POW Camp Road Sign

[Ronnie]

I live in Batesville, Mississippi. Located in Northwest Mississippi. We had a POW camp here during the war. It was located north of Batesville about 10 miles. When the camp was built during the early part of the war the Army built a new road from a major highway to the camp. The road was probably less than a mile long. For what ever reason the road was named "Japanese Camp Road". When actually the camp first housed Italians, then later Germans. Never any Japanese. I was told by two different workers from the camp that the Italians were not good workers. They moved the Italians to Missouri and brought in Germans. Most of the Germans had been captured in North Africa. Several years back the Japanese were looking to put a new Nissan Plant in Mississippi. A Japanese contingent visited our town and toured the industrial parks and areas suitable for an Auto Factory. The Lt. Gov. was from Batesville and we thought we were a shoe in for the new plant.When they were shown the area that used to be the POW Camp site they asked about the road sign. The good ole Mississippi boys told them, well we had a POW Camp here during the war and we thought it was going to be for the Japanese prisoners. The Japanese built the new Nissan plant about 140 miles south of Batesville. After the Board of Supervisors and the Industrial Commission realized their mistake they re-named Japanese Camp Rd. I was lucky enough to get one of the two signs from the road. We still don't have any Japanese Industry here. I thought you all might find that story a bit interesting and maybe a little amusing.

[12thengr]

Away here in the far NW corner of the U.S. just south of Bellingham off of Chuckanut Dr. Is a place known to the locals as 'Japanese' beach. Not because of a prison camp but because the local oriental population pre-1942 came here and harvested seafood. No signs of course and once oldsters like myself pass on it too will be forgotten. Different times my friend, different times.

[siege1863]

In interviewing older locals when researching the POW camp at Clinton, Mississippi, a couple of them referred to the camp as the "Japanese Camp." I know through the research Japanese POWs were never to be sent there. Initially, the camp administration was prepared to receive Italians. Only after an inspection prior to activation did they learn Germans were to be held there. Perhaps they were thinking it was going to be a relocation camp.

[12thengr]

Could be. While traveling last summer in Wyoming we drove past by the site of the Minkodaka (Sp) relocation camp. I would have liked to have stopped by and paid my respects but wouldn't you know it I missed it because of a lack of a highway sign.

[Ronnie]

I don't know why my words were changed....whenever I referred to the road I called it what it was. Japanese Camp Rd. When I referred to Japanese I called them Japanese. What's up with that. Is our forum a bed of political correctness. I dang sure hope not! It was WWII and the road was called what it was called....you can't change that.

Siege according to my sources.....two workers from the camp told me there were Italians there. Not for long. And there was one Japanese prisoner there. Well maybe not a prisoner but he was locked up. He was a Japanese American that Mr. Roosevelt saw necessary to lock up. So instead of sending him to an internment camp they sent him here. He worked in the kitchen as a cook. Siege I have a small collection of POW items from the camp and I have a Corps of Engineers map or plat of the camp. It's very neat. There is an old church here that looks somewhat Bavarian and the Germans built the furniture for it. Still there to this day. Fine furniture. They built lots of stuff for the locals. The are musical instruments to picture frames. Chairs and table and many chests. I'm got my eye on several pieces but don't know if I can get it.

One amazing item is a Walther PPK that was smuggle I guess all the way from Africa to the Camp. I'm working hard on the fellow who has that.

[Ronnie]

Damn it changed it again!

J. A. P. Camp Rd.

[Ronnie]

Haha it worked that time!

R. not politically correct D.

[Bob Hudson]

Haha it worked that time!

R. not politically correct D.

 

The photo made it clear anyway. Now if the town had been PC, they'd have a Nissan plant today.

[siege1863]

I see that my use of J.A.P. was also changed in the post. This is how the locals referred to it. I thought is significant since the sign used the same phrase.

 

Ronnie---

 

I, too, heard that the Italians were not much good when it came to work. I found particular references to their poor showing picking cotton in the Delta. When the Germans replaced them, production jumped significantly.

[Ronnie]

 

The photo made it clear anyway. Now if the town had been PC, they'd have a Nissan plant today.

Bob that was my point.

Ronnie

[12thengr]

And my reference was not to Japanese beach either. J.A.P. Beach. A long history here of anti-oriental exclusion.

[Ronnie]

Away here in the far NW corner of the U.S. just south of Bellingham off of Chuckanut Dr. Is a place known to the locals as 'Japanese' beach. Not because of a prison camp but because the local oriental population pre-1942 came here and harvested seafood. No signs of course and once oldsters like myself pass on it too will be forgotten. Different times my friend, different times.

Yes history will be lost then and that's a shame. Regardless of what it's called.

RD