Camp Peary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids AFETA CAMP PEARY
York County and James City County, Virginia
AFETA CAMP PEARY Show map of Virginia AFETA CAMP PEARY Show map of the United States
Coordinates	37°20′N 76°40′W / 37.33°N 76.67°W / 37.33; -76.67
Site information
Owner	U.S. Department of Defense
Open to the public	No
Condition	Fully operational
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1942–1946 1951–present
Garrison information
Occupants	Central Intelligence Agency Defense Intelligence Agency United States Navy
Airfield information
Identifiers	FAA LID: W94
Elevation	41 feet (12 m) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 05/23 5,018 feet (1,529 m) Asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Camp Peary is a large U.S. military base in York County, near Williamsburg, Virginia. It covers about 9,000 acres of land. This base is officially called an Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity (AFETA). It is managed by the Department of Defense.

Camp Peary is home to a secret CIA training center. This facility is known as "The Farm". It trains officers from the CIA's operations division. It also trains people from the DIA and other intelligence groups. The base is also used for meetings and workshops for these groups. Camp Peary has a sister facility called "The Point" in Hertford, North Carolina.

The camp is named after Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary, a famous Arctic explorer. An old hunting lodge called Porto Bello is also on the grounds. This lodge belonged to Lord Dunmore, Virginia's last royal governor. It is listed as a historic place.

Where is Camp Peary?

Camp Peary covers about 9,275 acres of land. Much of this land is undeveloped or only partly developed. A 100-acre pond called Biglers Millpond is next to the York River.

Most of Camp Peary is in York County. However, a small part of it is in James City County. This small part is near Skimino Creek, on the western side of the base.

Camp Peary During World War II

"Miss Never Sail": a wooden mock-up of a destroyer escort at Camp Peary used for training in 1945

During World War II, starting in 1942, the United States Navy took over this large area. It became known as Camp Peary. It was first used to train Seabees. Seabees are the Navy's construction battalions. They build things for the military.

To create the base, all residents of two towns, Magruder and Bigler's Mill, had to move. Magruder was a community mainly for African-Americans who were freed after the American Civil War. Many residents and their church moved to the Grove community nearby.

Training the Seabees

USMC directed fixed bayonet drill at Camp Peary NTC, VA in 1943.

At the start of World War II, Seabees received basic training at different places. Then, Camp Peary became the main training center. Seabee recruits were often men who had built big projects like Boulder Dam or city skyscrapers. At Camp Peary, they learned military rules, how to use weapons, and construction skills.

The camp opened in November 1942. Over 100,000 men trained there before June 1944. The Seabees also set up over 60 trade schools on the base. In 1943, a dynamite and demolition school opened.

The base commander, Captain J.G. Ware, had an idea to raise hogs on the base. The recruits started calling the place "Captain Ware's hog farm." This farming project became well-known. This is how the base got its nickname, "The Farm," which is still used today.

German Prisoners of War

After Seabee training moved, Camp Peary's purpose changed. A part of the land became a place to hold German prisoners of war in the United States (POWs). Many of these were German sailors from captured U-boats.

It was important to keep their capture a secret from German authorities. If Germany knew these men were alive, they might realize their secret codes had been broken. This would have caused them to change their codes. So, extra secrecy was needed. After the war, many of these former POWs stayed in Virginia and became U.S. citizens.

After World War II

The Navy left Camp Peary in 1946. For five years, it was a state forest and game reserve. A reservoir built for the base was given to the City of Williamsburg. This reservoir became part of Waller Mill Park.

In 1951, the U.S. Navy returned to the property. They closed the northern part of the base to the public. It has been closed ever since. In 1961, the Navy announced a new facility at Harvey Point in North Carolina. Some training from Camp Peary was moved there.

What is "The Farm"?

Camp Peary is widely known as "The Farm." It is a training facility run by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Its main purpose is to train the CIA's secret officers. It also trains officers from other groups that do secret work, like the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The U.S. government has never officially said that "The Farm" exists. Access to Camp Peary is very strict. Visitors are always escorted. An airport with a 5,000-foot runway was added to the facility. This runway has been used by planes believed to be connected to the CIA.

A former CIA officer named Bill Wagner said he took an interrogation course at "The Farm" in 1970. He called it the agency's "top course." He said that volunteers would pretend to be subjects for interrogation practice. This course was later stopped due to increased public attention on CIA activities.