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Dead Rides | Lake Caddo Swamp | Strokers | Catfish Run 2008 | WW II Bombers with the Southern Cruisers | Wet-N-Wild Rally 2007 | Wild West Show Cleburne TX | Princeton TX WWII POW Camp | Albuquerque 2006 | Hot Rods & Hoggs COC Meeting | Plano Balloon Fest

Princeton TX WWII POW Camp

During World War II, Some German Prisoners of War were held in a POW camp in Princeton TX. The prisoners were hired by local farmers to work the land for $2 a day. This camp is now a Community Park with Softball fields.
Historical Marker telling of the area.
Historical Marker telling of the area.		 This Slab was once the main gathering hall.
This Slab was once the main gathering hall.		 New Plaque for the Ball Park. Wonder how many German soldiers played baseball here in their spare time.
New Plaque for the Ball Park. Wonder how many German soldiers played baseball here in their spare time.		 Marker showing the layout of the facility and how the prisoners were hired out
Marker showing the layout of the facility and how the prisoners were hired out
This area in front of the water tower was cabins and facilities for the prisoners
This area in front of the water tower was cabins and facilities for the prisoners		 Original Tent Slab now used for cooking area.
Original Tent Slab now used for cooking area.		 Row of Tent slabs now converted for camping use
Row of Tent slabs now converted for camping use		 Possibly the managers old house structure.
Possibly the managers old house structure.
The old road leading out to the tents and other POW cabins
The old road leading out to the tents and other POW cabins		 The managers house as seen from the main area.
The managers house as seen from the main area.		 Freedom is a Harley. You have to wonder if with this minimum security how many prisoners escaped.
Freedom is a Harley. You have to wonder if with this minimum security how many prisoners escaped.

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Guest 08-Oct-2017 20:26
Princeton is full of white trash drug dealers. Avoid at all costs.
Guest 25-Dec-2015 03:40
My grandfather worked there, and rented three cabins. They had the only one with running water at the time. My mother lived there until at least 1948. I lived in Princeton all my life and it is a shame the camp wasn't preserved.
Guest 19-Sep-2015 04:36
If y'all prick's don't like our town. Then fuck off and don't come back.
Guest 28-Mar-2015 05:31
Not every plot of soil will or can be preserved. I have visited that site and wish there was more remaining, but city parks are important also. A more informative marker would be appropriate. I have lived in Germany and none of the battlefields are preserved. Only a few concentration camps remain and they are harrowing to visit. Instead of criticizing, just thank a servicemember or stop into a reserve center and volunteer - it will do you good. -T Gray, USA, Combat Engineer
Guest 06-Feb-2015 14:49
I lived in this labor camp in the early 60s with my family the Becks,I knew a family there called the sextons,Brenda is the only name I remember my name is Corky
Guest 06-Feb-2015 14:45
I lived in that camp with my family in the early 60's We are Beck. Had a great time as a kid
CAGEY 05-Feb-2015 19:42
Were there any German POWS buried in a nereby cemetary? THX
CAGEY 05-Feb-2015 19:42
Were there any German POWS buried in a nereby cemetary? THX
Chris Nielsen 07-Jul-2014 13:31
I lived in Farmersville, TX, next door to Princeton, TX for a stretch and saw that sign on occasion. I asked about it and was told there is nothing left of the area but a rusted water tower, then as an after note was told often the prisoners were given a pass to go to town to the store to buy a thing or two. That raised questions. As a POW, weren't they given everything they needed food and clothing so what else did they need? I was then told each man was given a small salary, $2.00 a say, for the work they did on the farms and were allowed to go to town to the store to buy cigarettes,candy/cookies, and writing materials so they could write home. I believe in America, at least up until now. Think about it! If they escaped, where would they go? If prisoners were treated well, wouldn't they be more willing to stop fighting and risk their own lives for a cause that didn't make since? I can see that some men preferred to stay rather than go back to a bombed out Germany with an uncertain future. I for one would like to see the camp buildings, or at least one, reconstructed on site.
