Camp Weingarten - Weingarten, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 37° 53.033 W 090° 12.900
15S E 744924 N 4196588
Camp Weingarten was of of four main P.O.W. camps in Missouri during World War II. The only remains of the camp is this lonely chimney from the officers club, for the officers running the camp.
Waymark Code: WM3QWF
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/07/2008
Views: 95
The camp was located in Weingarten south of Hwy 32 between Farmington and
Ste. Genevieve. The camp was announced in July 1942. The camp consisted of 950
acres and some 380 buildings of various types and had a capacity of 5,800. The
servicemen who would run the camp began arriving in November 1942 with the first
prisoners arriving May 1943. The camp housed about 5,000 Italian prisoners.
On September 10, 1944, two of the prisoners escaped by digging under the fence.
They were apprehended in Ste. Genevieve to the east when the authorities were
alerted to them when they sought help from citizens in town.
Their were five P.O.W.'s who died while at Camp Weingarten, where they were
buried originally, however were re-interred at Jefferson Barracks National
Cemetery in St. Louis in 1947.
The camp was closed in October 1945 after the final shipment of Italian P.O.W.'s
back to Europe. The camp buildings were torn down and the land was offered by
the government for sale to the original owners. The only significant remains of
the camp is the chimney from the officers club (along with a concrete slab
behind it which was the tennis court for the officers). The private house located in front of the chimney is build on the location of the colonel's house who and run commanded the camp and part of this home's foundation was part of the foundation of the colonel's home. ~ information received
from book The Enemy Among Us: German and Italian POWs in Missouri
during World War II by David Fiedler, correspondence with David Fielder and
discussion with lady living near the chimney.
Note: The chimney is located on private property. Please respect owners
property and visit from road or driveway.