Welcome
Hi, I'm Chris. If you're looking at this page, we probably met during the 2026 National Scout Jamboree. Thanks for stopping by.
I'm an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor recipient from the Greater Alabama Council. I've been actively involved in Scouting since 1992 as a youth and an adult. Locally, I serve as a Scoutmaster and an Associate Lodge Adviser. Nationally, I serve the Scouting Memories Project as part of the national leadership team, where I focus on our oral history program.
As an accidental Scouting historian, I also serve as the Greater Alabama Council History Committee Chair and the Coosa Lodge History Committee Adviser.
During the Jamboree, you can find me at the OA Legacy Experience, where we are filming more than 50 documentary-style Scouting history interviews in our pop-up studio.
If you want to get in touch, drop me an email: chris.brightwell@gmail.com
Here's a photo of me standing on top of Baldy Mountain at Philmont Scout Ranch on my 43rd birthday.
Current Work & Projects
I'm always working on something. Here's a quick list of what I'm currently working on:
- The Scouting Memories Project started with a simple idea: How can we capture and preserve the memories and memorabilia from 115 years of Scouting in America and its 100,000,000+ alumni?
- The Troop 361 History Project is my current troop's first attempt to document its own history. We just released the first digital history book to mark our troop's 60th anniversary.
- Each month, the Coosa Lodge History Committee hosts a digital cracker barrel, where we invite local Scouting collectors and historians to share something with the group. We started in 2021, inspired by our friends at the Digital Cracker Barrel.
- I also serve as an adviser for Coosa Shows, which is our lodge shows committee. This revolving window of talented Arrowmen has been serving many of the multimedia production needs of Coosa Lodge and the Greater Alabama Council since 1998.
Previous Work & Projects
Here's a brief list of some past projects:
- ClothTalk was a show that I helped produce in 2005 and 2006. Our goal was to explore the history of Scouting through patches and other collectibles, but podcasting was a lot harder back then. I found the archive of old episodes a few years ago and put it back online for people to enjoy.
- I was an instructor at the 2024 National Order of the Arrow Conference, where I talked about getting started with oral histories. You can find my presentation slides and other resources here.
- I was also an instructor at the 2025 Section E6 Indian Winter, where I gave a crash course on how to use SWOT analysis to improve your lodge. Click here to download the slides for that session.
- I've done a lot of other stuff, but that's what I have online right now.
Future Work & Projects
These are ideas that I have been working on, but they aren't quite ready to share. Yet.
- My Favorite Patch is a short podcast (10 minutes or less) where I talk to Scouts and leaders about the stories behind their favorite patches.
- Where to Go Scouting starts with a simple idea: How can we help Scouts find nearby opportunities for camping, hiking, and other adventures in a modern way? I've built a few prototypes over the years, but I've never been able to get it just right. I'll get it eventually.
- I'm also working on some templates to help make it easier for fellow historians to publish their own websites or digital books.
(If any of these are interesting to you, send me an email. I'd love to have some help.)