Southampton Teen Builds Free Library at Train Station for Eagle Scout Project

As the highest rank offered by Scouts BSA, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts are expected to be leaders and role models for younger scouts.

Among those who have achieved this rank is Ben Halsey, a Southampton resident who recently completed his Eagle Scout service project.

A member of Troop 58, Halsey, 18, built a little free library at the Southampton train station, where passersby can take and leave books.

As an avid reader, he grew up going to programs at Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton and going there to study for exams. When it came time to pick his service project, a requirement to become an Eagle Scout, he knew he wanted to work with the library for it.

He explained that while there are other free book boxes in the village, many of them are weathered and are in sub-par condition.

Halsey picked the train station as the location because it’s a spot he has frequented every weekday on his commute to Chaminade High School in Mineola for the past four years, citing the high volume of people who pass through there.

The process began in January 2024, when he had to coordinate with Southampton Village and the library officials to figure out the logistics. Over the summer, he presented his project pitch in front of the Village Board to get it approved.

Though he was nervous going into it, the board members were on board with his plan. Halsey shared that Mayor Bill Manger supported it, saying that “he really wanted me to follow through with the project.”

He started building the library in September and finished it around Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend in January, and the structure has been under the flagpole at the train station ever since.

Halsey first joined the Scouts as a Cub Scout when he was in first grade before joining the Boy Scouts in sixth grade, combining for a total of 12 years in the organization. He quickly took to the camaraderie and shared experiences that the organization offered.

“I was never really an outdoorsy kind of kid beforehand,” he said. “But the bonding between myself and my Scouts was huge. The brotherhood that you get out of Boy Scouts is really hard to find in many other places.”

At one point during a summer camp trip to Resica Falls, Pennsylvania, when he was 11, he contemplated leaving the organization. At the encouragement of his parents, he stuck around, soon looking to older members as a source of inspiration.

“As I’ve gone through my troop, I saw so many kids older than me, who helped me, become Eagle Scouts,” he said. “So that made me want to become one to follow in their footsteps.”

To become an Eagle Scout, Scouts have to earn at least 21 merit badges, complete a community service project and hold a leadership position in their troop. On his way to becoming an Eagle Scout, Halsey served as the senior patrol leader of his troop, where he was responsible for overseeing troop meetings and activities and serving as a mentor for young Scouts.

He said that “it was definitely tough at some points to hold the whole troop together, but it was definitely a rewarding experience in the end.”

Leadership is one of the key pillars of becoming an Eagle Scout, and this was the biggest thing he learned as a Scout.

Standing next to his project, Halsey reflected on his time in the organization and what it meant to him to complete his project and achieve a rank that only 6 percent of Scouts achieve.

“It’s nice to see 12 years of involvement and service lead to something I can wear with me and show that I did that,” he said. “Being a Boy Scout has taught me so many life lessons, so I’m glad to be here.”