Mike Esralian 20-Sep-2013 00:26
There is a man named Jack Duncan who lives in McKinney and he wrote a lengthy paper for his history class at UNT (University of North Texas). My parents worked at the Ashburn Military Hospital in McKinney during WWII. (Later it became a VA hospital, then later became the local Job Corps facility.) Jack has written an article about the POW camp (of Germans) in Princeton, Texas, which was somehow administratively connected to the POWs who worked at Ashburn Military Hospital hospital in McKinney. Mike Esralian
jeannie 21-Aug-2012 18:17
Vist Hearne, Texas, just a little north of College Station. Texas A&M is trying to restore the German POW camp that was located there. There are students doing "digs" from time to time. The docent at the site is very intersting when she tells the stories. It is a great field trip for a family. You can get there and back easily in a day. Stop at the Branding Iron in Marquez and have the best chicken fried steak in Texas. South from Dallas on 45, then turn west at Buffalo.
DB 13-Feb-2012 21:37
The site is just that-a place where POW's were kept.It was not a battleground,no abject misery was inflicted,it was not a death camp.In fact a great many probably stayed here in the US after being released.Unbelievable how silly some of you are.I'm glad the site was preserved as a park.
John Avitable 27-Dec-2011 05:19
My dad was assigned to a POW camp in the middle of no-where Texas during WWII. He received this assignment because he could speak German. Unfortuneatly I do not know exactly where he was stationed. However he did tell me that everyday he would give the German officer in charge a work assignment which was really just a keep them busy detail which was always performed with great perfection. All the Germans we very well treated and there were never any problems. Since the camp's location made it impossible for escape and the Germans were well treated the situation developed where my dad would issue weekend passes for them to go into town. My dad passed away many years ago and at that time it was just a footnote in his Army life which he really never spoke of, like many others. However those who knew my dad also knew that he was as fair a man as they come and those Germans had to know that had good fortune with him around and that they would return to Germany after the war in good shape and fond memories. Most of them had never eaten so good in their lives as they did at the camp. It was also understood that neither the Germans or Americans wanted their lives disturbed by the war and everyone wanted to go back home to their families. My dad was from Middletown, NY.

John Avitable
Rincon, GA
Carolyn Stevens 21-Dec-2011 20:44
it is a shame to take this land for camping and ball fields, you can bet the people that were being kept there were not doing that ,have you ever stoped to think how much pain and death took place here?? well u should not only pow was kept there but the mentely insaine were here to.no it wasnt a picnic in the park!!!
Kendall 19-Dec-2011 23:24
In 2001 I did my eagle scout project on the history of the WW II POW camp in Princeton. I had mounted a display board on the wall of the bathroom with pictures and info about the camp. There is a lot of information available in a book about the history of the town that I found in the city public library if it can still be found..
Guest 05-Nov-2011 16:10
Wow Cheri, you sound like someone who wants to be entertained rather than reflect a moment on the history of the United states and the world in general. Maybe there isn't much there now, but there once was. A little research on POW camps in the US and in Texas in general yielded some interesting information. A glimpse of history if you will. Didn't you mom ever teach you that if you don't have antything nice to say, there is no need to say anything?
Guest 05-Nov-2011 16:10
Wow Cheri, you sound like someone who wants to be entertained rather than reflect a moment on the history of the United states and the world in general. Maybe there isn't much there now, but there once was. A little research on POW camps in the US and in Texas in general yielded some interesting information. A glimpse of history if you will. Didn't you mom ever teach you that if you don't have antything nice to say, there is no need to say anything?
Guest 01-Nov-2011 02:45
My father was a guard at the camp.He met my mother in Mckinney,they were married and moved to Pennsylvania.My grandmother lived in Mckinney until the late 70's when her health began to fail. My mother moved her to Pennsylvania where she remained until her death in the early 80's.We returned her to Mckinney for interment in the family plot, while there my father wanted to visit the camp,we found it. It had not yet been turned into a park. I could see in my fathers eyes he was moved to be there.He told my brother and i how he became friends with many of the POW's.Some were young boys like himself others had familys and hoped they would see them again a few were defiant to the end ,one inparticular stripped off all U.S.issued clothing and hung himself with his German issued belt.I have a painting of my mother done by one of the POW,s on a pillow case,from a picture that my father carried in his wallet and tacked to a piece of wood that my father found lying around the camp,in exchange for the painting the POW wanted a carton of Lucky Strike cigarettes.My father became good friends with this POW.To this day he wishes he could have stayed in touch with him. My father is 86 and in poor health,my mother passed 3 years ago. Joe Donato,Doylestown,Pa
Pat Baxter 19-Aug-2011 18:59
Are there pictures available on-line of the actual camp itself when it was operational?
