Camp Zachary Taylor

Camp Zachary Taylor (1917-1921) - A World War I National Army Camp first established in 1917 near Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. Named Camp Zachary Taylor in G.O. 95, 18 Jul 1917, after President Zachary Taylor. Abandoned in 1921. Also known as Camp Taylor. Division commander, 84th Division, Maj. General Hale, with division staff and attached French officers, Camp Zachary Taylor 21 Nov 1917 World War I One of sixteen National Army Training Camps established in 1917 to train World War I draftees. Established 22 Jun 1917 under the supervision of construction quartermaster Major Frank E. Lamphere on a site of about 2,700 acres. The camp was have a capacity of 67,000 officers and enlisted men. The Camp was complete by mid August 1917 at an eventual cost of $8,900,000. In the end, the camp included some 2,000 buildings and housed at the peak 64,000 troops. In June 1918 the camp was designated a field artillery replacement depot and became the largest U.S. artillery training camp at the time. The first commander of the Camp was Brigadier General Wilber E. Wilder (Cullum 2672), who formed the 84th U.S. Infantry Division and began the training of the troops. The 84th was organized 25 Aug 1917 and moved overseas in September 1918. The division was designated a depot division and furnished replacements to other units. The division returned to the U.S. in January 1919 and was demobilized in January and February 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor. At the end of the war the camp became a demobilization center until it was abandoned and auctioned off in April 1921. Current Status Now the Camp Taylor area of Louisville, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. The camp headquarters is now Taylor Memorial Park. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2745036 Location: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. Maps & Images Lat: 38.195556 Long: -85.715556 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 531' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 323 Rinaldi, Richard A., The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle, page 94 Links: Camp Zachary Taylor (Register of Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 16, No. 47, pp9‑24) North American Forts - Camp Zachary Taylor Wikipedia - Camp Zachary Taylor Roots Web - Camp Zachary Taylor Camp Zachary Taylor Historical Society Visited: No