Most People In Texas Don’t Know About Our Old German POW Camp
By Katie Lawrence|Published April 20, 2020
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
Did you know Texas had more prisoner-of-war camps during WWII than any other state? Nearly 70 camps held over 50,000 German soldiers, and Camp Hearne was one such place. Take a look at these original photos and learn about the onsite museum:
Camp Hearne was commissioned in 1942, and it was one of only a few camps that housed prisoners from all three Axis powers during WWII. At its peak, the facility held nearly 5,000 prisoners -- keep in mind, the population of Hearne was only 3,500!
Most of the prisoners held here were officers of General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps captured in Tunisia. Some of the first POWs arrived at the camp on June 3, 1943.
All mail going to POWs in the United States was distributed from Camp Hearne. This lead to German prisoners infiltrating the postal service to censor anti-Nazi mail, send illegal messages, and track disloyal German captives all over the country.
Relatively speaking, the living conditions at Camp Hearne weren't terrible -- in fact, prisoners were treated better here than at many other camps. As a result, the facility was nicknamed "The Fritz Ritz" in reference to the luxury hotel chain, The Ritz-Carlton.
Since the captives were not forced to work, arts, crafts, sports, education, and other leisure activities took up most of their time. They constructed intricate replicas of German castles, furniture, snakeskin wallets, and even pergolas to avoid the relentless Texas heat.
Today, the only building at Camp Hearne is a single replica barracks. The nearly 250 original structures, including prisoner compounds, a hospital, and an American sector, were sold piece-by-piece after the war ended.
Following a 70-year period of abandonment, the site was turned into a museum. A series of trails lead to ruins of buildings and fountains built by prisoners, and thoughtfully executed exhibits detail various facets of life inside the camp.
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