DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about this place, right here on the shores of Matagorda County. Now picture the Texas Gulf Coast in 1925 — Turtle Bay, Tres Palacios Bay, the flat open land between them catching every breeze off the water. The folks around Palacios looked at that land and decided it was exactly what the Texas National Guard needed.
So they donated it. Gave it up. And on that donated ground, Camp Palacios was established as the summer training camp for the 36th Infantry of the Texas National Guard.
Things moved quickly after that. By July of 1926 — one year into the life of this new camp — over six thousand guardsmen arrived for the very first training session. Six thousand men descending on this stretch of Gulf Coast all at once.
That is not a small thing. Then came the rename. In 1930, the camp was renamed for Major John A.
Hulen — born 1871, died 1957 — and from that point forward it was Camp Hulen. And the new name came with new ambition, because what grew here on these bays became, according to the record, the largest concentration of troops for field training in the entire United States military. Let that settle for a moment.
Right here. On the Texas Gulf Coast. By 1940, the War Department came knocking and leased Camp Hulen.
The first units to undergo anti-aircraft training here were National Guard units drawn from several states — not just Texas, but from across the country. Camp Hulen had gone national in more ways than one. And that wave of personnel had consequences.
By 1941, the city of Palacios was running short on housing — plain ran out of room — and the government had to build housing near the camp just to keep up. After all the development was done, the camp could accommodate twelve thousand military personnel. Twelve thousand.
Basic training rolled on until early 1944, when U.S. soldiers were removed. But here's the chapter that tends to catch people off guard: from 1943 to 1945, German prisoners of war were housed at Camp Hulen, guarded by a small contingent of U.S. personnel. Two years, on these same bays where Texas guardsmen once ran their drills.
In 1946, the War Department returned Camp Hulen to the National Guard. But the Guard looked at what had been built for twelve thousand troops and concluded it had become too small for their purposes. Too small.
Buildings were slowly dismantled and sold off. The great camp that once trained more soldiers at once than any field in America was quietly taken apart, piece by piece. In 1965, the property was sold jointly to a group of Palacios citizens and a development company.
From a gift of land, to six thousand men in July, to the largest troop concentration in the country, to German prisoners on the Gulf Coast, to buildings sold and scattered to the wind — that's the arc of Camp Hulen. And it all happened right here.
What the marker says
Camp Palacios was established on this site in 1925 as the summer training camp for the 36th Infantry of the Texas National Guard. Located on the Turtle and Tres Palacios Bays, the land was donated by Palacios area citizens. Over 6,000 guardsmen arrived in July of 1926 for the first training session. Renamed for Major John A. Hulen (1871-1957) in 1930, the new camp supported the largest concentration of troops for field training in the United States military. In 1940 the War Department leased Camp Hulen; first to undergo anti-aircraft training were National Guard units from several states. By 1941 the city of Palacios suffered a housing shortage that was alleviated by government housing near Camp Hulen. After extensive development the camp had facilities for 12,000 military personnel. Basic training continued until early 1944 when U.S. soldiers were removed. German prisoners of war, guarded by a small contingent of U.S. personnel, were housed here from 1943 to 1945. In 1946, the War Department returned Camp Hulen to the National Guard, for whom it had become too small, buildings were slowly dismantled and sold. In 1965 the property was sold jointly to a group of Palacios citizens and a development company. (1997)