William Howard Taft was president, life expectancy was just about 50 and the national debt was just more than a billion dollars. The year was 1910, and it was also the year that the Unadilla Boy Scouts received their charter. Almost exactly 100 years later the group is still going strong. In this week's edition of Your Hometown, we'll tell you what makes this town of about 4,500 the perfect setting for the oldest continuous Boy Scout Troop in the entire country.

UNADILLA, N.Y. -- In the Iroquois language, the name Unadilla means meeting place, and while the venue for gathering has changed, meeting is exactly what Boy Scout Troop One has done in this town for nearly a century.

"We are the oldest continuously chartered group in the nation. We've had an unbroken charter for the past 100 years," said Troop One Scoutmaster Brian Danforth.

Founded in September of 1910 by Episcopal Reverend Yale Lyon, the group of 18 present-day youngsters still occasionally don the uniforms of yesteryear.

"It's based on the 1910 army uniform," said Danforth, modeling his canvas-colored outfit.

"It's not as easygoing as the activewear we have today but it's still comfortable."

No doubt times have changed since 1910, compasses and cartography replaced by GPS and Google, but the central tenets of scouting have remained constant according to Danforth.

"Good citizenship, physical fitness and community service. That's what we stand for."

In their 100-year existence, the troop has produced more than 2,000 alumni and 52 Eagle Scouts--scouting's highest honor.

And the young men in the troop today haven't lost their sense of history.

"It really gives you a sense of pride," said William Leichty, a first-class scout with Troop One.

"I think it's fun being the oldest, people seem to know you, they're like 'Oh, it's Troop One!'"

But the question still remains: Why this town? Of the thousands of troops in New York State, why did this one stick around the longest? Well, the village historian thinks she has an answer.

"We were the gateway to the west--the edge of the frontier in 1777 was Unadilla."

Peggy Judd has lived in this Town of 4,500 all her life and now serves as historian. It's the continuation of the frontier spirit and a rugged entrepreneurialism that she believes has kept scouting alive.

"When Yale's troop started here, with the strength of the citizens that have stayed for generations, that's what has allowed the boy scouts to be a continuous troop"

And being number one is a sense of pride displayed alongside neat rows of 19th century Colonial and Victorian houses on main street.

"When people see these boys in these old-fashioned uniforms marching or at flag raisings you can almost look through the crowds and see men saying 'I was part of that troop,'" said Donald Tuttle, a past master of Troop One and troop historian.

But being the oldest also brings wisdom of the ages, and a humility that may keep the Troop around another century longer.

"I would like to see another hundred years, I don't expect to be there, but that would be quite a coup for us I think," said Tuttle, with a slight smile.

The Troop plans to celebrate its centennial this may with an outdoor camping celebration.

More than 700 scouts from around the country are expected to attend.

Scouting itself was founded in Britain in 1907, but Troop One isn't sure where they rank in the global list of continuous charters.