George Merrick Troop 7 Memorial Brick Patio and Historic Chimney with State of Florida Historic Marker
George Merrick's Troop 7 scouts have been meeting here every Wednesday since March, 1922
Pictured here is the engraved brick patio in the footprint of the old Troop 7 Log Cabin (built in October, 1926) with the State of Florida Historic Marker telling a short history of the group. The coral rock chimney of the original log cabin is all that remains after the scout house deteriorated and burned in March, 1971.
Scouts marked the area where the log cabin once stood with a memorial brick patio attached to the stone chimney. The bricks have been engraved with the names of all the scoutmasters and many of the scouts and adult volunteers in the 86 years, as well as many supporters in the community.
The official marker, sponsored by the George Merrick Foundation, signifies that the property is on Florida's Register of Historic Landmarks.
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Troop 7 Log Cabin
When George Edgar Merrick (1886-1942) designed his idealistic city of Coral Gables in the early 1920s, he created a special area for scouts and built a rustic log cabin for his Troop 7 boy scouts on this site. Today, only the chimney remains. After the hurricane of 1926, Merrick's Coral Gables Construction Company built the Troop 7 scout cabin largely from pine trees and telephone poles. Merrick deeded these two acres of land, now in the middle of the Granada Golf Course, to the scouts in perpetuity. Their first scoutmaster was Albert H. Bartle. As scoutmaster for the first three years, then a committee member, Mr. Bartle served Troop 7 for 16 years until 1938, setting the standard for excellence and longevity for others to follow. The old Troop 7 log cabin burned down on March 30, 1971, leaving only the chimney. The new building, finished in 1976, was dedicated to Scoutmaster Rex Hawkins, who kept the troop alive during the difficult WWII years when many adult leaders were away. The George Merrick Foundation continues to maintain the property, with help from the City of Coral Gables, the Kiwanis Club of Coral Gables and concerned citizens who appreciate the legacy of George Merrick scouting program.
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