DAR has honored the 100 year anniversary of the United States entering into World War One throughout 2017 and this commemoration will continue through the centennial celebration of the Treaty of Versailles in June of 2019. The NSDAR Archives has highlighted the DAR’s efforts during the war with the Women of Resilience: DAR Service in World War I exhibit as well as a series of Tales from the Archives blog posts that further explain DAR’s involvement in the war. Today’s blog post continues this series by exploring Camp Sherman in Chillicothe, Ohio.
When the United States entered World War One on April 6, 1917, the military rapidly mobilized in order to join a war that began in Europe in 1914. On May 18, 1917 the U. S. government authorized the Selective Service Act, often referred to as the draft, which required young men to register for military service. Work began around the country to build facilities to prepare and train the new military forces.
Camp Sherman was located outside of the city of Chillicothe and named for Union Army Civil War General and Ohio native, William Tecumseh Sherman. The area is known for earthen mounds built for ceremonial and burial purposes by the Hopewell. Prior to WWI, Chillicothe had a history of military facilities, such as the War of 1812 era Camp Bull and the Civil War era Camp Logan, which lent itself to a choice for a new and updated training facility. In June of 1917, the U.S. War Department announced that Chillicothe would be the site of Army cantonments and nearly 2,000 acres were purchased, including the Hopewell earthen mounds. From June until September nearly 2,000 buildings would be built at this facility. This would grow the local population from 16,000 to 60,000 in only a few months. 2,000 buildings were built at Camp Sherman between June and September. Camp Sherman grew to become the third largest military camp in the nation during the war.