Axis Prisoners of War in the U.S. During WWII oral histories, 1999

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection open to research. Access to original audiocassettes is restricted pending reformatting. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Life in a CCC camp: Axis Prisoners of War in the U.S. During WWII oral histories, 1999, SdArch 0017, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
.095 cubic feet 5 folders, 5 audiocassettes
Creator:
Owen, Gregory L.
Abstract:
The collection comprises five interviews with people associated Prisoner of War (POW) camps in the Shenandoah Valley. Interview topics range from transportation of prisoners to the camps use of POWs as a labor force.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Life in a CCC camp: Axis Prisoners of War in the U.S. During WWII oral histories, 1999, SdArch 0017, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection comprises five interviews with people associated Prisoner of War (POW) camps in the Shenandoah Valley. Interview topics range from transportation of prisoners to the camps use of POWs as a labor force.

Interviewing Benjamin Lee May, Jacob Saylor, Dow Souder, and Karl Baumann, the interviews discuss topics such as internment camps in Virginia, the Geneva Convention, and German POWs harvesting crops. Most of the interviews have these men recounting their experiences from their childhood where they lived adjacent to the Timberville Camp.

Biographical / historical:

Prisoner of War (POW) Camps in Virginia started in mid-1943 and was a major transit point for POW camps throughout the rest of the United States. Locations, such as the Timberville Camp, were established to house POWs for the purpose of contract labor. The Timberville camp was estimated to house 205 POWs with the purpose of contracted labor in forestry.

Acquisition information:
Collection was donated on May 4, 1999 by Gregory L. Owen.
Processing information:

Collection was originally cataloged at the item level; the descriptive metadata was compiled into a finding aid format in 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Names:
Owen, Gregory L.