Morristown Branch POW Camp historical marker to be dedicated

Friday, July 26, 2024 at 7:45 AM

By Johnny McCrory @jmcillini

The ceremony is scheduled for July 27.

A public dedication ceremony will be held for an Indiana state historical marker commemorating the Morristown Branch POW Camp.

The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday. The program will begin at 4 p.m. at 11016 North Asbury Rd., Morristown. Parking for the program is available in the Asbury Cemetery, directly west of the marker.

The text follows for the state marker entitled “Morristown Branch POW Camp”:

Camp Atterbury, a U.S. military training base 35 miles southwest, became a WWII internment camp in 1943 for Italian, and later, German POWs. To meet increased wartime agricultural needs, farms and canneries used alternative labor sources including POWs for critical food production. Community leader and cannery owner Paul Wolf helped establish a branch POW camp here. Approximately 250 German POWs were housed in tents at Morristown branch camps for the 1944-1945 harvests. They labored alongside locals in nearby fields and canneries under the watch of armed guards. Shelby County farmers, residents, and business owners treated the POWs fairly under the Geneva Convention rules, in the hopes that American POWs were treated the same.

The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony for this historical marker that examines Hoosier contributions to the war effort through agriculture and industry. During World War II, community canning and packing industries partnered with Camp Atterbury to establish POW camp branches in Vincennes, Windfall, Austin, and Morristown. The POWs at these camps helped meet labor shortages as a result of the war and assisted with global food production during that period.

The marker dedication will take place during Morristown’s Derby Days festival.

State historical markers commemorate significant individuals, organizations, places, and events in Indiana history. These markers help communities throughout the state promote, preserve, and present their history for the education and enjoyment of residents and tourists of all ages. For over 100 years the Indiana Historical Bureau (IHB), a division of the Indiana State Library, has been marking Indiana history. Since 1946, the marker format has been the large roadside marker, which has the familiar dark blue background with gold lettering and the outline of the state of Indiana at the top. Approximately 750 of these markers have been installed over the years.