Imagine a city rising from the fields of Suffolk County in the early 20th cenutry, a wooden metropolis covering almost 20,000 acres. It has its own post office, theater, library and fire department. The place could fit close to 40,000 people with room for 15,000 horses. Imagine that and you've got Camp Upton.

Today our guests Suzanne Johnson and David Clemens discuss the history of Camp Upton, the vast military training camp in Brookhaven that served the US Army in World War I and II. We focus on their new book, Camp Upton, from Arcadia Press which features images of the life of the camp throughout 1917-18 and beyond. Many of the images are drawn from the Longwood Public Library where both Suzanne and David were directors. You'll hear about the 77th Division, the Harlem Hellfighters, Irving Berlin, and the amazing feat of raising an army to fight The War to End All Wars.

Further Research

Camp Upton by Suzanne Johnson and David Clemens
Longwood Public Library Digital Collection
Camp Upton (via Brookhaven National Laboratory)
Irving Berlin (Songwriters Hall of Fame)

Episode 60: Camp Upton with Suzanne Johnson and David Clemens