Camp Upton

Camp Upton was an installation of the United States Army located in Yaphank on Long Island in Suffolk County, New York.

History

Camp Upton was named after Emory Upton, a Union general of the Civil War and was created in 1917 to house and train soldiers for the United States, which had no large standing army at the time of its entry into World War I. Irving Berlin, the composer, and Alvin York, the most highly decorated soldier of the American army in World War I, were processed at Camp Upton. The 77th Division was first organized there. During part of the war, the 82nd Division was quartered there.

At the end of World War I, the camp was used to demobilize and inactivate units. Some of the units demobolized at the camp were: the 327th Infantry Regiment, the 325th Infantry Regiment, the 53rd Brigade, and the 101st Signal Battalion.

When the demobilization was complete, the camp became inactive, and in 1921, the federal government sold the buildings and equipment, but kept the land, designating it Upton National Forest. Many of the structures from the camp were transported to form the first large scale settlement at Cherry Grove, New York on Fire Island. [ [http://www.fireislandqnews.com/sections/inside_pages/history_jeanne_skinner.html Cherry Grove: Before and After the Great Hurricane of 1938 – Fireisalndqnews.com – Retrieved November 1, 2007] ]

It was used again by the Army in the mobilization of 1940 that preceded the American entry into World War II and later housed a convalescent and rehabilitation hospital. In 1946, the camp was closed and ownership transferred to the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Popular culture

Irving Berlin, while stationed at Camp Upton, wrote a musical, "Yip, Yip, Yaphank", which included the memorable song "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." The musical was turned into a 1943 movie "This Is The Army" which starred Ronald Reagan. [ [http://geocities.com/waltertshirley/wts2.html Very Early Shirley - geocities.com - Retrieved November 3, 2007] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/history/camp_upton1.asp Brookhaven National Laboratory History]
* [http://www.longislandgenealogy.com/campupton/upton.htm The Camp Upton Story]
* [http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs709a,0,7616454.story?coll=ny-lihistory-navigationFrom Long Island to Over There (Long Island Newsday)]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/photos/camplife.htm Photographs of Camp Upton (firstworldwar.com)]
* [http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/history/upton/uptonhome.htm Longwood Public Library's History of Camp Upton]