Camp Kilmer

Camp Kilmer (1942-2009) - A World War II Camp established in 1942 near Edison, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Named Camp Kilmer after World War I soldier-poet Sergeant Joyce Kilmer who was killed in France during World War I. Portions sold off in 1963 and 1966 and the remaining reserve center closed in 2009. Also known as Camp Joyce Kilmer.

Former Camp Kilmer Officer's Club.
Former Camp Kilmer Buildings Repurposed.
Former Camp Kilmer Headquarters Building.

History of Camp Kilmer

Established in June 1942 as a World War II overseas embarkation and processing center. The camp came to enclose some 1,573 acres and 1,230 buildings and included an Italian Prisoner of War Camp near the main gate. After the war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945 the camp was used to process returning troops and send those to be discharged on to regional separation centers. The camp remained active until the fall of 1949 when it was no longer needed to process returning troops.

The camp was reactivated in the fall of 1950 during the Korean War but deactivated again in June 1955. After the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, 30,000 Hungarian refugees were temporarily housed at Camp Kilmer before being integrated into American society.

In 1958 Camp Kilmer became Headquarters for the U.S. Army II Corps, headquarters for United States Army Reserve units across the northeast. The camp also housed a maintenance and repair facility for the Nike/Hercules missile sites in the New York City area. The headquarters of the U.S. Army II Corps left Camp Kilmer in 1963 and moved to Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.

Without a major military unit at the camp, the decision to close it was made and most of the 1,573 acres was auctioned off in 1963 and 1966 to universities and colleges. Rutgers University received the largest portion of the land. The government retained 24 acres for use as a Reserve Center, known as the Sergeant Joyce Kilmer Reserve Center.

The 2005 Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended that the reserve center be closed and it closed on 5 Oct 2009.

Current Status

Now part of the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University.

Context

Location: Near Edison, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Map point is the approximate location of the post flag.
Lat: 40.524° Long: -74.432° Elevation: 85' Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM

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See Also:

Sources:

Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 510.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 875137

Links: