THE PLACE:
Camp Holabird established in 1917 as the Army's first motor transport training center and depot. Supplied World War I American Expeditionary Forces in France with Detroit-made vehicles. Trained thousands to drive and repair automobiles and trucks. By 1920 a center for the research and development of military vehicles. Here the Jeep, a World War II icon, was tested and refined. Housed the Army Intelligence School from 1945 until closure in 1972.
Fort Holabird was located in the southeast corner of Baltimore and northwest of the suburban developments of Dundalk, Maryland, in surrounding Baltimore County, fronting on Holabird Avenue between Broening Highway and Dundalk Avenue. From 1941 until the end of World War II, the military installation grew to include approximately 350 acres and 286 buildings. After the Second World War, activities at Fort Holabird were curtailed and portions of the property were transferred from the Army. The largest land transfers occurred in the timeframe over three decades later following the Vietnam War, between 1977 and 1979, when 223 acres were transferred to the city of Baltimore. The city later developed the land in succeeding years into the Fort Holabird Industrial Park.
THE PERSON:
Camp Holabird-Named for Quartermaster General Samuel B. Holabird (1826-1907) Holabird was promoted to brigadier general on July 1, 1883, and assigned as Quartermaster General of the United States Army. He held the post until his retirement from the army on June 16, 1890.
As Quartermaster General, Holabird oversaw the effort to resolve pending civilian claims for property lost, damaged, or appropriated by the military during the Civil War, the last of which was settled in 1889. Holabird also undertook an effort to enhance soldier facilities and living conditions, including improvements to uniforms and personal equipment, and new or refurnished barracks, mess halls, storehouses, and hospitals. Holabird also undertook an unsuccessful initiative to professionalize the Army's Quartermaster Corps. Under the prevailing system, soldiers from the Army's basic branches, including Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery, performed quartermaster duties on an as-needed basis. Under Holabirds's plan, the Army would have created approximately 1,300 positions for soldiers to permanently serve as quartermaster clerks, teamsters, and laborers. In retirement, Holabird was a resident first of Evanston, Illinois, then of Washington, DC. He died in Washington on February 3, 1907 and was buried at the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.
The above information was obtained from the Maryland Historical Marker and Wikipedia. (
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