Welcome to Camp Meigs Memorial Park: Site of Civil War Training Camps - Boston, MA - Massachusetts Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

In Boston's Readville neighborhood is Camp Meigs Park, which has a series of signs about Camp Meigs, including this one.

Camp Meigs Park, owned and maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), is located in the center of a residential neighborhood off the Neponset River Parkway. From the parkway, turn southwest - away from the railroad bridge - onto Hyde Park Avenue, then drive southwest along this road to the park on the left. The sculpture is located along a path from the north corner to the center of the park, which was a portion of the parade grounds for Camp Meigs.

The signs are along a rectangle defined by a path. This one is near the north corner. The text on it is as follows:

"Welcome to Camp Meigs Memorial Park

Site of Civil War Training

Now part of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation park system, Camp Meigs Memorial Park is a significant historic site dating to the Civil War (1861-1865). Many of Massachusetts' Union regiments trained at three camps located here. Most notable were the men of the 54th Volunteer Infantry, 55th Volunteer Infantry and the 5th Volunteer Cavalry Regiments, some of the first official African American units in the United States during the Civil War.

This area known as Readville" was once a Native American site and later used as a pre-Civil War drill field for local militia. As Camp Meigs it encompassed 139 acres including barracks, stables, officers' quarters, kitchens and nearby water sources for cooking and bathing. Named after Montgomery Meigs, the Federal Quartermaster General who was a favorite of President Lincoln, this was a training field from 1862 through 1864, when it was converted to an Army Hospital. Developed into house lots in the 1890s, three acres of the former camp were given to Hyde Park in 1892 to create Camp Meigs Memorial Park, dedicated in 1903. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts took control of the property from the City of Boston in the 1950s."

There is a picture of the park soon after it was established. There is an ink image showing who the camp looked at the time it was active. On the right is a map showing the camp and today's park relative to modern landmarks.

In the upper right is information about the park and the agency. There were information at the lower left corner about funding.

Agency Responsible for Placement: Other (Place below) Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Year Placed: 5/1/2016 County: Suffolk City/Town Name: Boston Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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