Camp Chireno World War II P.O.W. Camp
N 31° 29.919 W 094° 21.116
15R E 371607 N 3485658
A state historic marker for a former WWII POW camp in the small town of Chireno
Waymark Code: WMXE2X
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/01/2018
Views: 2
The site of the old POW camp in WWII, now Veteran's Park in the small town of Chireno
Marker Number: 15445
Marker Text:
During World War II, the Frost Lumber Co. (Nacogdoches) and the Angelina Lumber Co. (Lufkin) requested that the War Manpower Commission (WMC) establish Camp Chireno as a "permanent" branch of Camp Fannin (Smith County). The WMC leased private land and built the 30-acre compount west of here along Camp Road. Located in an area devastated by the January 1944 ice storm, this camp benefited from Chireno's established railroad facilities. The site first received Prisoners of War (POWs) in May 1944. The camp's 300 POWs spent their time cutting and salvaging timber and pulpwood. The camp closed in March 1945, near the end of the war.
Texas in World War II-2008
Marker is property of the State of Texas
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Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.