Fort Pickett (Blackstone, Virginia)
Blackstone · Virginia · World War II
History & Significance
Army planners selected the Blackstone site in late 1941 for its location in the Piedmont region, abundant land and water resources, and easy railroad access to both mountain and coastal training areas suitable for assault and mountain warfare preparation. Over 45,000 acres in Nottoway, Dinwiddie, Lunenburg, and Brunswick Counties were acquired and cleared by December 1941.
By year's end 1942, over 1,400 buildings were operational, including approximately 1,000 enlisted barracks and 70 officer's quarters. A four-runway Blackstone Army Airfield completed in late 1942 accommodated Douglas C-47 transport aircraft, each runway measuring 5,269 feet long and 300 feet wide.
The 79th Infantry Division was based at Camp Pickett; other units including the 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Armored Division, and the 28th, 31st, 45th, 77th, and 78th divisions trained there before deployment to Europe and the Pacific Theater. After the North Africa campaign, Camp Pickett operated as a hospital center and prisoner-of-war camp, housing approximately 2,700 hospital beds at peak and 6,000 German prisoners shortly after the war's end.
In 1995, the decision was finalized to inactivate the regular Army garrison and transfer operation to the Virginia National Guard, enacted in 1997. In June 2025, the Secretary of Defense redesignated the installation as Fort Pickett, honoring 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pickett
- https://www.army.mil/article/265145/vng_installation_officially_redesignated_fort_barfoot
- https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA317720.pdf
- https://www.virginiaplaces.org/military/pickett.html
- https://pcspayitforward.com/base/army-base/fort-pickett/
- https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-02-NW13
- https://va.ng.mil/News/Article/4214265/virginia-national-guard-military-installation-renamed-to-honor-world-war-ii-hero/