Fort Devens (Ayer, Shirley, and Harvard, Massachusetts)

Ayer, Shirley, and Harvard · Massachusetts · World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War

Quick BriefCamp Devens opened on September 5, 1917, as one of sixteen temporary World War I cantonments, training more than 100,000 soldiers from three divisions. After its redesignation as a permanent post in 1931, it served as a major reception and training center during World War II, hosted the 10th Special Forces Group from 1968 to 1995, and closed in 1996, becoming the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area.

Active base today

History & Significance

Camp Devens, named after Civil War general and Massachusetts native Charles Devens, was established on September 5, 1917, as a temporary cantonment for training soldiers during World War I on approximately 5,000 acres leased then purchased from 112 owners across the towns of Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster, and Shirley. Construction by the largest labor force assembled in the United States occurred at a rate of 10.4 new buildings every day.

Three divisions were activated and trained there during World War I, serving as a reception center for selectees and demobilization center after the war. From 1922 to 1931, it was utilized as a summer training camp for National Guard troops, Reserve Units, ROTC cadets, and Citizens' Military Training Camp candidates.

In 1929, Robert Goddard used the installation as a rocket test site. The camp became permanent in 1931 and was officially named Fort Devens in 1932.

At World War II's onset in 1940, the fort was designated a reception center for New England draftees; a massive construction program built more than 1,200 wooden buildings and two hospitals, and Moore Army Airfield opened in 1941. The 1st, 32nd, and 45th Divisions along with the 4th Women's Army Auxiliary Corps trained there; the fort also housed a German and Italian prisoner of war camp from 1944 to 1946.

The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was stationed there from 1968 until moving to Fort Carson in 1995. The 1991 BRAC Commission recommended closure, which was officially signed March 31, 1996.