with identification imprint on back of cast - 2 points each

Here is an Information Guide and original booklet for the merit badge.

Carpentry

To obtain a Merit Badge for Carpentry, a Scout must:

1. Demonstrate the use of the rule, square, level, plumb-line, mitre, chalk-line and bevel.
2. Demonstrate the proper way to drive, set, and clinch a nail, draw a spike with a claw-hammer, and to join two pieces of wood with screws.
3. Show correct use of the cross-cut saw and of the rip-saw.
4. Show how to plane the edge, end and the broad surface of a board.
5. Demonstrate how to lay shingles.
6. Make a simple article of furniture for practical use in the home or on the home grounds, finished in a workmanlike manner, all work to be done without assistance.

Here is an Information Guide and original booklet for the merit badge.

Signaling

To obtain a Merit Badge for Signaling, a Scout must:

1. Make an electric buzzer outfit, wireless, blinker, or other signaling device.
2. Send and receive in the International Morse Code, by buzzer or other sound device, a complete message of not less than 35 words, at a rate of not less than 35 letters per minute.
3. Demonstrate an ability to send and receive a message in the International Morse Code by wigwag and by blinker or other light signaling device at the rate of not less than 20 letters per minute.
4. Send and receive by Semaphore Code at the rate of not less than 30 letters per minute.
5. Know the proper application of the International Morse and Semaphore Codes; when, where, and how they can be used to best advantage.
6. Discuss briefly various other codes and methods of signaling which are in common use.

Here is an Information Guide and original booklet for the merit badge.