Camp Thomas A. Scott
| Company type | Military training facility and prisoner of war camp |
|---|---|
| Industry | Military training; Prisoner of war detention |
| Founded | 1942 |
| Defunct | 1945 |
| Fate | Closed and repurposed for housing; later dismantled |
| Headquarters | Fort Wayne , United States |
Area served | United States (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
Camp Thomas A. Scott, situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana, functioned as a training facility for the Railway Operating Battalions of the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1942 and 1944, and later operated as a prisoner of war camp during World War II. The camp was named in honor of Thomas A. Scott, the Pennsylvania Railroad’s fourth president (1874–1880) and former United States Assistant Secretary of War, who played a significant role in utilizing railroads for military purposes during the American Civil War.
Pennsylvania Railroad Training Center
Established in August 1942, Camp Scott served as a training ground for U.S. Army Railway Operating Battalions, leveraging Fort Wayne's significance as a key hub for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Positioned adjacent to Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, the camp facilitated instruction for the 717th, 730th, and 750th Railway Operating Battalions. The last battalion to complete training at Camp Scott was deployed in mid-1944.
Prisoner of war camp
Operating as an extension of Camp Perry in Ohio, Camp Scott accommodated approximately 600 prisoners of war, mostly German soldiers from the Afrika Korps alongside some Italian captives taken during the Battle of Anzio and Battle of Monte Cassino. To mitigate labor shortages caused by wartime demands in Fort Wayne and Allen County, these prisoners were assigned to local work such as potato harvesting, snow removal, and pin-setting at a bowling alley. Following VE Day, the detainees were returned to their home countries, resulting in Camp Scott’s closure on November 16, 1945.
Uses after 1945
After remaining dormant until January 1946, the Fort Wayne Housing Authority initiated the conversion of former camp buildings into residential units for veterans returning from service and their families. As housing developments expanded throughout Fort Wayne, occupants gradually moved out, with Camp Scott functioning as temporary accommodation until August 1949. Over the ensuing decades, all structures were dismantled, with the final building removed in 1977.
A portion of the former Camp Scott grounds was transformed by the City of Fort Wayne into a constructed wetland designed to serve as a stormwater retention and treatment system.