Monday, July 28, 2008
Camp Ruston was one of the largest prisoner of war camps in the United States during World War II, with 4,315 prisoners at its peak in October 1943.
Camp Ruston was built by the local T.L. James Company on 770 acres about seven miles northwest of Ruston, Louisiana in 1942. The land was purchased for $24,200, and construction cost $2.5 million.
Camp Ruston Documentation Project
In the 1990s, increased efforts were undertaken to preserve the history of Camp Ruston. In 1992, the camp’s remaining buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and, in 1994, Louisiana Tech University and the Ruston Developmental Center began the Camp Ruston Documentation Project to collect historical materials concerning Camp Ruston.During 1994-95, several events and activities were held which brought attention to Camp Ruston. These included an archaeological survey of the Camp Ruston site, a symposium, talks to regional historical organizations and to school children, appearances on local television, exhibits, slide presentations, and provision of material for a taped segment on Camp Ruston for the LPB-TV program “Louisiana: The State We’re In.”
Thursday, July 24, 2008
In the coming weeks, look for blogs devoted to showcasing our collections, highlighting research projects, searching for pieces for the Archives and area history, along with some conservation and display notices.
our page (under rennovation): http://www.latech.edu/specialcollections
click on "About Special Collections" in the upper left-hand to bring you to a more fully interactive page.