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United States military panoramic photographs

 Collection — Folder: OBF024
Identifier: OBF024

Scope and Contents

This collection includes 10 black-and-white panoramic photographs in the United States ranging from 1906 to 1942 regarding multiple military units from the United States Army and National Guard, including a 1906 Fort Benjamin Harrison encampment in Indianapolis; Battery C, 325th Field Artillery at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky (November 1917); Headquarters Company, 137th Field Artillery at Camp Shelby, Mississippi (March 7, 1918); 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment, Indiana Liberty Guard (September 2, 1918); Company D, Student Army Training Corps at Winona Lake, Indiana (December 30, 1918); the 280th Aero Squadron and aerial officers at Brindley Field in Commack, New York with 3 biplanes (circa 1918-1919); 139th Field Artillery, Indiana National Guard at Camp Knox, Kentucky (July 1922); Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Training Regiment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina (May 16, 1942); and soldiers and officers in formation, probably in review, at an unidentified military camp, most likely during World War I.

Dates

  • 1906-1942

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Historical Note

The 280th Aero Squadron of the United States Army was organized during February 1918 at Rich Field, Texas. It relocated to Brindley Field in Commack, New York by July 1918. The squadron did not see overseas action during World War I and was demobilized in January 1919 at Garden City, New York. Brindley Field operated as an air training field for the U.S. Army Air Service from June 1918 to May 1919.

Sources:

The Historical Marker Database. "Brindley Field." HMdb.com. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=148599.

United States Army, Center for Military History. Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War: Zone of the Interior: Directory of Troops, vol. 3, part 3. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1988. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://history.army.mil/html/books/023/23-5/CMH_Pub_23-5.pdf.

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In Indiana, Governor Goodrich formed the Liberty Guard in late 1917, to function as local, domestic protection similarly to the National Guard. The Liberty Guard was formed throughout the United States at the county and town level to protect industries and transportaiton from German spies or sympathizers. Men between the ages of 18 and 45 were eligible to join the guard. The guard were an adjunct to the state militia, primarily serving as protection for their home county, and could only be called outside their respective counties when other resources had been exhausted.

The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of the Indiana Liberty Guard was formed in 1918 during World War I and comprised of companies from Wabash, North Manchester, Lagro, and Urbana, Indiana. Major G. W. Yarnelle was the commanding officer.

The Indiana National Guard includes the 38th Infantry Division today. The original 38th Division was organized from National Guard units from Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on August 25, 1917. The Indiana units that formed the 38th Division included the 137th and 139th Field Artilleries and the 151st, 152nd and 76th Infantry Regiments.

Sources:

"Gov. Goodrich Praises Guard." Evansville Courier and Press (IN), July 5, 1918, 13. Accessed February 22, 2022. Newspapers.com.

Indiana National Guard. "History of the Indiana National Guard." Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.in.ng.mil/History.

"Liberty Guard Created to Protect Life on Home Front." Daily Reporter (Greenfield, IN), July 22, 2016. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2016/07/22/liberty_guard_created_to_protect_life_on_home_front_.

"Stone of Warren Made Colonel of 2nd Regiment." Huntington Press (IN), September 10, 1918. Accessed April 12, 2022. Newspapers.com.

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Camp Knox was established in July 1918 near Stithton, Kentucky, and named after Revolutionary War-hero Henry Knox. Construction at the site slowed after the end of World War I, but it became a permanent installation on January 1, 1932 henceforth known as Fort Knox. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold reserves.

Sources:

"Fort Knox." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last edited April 14, 2018. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fort-Knox.

Wikipedia. "Fort Knox." Wikipedia.org. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Knox.

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Camp Bragg was authorized in August 1918 as an artillery training center for the U.S. Army, capable of housing 16,000 soldiers and 5,700 horses and mules near Fayetteville, North Carolina. It was named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Construction on the the camp continued after the end of World War I and was completed on November 1, 1919. The camp was nearly permanently closed in 1921, but instead it became a permanent installation and Camp Bragg was renamed Fort Bragg on September 30, 1922. When the United States entered World War I, the population of Fort Bragg, which had reached 5,400 in 1940, jumped to 67,000. Many military units trained at Fort Bragg during the war, including the 9th Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Division, 82nd Airborne Division, 100th Infantry Division, and various field artillery groups. The base's population skyrocketed to 159,000 before the end of the war. Today, Fort Bragg is one of the largest military installations in the world and is located within Cumberland, Hoke, Harnett, and Moore counties in North Carolina

Sources:

Parker, Roy, Jr. "Fort Bragg. NCpedia.org. 2006. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.ncpedia.org/fort-bragg.

Wikipedia. "Fort Bragg." Wikipedia.org. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bragg.

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Camp Zachary Taylor was organized in Louisville, Kentucky 1917 after the U.S. entered World War I. It was under the command of Major General Harry C. Hale. The camp, named after President Zachary Taylor, closed three years later.

Sources:

"Omaha Ambulance Boys Are Pride of Louisville Camp." Omaha Sunday Bee (NE), December 2, 1917. Accessed April 12, 2022. Newspapers.com.

Wikipedia. "Camp Zachary Taylor." Wikipedia.org. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Zachary_Taylor.

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During World War I, the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC) was created to allow young men to attend college while receiving military training, in hopes of turning out a large number of officer candidates and specialists for the army. Students were allowed to begin participating in the program as early as the summer of 1917, but October 1, 1918 was the first day SATC units could formally organize on college campuses. Around 200,000 college students were enrolled in the program that first day, with 525 universities participating in the program. The SATC program ended in December 1918 and its participants were discharged from the military.

Sources:

"A College Education Free." Rushville Republican (IN), September 18, 1918. Accessed April 12, 2022. Newspapers.com.

"Military Instruction Open to All Men at Huntington College October First." Huntington Herald (IN), September 30, 1918. Accessed April 12, 2022. Newspapers.com.

"Opening of Students Corps." Angola Herald (IN), October 11, 1918. Accessed April 12, 2022. Newspapers.com.

"Turn Colleges into a Student Army." Evansville Courier and Press (IN), September 7, 1918. Accessed April 12, 2022. Newspapers.com.

Wikipedia. "Reserve Officers' Training Corps." Wikipedia.org. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_Officers%27_Training_Corps#Student_Army_Training_Corps_(SATC).

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Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post in Lawrence, Indianapolis, Indiana, which operated from 1906 to 1991. President Harrison's son organized the sale of the U.S. Arsenal in downtown Indianapolis, the proceeds of which helped the army purchase land outside of the city in 1903. Fort Ben, as it is locally known, was most active during the world wars. During World War II, the site operated what became the largest reception center for inducting draftees by 1943. After its closure in 1991, the site was obtained and operated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as Fort Harrison State Park.

Sources:

Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "Fort Harrison State Park." IN.gov. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/fort-harrison-state-park.

Wikipedia. "Fort Benajmin Harrison. Wikipedia.org. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Benjamin_Harrison.

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Camp Shelby is a military base that was established in 1917 after the United States entered World War I. It is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. The post was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero and the first governor of Kentucky, by the 38th Division, which was the first to train at there.

Sources:

Thomas, Shipley. The History of the A. E. F. New York: George H. Doran, 1920. Accessed March 28, 2022. Google Books.

Wikipedia. "Camp Shelby." Wikipedia.org. Accessed March 28, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Shelby.

Extent

0.15 Cubic Feet (10 panoramic photographs)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digitized materials from the collection are available online in the ISL Digital Collections: https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16066coll13/search/searchterm/obf024.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2022/04/12 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2022/04/12 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
United States military panoramic photographs
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671