Fort Benjamin Harrison (Lawrence Township, Marion County (northeast of Indianapolis), Indiana)
Lawrence Township, Marion County (northeast of Indianapolis) · Indiana · World War I and World War II
History & Significance
In 1901, Russell Harrison, the son of former U.S. president Benjamin Harrison, facilitated the sale of a U.S. Arsenal near downtown Indianapolis; the U.S. Army used the proceeds to buy land in 1903 in a more remote area, where the fort is located today. At the request of President Theodore Roosevelt and Lt. Col. Russell B. Harrison, Secretary of War Elihu Root named the post after Benjamin Harrison, resident of Indianapolis and 23rd president of the United States.
The U.S. Army constructed Fort Harrison to garrison one regiment of infantry, but during World Wars I and II the post became one of the nation's largest training and mobilization sites. During World War I, the post hosted three large officer training camps and became the training ground for hundreds of medical and engineering specialists.
The Fort Benjamin Harrison Reception Center (for inducting draftees) opened in 1941 and by 1943 was the largest reception center in the United States. When the United States reestablished the Military Police Corps in 1941, an MP school was established at Camp Glenn and was in operation by early 1942.
The site has since been redeveloped and includes residential neighborhoods, a golf course, and is the site of Fort Harrison State Park. The historic district contains 126 contributing buildings, 6 contributing structures, and 2 contributing sites, including the Spring Valley Cemetery, which predates the fort and contains early settler graves from 1824 onward.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Historic World War I and II-era military buildings and grounds
- Fort Harrison State Park features 1,700 acres of trails, woodland, and recreational areas
- Named after President Benjamin Harrison; established 1906 as major Army post
- Site includes golf course and residential development on former military land
- Military reserve and National Guard units still operate at the site
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Benjamin_Harrison
- https://indyencyclopedia.org/fort-benjamin-harrison/
- https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/in/in0400/in0407/data/in0407data.pdf
- https://indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/fort-benjamin-harrison-photographs.pdf
- https://grokipedia.com/page/Fort_Benjamin_Harrison