Named for World War I army Colonel Elmer J. Wallace, Camp Wallace was established as a training facility for military personnel during World War II. The U. S. government acquired more than 3,300 acres of land between the towns of Hitchcock and Alta Loma on State Highway 6 for placement of the facility. Construction began in November 1940. Before the erection of structures, 17 miles of access roads were built, 29 miles of electrical lines were installed, and a 2.9-mile spur rail track from the main rail line were laid. The site contained a total of 399 structures. Some buildings were constructed at Galveston's Fort Crockett and transported to the site, including a cold storage depot, bakery, laundry, and morgue. The camp contained a medical facility, 161 barracks, and a service club. By May 1941 the camp accommodated 10,250 people, including officers, enlisted personnel, and civilian staff. Training continued through World War II. The site also housed German prisoners of war. In April 1945, Camp Wallace was transferred to naval supervision, and later served as a distribution center releasing veterans back into civilian life. The site was used by the Red Cross in 1947 following the explosions at Texas City. The camp was declared surplus by the U. S. government in 1947.
Camp Wallace was located at the present site of Jack Brooks Park in Hitchcock. It was an Army Basic Training Camp that was completed June 1, 1941.There were 399 buildings. From 1941 to 1946 thousands of young men received training in the military skills that they would need to survive and win World War Two. The camp served as an Army Basic Training Camp and later as a Naval Separation Center.
CAMP WALLACE located in Hitchcock, Texas, was named after Colonel Elmer J. Wallace (See Photo), of the Fifty-ninth Coast Artillery, who was fatally wounded in 1918. The national government announced in 1940 that it would construct a major military establishment in Galveston County. A site was chosen between Hitchcock and Alta Loma, Texas (Note: Alta Loma is now called Santa Fe, Texas). The Santa Fe Railway installed a 4-mile track from their mainline onto the site, 17 miles of oyster-shell roads were built, and 29 miles of electric lines were installed. When completed it had 400 buildings, including 161 barracks, a medical facility, several churches, a cold storage depot, bakery, laundry, morgue, & service club. Construction of Camp Wallace at times involved as many boats as trucks, due to what seemed like "record rainfall". With the rainfall came mud and relentless swarms of mosquitos. The building of Camp Wallace is still remembered as a treatment rather than a treat.
Camp Wallace officially opened February 1st, 1941. It's original mission was as a U.S. Army Coast Artillery Replacement Center. It was known to Army men as the No. 1 Antiaircraft Replacement Training Center of the nation. It's mission was to train men for duty as highly skilled soldiers in antiaircraft combat. This included expert marksmanship of the highly technical antiaircraft guns, the rapid-fire 50mm., and the powerful 90mm. guns. Before a soldier completed his training, he had marched on at least one 25 mile hike, camped overnight in temporary camps with no cover, and then eventually over time, became a highly capable fighting man.
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US entered into WWII. Many of our local young men joined military service at that time. Most returned home, but some did not.
In 1944, seven POW camps were built on military bases. Camp Wallace was chosen as one of the bases. The advantages were that the prisoners could be easily guarded since towers and fences were already in place; the prisoners could be used to help maintain the bases, thus freeing numerous American soldiers for other tasks and nearby communities would be calmed to know that the thousands of possibly hostile enemy captives were surrounded by many armed American soldiers.
On April 15, 1944, the camp was officially transferred to the United States Navy as a naval training and distribution center. Between September 1, 1945 and August 31, 1946, Camp Wallace became known as the U. S. Naval Separation Center. Many thousands of sailors were separated from active duty. Hundreds of civilian personnel, including college students and high school graduates worked through the hot summer of 1946, processing the records. Camp Wallace ended with the closing on August 31, 1946.
It was declared surplus in 1946, and within a year all 400 of the structures on the base were put on the market. Some were too large to be moved successfully, but over a period of two years, hundreds of structures were bought and moved to nearby communities to relieve the severe shortages of building materials for homes, schools, churches, and businesses. Many of the buildings are still standing 70+ years later. Some of the buildings were cut in half, or into thirds and separate homes were made. So, if you see a long slender building, or a long wood framed home, chances are it was one of the Camp Wallace buildings.
On November 9, 1997, a State of Texas Historical Marker dedication ceremony was held. The marker is located .2 miles east of the Jack Brooks entrance on Highway 6, in Hitchcock, Texas. Some of the concrete pillars of the building floors can still be seen inside of Jack Brooks Park, along with a wooden marker showing the location.
(see link)The last picture/document/poem sums up life at Camp Wallace. "We've washed a million mess kits, and we've peeled a million spuds. We have marched a million miles or more, with mud smeared on our duds. We've killed a million bugs and ants which tried to steal our eats. We've shoved a million centipedes out of our snow white sheets. When our work on earth is finished then our friend behind will tell, that we surely went to heaven for we've served our hitch in hell".
If you would like to view more information and photos on Camp Wallace, they can be seen at the following location: (see link above)