Mexia, TX??

Anonymous-0 · Nov 27, 2011

Hey folks,
Anyone from near here or maybe know anything about a POW camp for germans during WWII?? A buddy was cleaning up some stuff and found paperwork where is grandpa and aunt were locked up there.... Locked up may not be the right choice of words because it seems they enjoyed it and enjoyed picking cotton.....

Thanks for any info....

Dave

Anonymous-0 · Nov 27, 2011

I would think the hard part would having to go back home,,,,,It must have been terrible.

Alont · Nov 27, 2011

Gets a mention here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexia,_Texas

Alont

Anonymous-0 · Nov 27, 2011

I remember seeing something about POW camps that were located in the US. Not sure where they were, but I do remember them saying that after the war was over, many of the POW's stayed here.

rrlund · Nov 27, 2011

I'm thinking there was something on Ag Day or some such thing,just prior to Halloween. Seems like it was about one in Tennessee where it was rumored that a prisoner lost his leg or something and wanders the woods looking for it. I was thinking there was a 4H camp there now or something.

Ron A Anderson · Nov 27, 2011

I just got back from Fort Morgan, Colorado and there was pow camps there for the German prisoners. We went through a museum in Fort Morgan that mentioned having housed German prisoners there.
Also there was German prisoners in Minnesota during WW2. They were available for farm help. I remember my dad telling they would have to go to town and bring them back to the farm to help harvest the crops. The prisoners would be paid and fed typical homecooked meals of that era.
I was stationed at Beale AFB in Calif and there were foundations of old baracks that were used to house German prisoners on base.

showcrop · Nov 27, 2011

There had been one just a few miles from where I grew up in northern NH. The prisoners went out during the day and worked in the woods. Many got friendly with and associated a lot with the local people in the area. We have a beautifully carved wooden box that measures about 10x12x8 with a secret opening latch that you could never find if you were not shown, that was given to my father by a prisoner. They held a reunion for townspeople and prisoners probably some 25 years ago that was very well attended. I have read that they were very easy to guard because there was no interest in escaping.

RusselAZ · Nov 27, 2011

There was POW camp west of Holdrege Nebraska also.

Billy Shafer · Nov 27, 2011

Been by it many times. Texas is loaded with them.

KIP in MX · Nov 27, 2011

Don't know about Mexia, but I grew up close to the ex prisoner of war camp at Orchard Park, near Roswell, NM and ericlb on this site lives close to another POW camp in southeast NM called Fort Stanton. We bought the salvage rights for Orchard Park camp sewage plant in the early 70's and had the big pumping house moved to our farm for a shop. It is still there today. The prisoners there were allowed to work on local farms and one prisoner (Hans Poethig) even moved back to Roswell from Germany after the war. and was a good friend of our family.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 27, 2011

(quoted from post at 11:19:26 11/27/11) Been by it many times. Texas is loaded with them.

Found a little bit on google.... Is there a visitor office or is it just that it was there and that's it? Just thought I'd like to tell him a little about it.

RN · Nov 27, 2011

Especially if Home was in Eastern zone. RN

Billy Shafer · Nov 27, 2011

As far as I know it is now.Part of the state school system. Not much left but a marker

Mexia, TX??

Anonymous-0

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Alont

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Anonymous-0

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rrlund

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Ron A Anderson

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showcrop

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RusselAZ

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KIP in MX

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Anonymous-0

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RN

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