In 1940, as the war in Europe was escalating, the United States War Department realized that land was needed in order to establish a post for soldiers to acquire artillery skills. On September 30, 1940, Lt. Col. Oliver Marston, an artillery officer stationed in Richmond, made a detailed investigation of a site in Caroline County and highly recommended that the War Department procure this acreage. A War Department memo, dated January 6, 1941, stated that 160 square miles in Caroline County should be acquired as quickly as possible.

The citizens of Caroline County, many of whom had lived there since the 17th and 18th centuries, were not so thrilled about the Federal Government taking their land, even though they would receive reimbursement. The naming of the facility after General Ambrose Powell Hill, the great artillery man and hero of the Army of Northern Virginia, was the only decision about this facility that did not arouse the ire of the Caroline County citizens.

On May 15, 1941, 430 acres were acquired and the first troops from Fort Belvoir arrived. These engineer soldiers prepared a camp for 18,000 troops at a location north of Rt. 17 in the vicinity of Rappahannock Academy. Their headquarters were located in the recently vacated Mica High School. Troops came and went from this initial camp but the monies for the purchase of the additional acreage moved very slowly through Congress. This slowness was not well received by the owners of the land needed for the camp expansion. Their lives were tremendously derailed. It took the events of December 7, 1941, to galvanize the Congress to action and monies became available for the purchase of the remaining required land for a total of approximately 76,000 acres. The first wartime use of the camp was a special school for Junior Officers and Non Commissioned Officers. Before they could start, the camp had to be winterized. Caroline County USO (United Service Organization) provided hot and cold water for showers but the troops lived in tents. Many troops who saw action in both Europe and the Pacific cycled through training at Camp A. P. Hill and its value was enormous.

It took until 1970 for the first permanent installations to be built. On September 30, 1974, Camp A.P. Hill became Fort A.P. Hill and, in 1977, new barracks and administrative offices for the Army Garrison were completed.

A 1948 study was done in order to detail the economic impact the establishment of this camp had on Caroline County. It found that 534 families were displaced; 75% of the land was woodlands; the principal agriculture activity was truck farming; and 10 schools were closed. The net loss to the County was $5,325.67 per year which was offset by the $23,102.00 per year saved by the Commonwealth in road maintenance.

Ann Reamy

"It was terrible. I hope we never see things that bad again.  In '32, I was 11 years old and I carried water for the state as a water boy, for the county road. I got 10 cents an hour, 10 hours a day and then they passed child labor law and the man who took my job got 15 cents an hour. Which I didn't think was right because I could carry just as much water as he could. The only thing was that for his lunch the first day was dried biscuits and dry hashed potatoes and I'm sure there wasn't much shortening in those biscuits.  We always had plenty to eat and I gave him my biscuit and preserve sandwich and he looked like he enjoyed it. He said he sold his cow. His cow was gone, his money was gone, and there were five children at home to feed. I was in school with some of those children and I don't know what they'd have for lunch because they would put their heads down on their desk when they'd take a bite of something. I mean, welfare is bad the way it is now, it's gone too far, but I wouldn't want to see it where old people and children were going hungry. I hope we never see that again. I don't say it can't happen though."

HFFI Oral History

Emmett C. Snead, told to Sue Willis (1999-056-B-091)