“C” is for Camp Croft. This United States Army Training Center, located on 22,000 acres southeast of Spartanburg, was established in December 1940. It was named for Major General Edward Croft, a Greenville native. Camp Croft was one of several training centers established across the nation as the country began to rebuild its armed forces prior to Pearl Harbor. At its peak the facility trained an estimated 20,000 recruits every three months. In the waning days of World War II, the camp housed nearly one thousand German prisoners of war. The construction of the camp provided a much-needed boost to the local economy. After the training center was deactivated in July 1945, the land was turned over for various civilian purposes, including residential housing and businesses. In 1949, another portion of Camp Croft became Croft State Park.
“C” is for Camp Croft
