During the summer of 1944, a German labor camp was built in Eaton. The first reaction of the townspeople that there would be a prisoner of war camp located in Eaton was not favorable. But they were assured that the prisoners would be constantly under guard and would be working during the day at the Butterfield’s Canning Company. The German soldiers were treated well under the circumstances. They were fed three meals a day (sent from Fort Harrison in Indianapolis) and had access to latrines, showers, canteen and a recreation area. The prisoners liked to play soccer. They were “forced” to raise the American flag each day which they resented. The prisoners came from all parts of Germany and most were between the ages of 17-25.
For information on the Eaton Prison Camp, consult the vertical/picture files at the Local History & Genealogy Center. Please contact us if you would like us to make photocopies of articles on this topic.
Special thanks to Tom Schnuck of Beech Grove Cemetery for donating articles and a picture of the Eaton Prison Camp.
Special thanks to Beth Kroehler for contributing materials on this topic for the vertical file. The subject heading for the file is WWII- History- Eaton Prison Camp
Photograph scanned for the blog by Sara McKinley, LHG. (Click on the image for a larger size)
Source: The Eaton Prison Camp by Dean Maitlin
It just came to my attention that Eaton had a prison camp. Who knew?! I asked my mother, who grew up in Eaton and would have been a child during this time, if she was aware of this camp. She was told by her mother that the men were “migrant” workers – probably as a way not to scare her young children – and was not aware of any German POWs.
I cannot, however, find any information online as to the whereabouts of the camp. Could you answer this question, please?
I teach at Delta High School, and this came about because a student mentioned that a prison camp had existed in Eaton. I had never heard of this at all. I’d love to pass along the history to these students, as they were very interested in learning more about this.
Thank you so much!