Camp Butner

Camp Butner was a United States Army installation in Butner, North Carolina during World War II. It was named after Army General Henry W. Butner. Part of it was used as a POW-Camp for German prisoners of war in the United States and this site eventually became the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner. The Camp site was chosen around early January 1942 to have a major training area built and in just 6 short months, over 3500 buildings were constructed. There were enough beds in the enlisted barracks alone to accommodate over 35,000 soldiers.Several major US Army divisions used the camp as a staging area during the war, to assemble and organize prior to being deployed to the Western Front. Divisions like the 35th Infantry Division, 78th Infantry Division, and 89th Infantry Divisions were all activated here.After the war, the Camp was used as a major facility for the demobilization and deactivation of Army units returning from the war. Among the units deactivated at the camp were the 3d United States Infantry Regiment and the 4th Infantry Division.