Nate 07-Mar-2011 03:45
Went by the WWII POW Camp today. It was only about 3 minutes drive from 380 to get to it. It is a park with playing fields. The old tower was interesting and rustic looking except for the "I love BrookE" painted on it. Would have been a nice picture. Read the Historical marker next to the pavilion and that was pretty much it. Sad to see that the signs did say WWII Camp and no signs of the camp were evident or marked. Wish the city would have restored a building long ago and create a small museum with stuff in it. If it was there, we didn't see it.
Nate 07-Mar-2011 03:44
Went by the WWII POW Camp today. It was only about 3 minutes drive from 380 to get to it. It is a park with playing fields. The old tower was interesting and rustic looking except for the "I love BrookE" painted on it. Would have been a nice picture. Read the Historical marker next to the pavilion and that was pretty much it. Sad to see that the signs did say WWII Camp and no signs of the camp were evident or marked. Wish the city would have restored a building long ago and create a small museum with stuff in it. If it was there, we didn't see it.
Guest 17-Jan-2011 02:54
Just because there isn't much left doesn't mean it's not historical. It's history, pretty much just full of ghost. That may be the only thing left, but isn't it still cool to know it happened?
Guest 03-Jan-2011 03:51
I remember going to the pow camp in the early 60's and there were still men living there. Don't know if they were GERMAN or maybe homeless. We hired them to work doing construction. They were eager to work and were very knowledgable.
Also, in the late 50's, a German Sargeant lived on S Jefferson St. next to the railroad in McKinney. He wore a German wool uniform with all insignias still on. We tried to talk to him but, he spoke little English. I understood him to say his name was "Sgt. Cross". Maybe "Krause". Sometime in the early 60's, his house burned down and I never saw him again.
Rena, Plano, TX 29-Nov-2010 23:47
Thank you Cheri of Frisco for letting people know that it is not worth visiting the former POW camp in Princeton. My family and I saw the historical marker yesterday on our way home to Plano and made a mental note to come back and visit the camp. Since I am originally from Germany, this camp would have been especially interesting to me. What a shame that it was not kept up.
Guest 07-Oct-2010 19:54
Why dont you do your research before running your mouth about something you know nothing about. the sign was not put up by the city it was put there by State entities and they are the ones who were responsible for reserving the history at the site.
If you have nothing nice to say about a place you visit then just stay in your little uppity neighborhood.
Guest 21-Aug-2010 18:12
I am a soldier and the so called pow camp is a disgrace.All the history is gone. We learn from the past if we dont know our histroy we have no future.I have been to civil war battle grounds and they are to maintain stuff that is from that era. There is no excuse it to me is a shame a huge part of history is now gone.
Guest 03-Aug-2010 19:08
We have lived in frisco for over 16 years and have passed through Princeton several times ayear for all of those years. We've seen the brown historical sign for the pow camp but have never deviated from our travels to go see it.....until today. We took approximately 25 minutes off course to drve to the sight so we could "see" the WWII POW camp. Much to our disappontment(we had our teenage sons with us)...there wasn't anything to see...except ball fields and pavilions...saw some atmos energy guys out there having a little picnic or some kind of gathering. Have you ever been to the "Alamo"? Well, if you were like me, I drove all the way to San Antonio. With great anticipation, I couldn't wait to see this great historical sight....what a disappointment! If I blinked I might have missed it. The difference between the Alamo and your "touted" WWII POW sight is that I didn't blink....there was nothing to miss.
May I suggest that the town of Princeton be a little more honest in their brown historical sign and arrow pointing to the sight....maybe add a disclaimer large enought for everyone to read "there is nothing to see or visit if you change your travel plans follow the arrows" Cheri McKean, Frisco, Tx
Guest 31-Aug-2009 20:50
the county or city needs to keep it mowed down at the park and the surrounding area.
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