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When the United States entered the First World War in 1917, a standing army was non-existent, and large forces would be needed to fight overseas. It was decided that sixteen cantonments would be erected accross the country to train the New York area inductees. The proposed army base was to be named Camp Upton, after Major General Emery Upton, who served in the Civil War and wrote numerous books on U.S. military policies. Construction began in the
summer of 1917. Plans called for a U-shaped encampment,
large enough to house 40,000 troops. The land had to be
totally cleared of the shrub Labor problems plagued construction. Local communities could not supply all the men needed, so workers were brought in from New York City. Many of these laborers were immigrants who had recently arrived from Europe and could understand little English. Irish workers would not eat the pasta products requested by the Italian laborers. Gambling, theft and alcohol were constant headaches for Major "O.K." Meyers, the construction quartermaster. July was an especially hard time for Meyers. Intense heat, frequent downpours and swarms of mosquitoes harassed the workers. Despite these problems, the
camp started to take shape by late summer. Fifty-five railroad
cars of supplies were
The drafted men were issued equipment and uniforms and were assigned a bunk. Until the first shipment of rifles arrived in late September, the troops were kept busy on the parade ground. In October, General Bell put into action a sixteen-week training program, outlined by the War Department. This program included training in almost every aspect of infantry combat. French and British officers were brought to the U.S. and instructed the men in tank, trench and gas warfare. The draftees trained in the use of hand grenades and machine guns. Professional boxers taught the men hand-to-hand combat. From these raw recruits came
the nucleus of the famed 77th Division. Officially formed
before the first draftee arrived in camp, the 77th was to gain
Among the members of the 77th was one individual who was already famous, and whose fame would grow after the war. This was Sergeant Irving Berlin. While at Upton, Berlin wrote "Yip, Yip Yaphank," a military musical based on his life at the camp. The show was produced on Broadway, with Berlin's fellow soldiers filling the cast. From this show came one of Berlin's most famous songs, "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." With the war's end in November
of 1918, Upton's use was limited. The camp served as a
demobilization site for returning veterans. The Army decided
that Camp Upton was of no further use, and it was deactivated.
A public auction in August of 1921 saw everything from
stoves to complete structures bought up and removed from the
Yaphank base. By the fall of that year, all that remained
of the great military city of 1917 were the roads. Many
of the temporary buildings do still exist, having been converted
to homes by Long Island residents. For almost twenty years,
the site remained quiet as Upton National Forest. Then,
in 1940, the Yaphank wilderness came to Again, the raw recruits started
entering the camp. Once war was declared, the camp was
filled to the brim with men and machinery. But the camp
was not used solely as an The camp was again deemed
unneeded once combat in or would like to see the museums collection call: 631 344-4495 The Museum is open on Sundays during the summer From July 9 thru August 27
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1920,
and again from 1940 until 1946. During World War II, the
camp was rebuilt primarily as an induction center for draftees.
The Army was later to use the site as a convalescent and
rehabilitation hospital for returning wounded.
pines,
oak, and tangled undergrowth which dominated the landscape before
any construction could begin. A rail spur was built, connecting
Upton to the Long Island Rail Road, on which most of the supplies
for construction arrived.
unloaded
daily. Thousands of tons of lumber, nails, and stone arrived
at the construction site. The original order called for
680 buildings. This was raised to 1400 buildings. However,
the scheduled date of completion was delayed only 10 days. When
the first 2,000 drafted men arrived on September 10th, two-thirds
of the camp had yet to be completed. The new soldiers were
put side by side with the laborers to help complete the camp.
On December 20th, the camp was officially declared complete,
and turned over to Major General J. Franklin Bell, the Camp Commander.
The
recruits who arrived at Upton came from all walks of life. They
came from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and represented
twenty-five or more national backgrounds. In all, some
40,000 men would spend some part of their military service at
Upton. The completed camp doubled the population of Suffolk
County.
recognition for
its valor at the Argonne Forest in August of 1918. Major
General Bell was found unable to command the 77th in Europe due
to health problems. When the first contingent of the Division
left Upton for France in March, General Bell turned leadership
of the men over to Brigadier General Evan Johnson. It was
to be General Johnson who would lead the 77th to fame at Argonne.
life
again. The war in Europe and in the Pacific (of which America
was not yet a part) gave rise to a drive for military preperation
among some members of the government. Scince the Yaphank
land was still available, the decision was made to rebuild the
camp. Once again, plans were drawn up for parade grounds,
barracks, and the like, and, again, before the construction could
commence, the undergrowth had to be cleared. However, this time
it was not to be the struggle it had been in 1917. This time
there was only a twenty year growth to contend with. 
Also,
part of the site had already been reforested by the Civilian
Conservation Corps. Sewage systems were installed to help
drain the water that often accumulated on the roads and parade
grounds, and the road system was improved.
induction
center. After the war effort moved from the European to the Pacific
Theater, the induction center was moved to Fort Dix, N.J. The
camp was then expanded to convert it into a convalescent and
rehabilitation hospital in September of 1944. Bowling alleys,
swimming pools, and tennis courts were added to serve as recreational
therapy for the patients. Upton became a showcase for the
type of treatment the reaturning wounded veterans would receive.
the
Pacific ended, drawing a close to the Second World War. It
was officially declared surplus on June 30, 1945. However,
this time the base was not dismantled. A number of suggestions
arose as to how the base and its facilities could be put to the
best use, among them a plan to use Upton as a vocational school
for the youth of Long Island. The final accepted proposal,
however, called for the former army camp to be converted into
a research center for the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Barracks
were to house the equipment to be used by the scientists. Thus,
in January 1947, Brookhaven National Laboratory was born, and
Camp Upton had finally completed its service to the nation.