The Troop 7 Scout Hut at 1107 South Greenway Drive, Coral Gables
George Merrick Troop 7 of Coral Gables logo

About and History

George Merrick Troop 7 of Coral Gables, Inc. is the Florida not-for-profit corporation that exists to own and maintain the Troop 7 Cabin, a Coral Gables landmark with roots in the city's founding era.

The Scout Hut, 1920s to today

Coral Gables developer George E. Merrick set aside an area for Scouting in the early 1920s and had his construction company build a rustic log cabin for Troop 7, using mostly pine trees and telephone poles after the 1926 hurricane. Merrick deeded roughly two acres to the Scouts; the land now sits inside the fairways of the Granada Golf Course at 1107 South Greenway Drive. The troop's first Scoutmaster, Albert H. Bartle, led Troop 7 for sixteen years, until 1938.

The original log cabin burned in 1971, leaving only its chimney, which still stands as a marked historic feature of the site. A replacement building, completed in 1976, was dedicated to Scoutmaster Rex Hawkins, who kept the troop active through World War II. Scouts and neighbors still call the building the "Scout Hut." A Florida historical marker placed at the site in 2007 documents this history, and the City of Coral Gables has helped maintain the property.

Coral Gables Scouting marked a full century at the site with a centennial celebration on January 13, 2024, featuring a historic flag ceremony and demonstrations of traditional Scouting skills. Rich Richards, who served as Troop 7's Scoutmaster from 2015 to 2022, now serves this corporation as General Counsel.

The corporation

George Merrick Troop 7 of Coral Gables, Inc. was incorporated in Florida on March 9, 1967 (Florida Document Number 712382) to serve as the legal point of contact for the Scout Hut property. The corporation holds the deed, administers the long-term lease with the City of Coral Gables, and pays the property's utilities. It is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 59-6194123.

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