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| Attraction: |
World War II POW Camp: Texas Historical Marker |
| County: |
Jefferson |
| City: |
China |
| Website: |
http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5245011954 |
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| Description |
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Supervised by J.M. Combs, county extension agent, this program
was the responsibility of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service
at Texas A&M University. Combs determined the farm labor needs
of the county and analyzed the local labor supply to coordinate
his efforts with those of the base P.O.W. camp in Huntsville. The
camp at Huntsville, one of the largest base camps in Texas, opened
early in 1943. Its first prisoners were members of Rommel's Afrika
Korps who had been captured in North Africa. German prisoners came
from the European theater of operations, as well. Temporary branch
camps were established in areas such as China, which were too distant
from the base camp for daily round trips. The China branch camp
opened in September 1944 on this site. Local farmers and others
wishing to use the day labor provided by prisoners, picked them
up at the camp in the morning and returned them each night. It closed
in December 1945 and its 350 prisoners returned to Huntsville, then
eventually to Germany. At the dawn of the 21st century the only
remnant of the China base camp was the water well.
Location of Marker: N. China Road, China, 2.4 mi N of US 90
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| Hours: |
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| Contact: |
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