Camp Langdon

Camp Langdon (1909-1963) - A U.S. Army Camp established in 1909 as New Military Reservation on New Castle Island, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Later named Camp Langdon after John Langdon, a patriot revolutionary and founding father of the United States, who was prominent in the assault on Fort William and Mary on 14 Sep 1774. Reservation sold to the town of Portsmouth in 1963. History Established in 1909 as New Military Reservation, an expansion cantonment area for Fort Constitution and Fort Stark. World War I Camp Langdon was built between Fort Constitution and Fort Stark, serving as a headquarters and cantonment area where most of the harbor defense personnel stayed during World War I. After World War I two 3-inch M1917 anti-aircraft guns and a searchlight station were placed here as the only anti-aircraft battery in the harbor. Both guns were removed in the early 1930's. World War II Camp Langdon again served as a headquarters and cantonment area for the harbor defense during World War II. As the headquarters for the Portsmouth Harbor Defenses, it consisted of a headquarters building, mess hall, barracks, hospital, chapel, PX and other support buildings. In 1943 WACs were also assigned to the camp. Post World War II After World War II the property was turned over to the Navy and Marine Corps as an annex to the Portsmouth Naval Prison. The camp reopened 2 Apr 1954 as a part of the Navy Retraining Command, a program to restore men to duty. Closed for economic reasons and sold to the town of Portsmouth in 1963. Current Status Now a municipal park. The town library is now located here. The original WWII era Army Fire Station still exists. Building foundations still exist inside the park. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: New Castle, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Maps & Images Lat: 43.06458 Long: -70.71425 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: yyyyy' See Also: Fort Constitution Fort Stark 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 500. Hope, Norman E., Waiting for the Enemy Memoirs of a World War II Soldier in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, The Coast Defense Journal, Vol 15, Issue 3, Page 60. Kramer, Katy, Portsmouth Naval Prison, Arcadia Publishing, 2016, 128 pages. Links: North American Forts - Camp Langdon Wikipedia - Camp Langdon Visited: No