An old Boy Scout campground has been sitting vacant for years, but now there's a chance to take some of the history home.

Buildings and other structures at the site are being auctioned off.

The Flying Eagle Preserve has been home to campers for years and holds a special place for Boy Scouts who called the wooded area home.

"This is where friendships to this day were established, 20-25 years ago," said current scout leader Jeff Gravenstreter.

The old Boy Scout camp, McGregor Smith Boy Scout Reservation, was started in the early 1970s. In 2004, the Southwest Water Management District purchased the property.

Until 2012, the local Boy Scout council leased it but could no longer financially maintain it.

Since then, old structures and memories have sat there. "The last time I was here was probably 10 years ago. It was one of the last camps they had run," said former scout and leader Scott Walton.

Friday was the preview of the buildings that are now up for auction, and a group of old friends came to bid farewell.


On Friday, former Boy Scouts returned to the site where they spent a lot of time as youths. (Leah Masuda, Bay News 9)

"We're scattered all over, but all of our hearts live here," said former aquatics director Bob Carson, who lived in what was known as cabin No. 3.

The group took photos of exact spots they once enjoyed as troops.

"These cabins have all types of memories, and we used to do crazy things like catching alligators," said Walton.

The visitors wore their old handkerchiefs in their pockets they once used as maps.

"Being able to walk through the camp one last time, it's priceless," said Carson.

After the auction, Southwest Florida Water Management District plans to tear down any remaining buildings and then restore the area for recreational use.

The auction is online and live until Aug. 29. Click here to take part.