Camp Sibert - Attalla, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Marker text:
Camp Sibert
World War II: 1942 - 1945
On 6/18/1942 the U.S. took possession of 36,300 acres in Etowah and adjoining St. Clair County to establish Alabama's first Chemical Warfare Center. The area was dedicated on 12/25/1942 and named for U.S. Army M/G William Luther Sibert, first Chief of Chemical Warfare Service and a native of Etowah County. The camp served as a Unit Training Center and a Replacement Training Center for the CWS and could accommodate up to 30,000 troops. Forty-seven percent of all CWS units of WW II were trained here. The camp was deactivated on 12/31/1945. Official reference

The US Army Corp of Engineers completed remediation of "Range 30" site during 2008-2009 to remove used live mortar shells containing possible chemical agents of:
Mustard gas
Lewisite
Phosgene
White phosphorus
Tearing agents "
Chemical smoke (sulfur trioxide & chlorosulfonic acid solution)
An innovation which will appeal to the Waymarking community is that the final clean-up effort involved a Segway Robotic Mobility Platform modified by Auburn University to carry two environmental sensors along a path guided using GPS technology at the centimeter-level accuracy. 25 fill-intacted mortars were discovered and removed for subsequent disposal. A presentation of this effort can be found here

Marker Name: Camp Sibert World War II: 1942 - 1945 Marker Type: Rural Roadside Addtional Information:: The marker is located on Hwy 77 at Attalla City Park near mile marker 109. This spot is NW of I-59 Exit 181. Date Dedicated / Placed: 2005 Marker Number: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/12/2011 lovorn visited it