Fort Holabird facts for kids

Fort Holabird was a United States Army base located in Baltimore, Maryland. It was active for many years, from 1918 to 1973. This important site played a big role in training soldiers and developing military vehicles for the U.S. Army.

History of Fort Holabird

Fort Holabird was located in the southeastern part of Baltimore. It was near the area of Dundalk, Maryland. During World War II, from 1941 to 1945, the base grew a lot. It covered about 350 acres and had 286 buildings.

After World War II, some activities at Fort Holabird slowed down. Parts of the land were given back by the Army. The biggest land transfers happened later, between 1977 and 1979. At that time, 223 acres were given to the city of Baltimore. The city then turned this land into the Fort Holabird Industrial Park. This is an area with many businesses and factories.

Key Moments in Fort Holabird's History

• 1918: The base started as Camp Holabird. It was built on 96 acres of marshland. This was the U.S. Army's first center for training soldiers to drive and repair vehicles. It was also a depot, which is a place to store supplies. The camp was named after Samuel B. Holabird, an Army Quartermaster General. A Quartermaster General is in charge of supplies and logistics for the army.
• 1918: During World War I, Camp Holabird sent vehicles made in Detroit to American soldiers in France. Thousands of soldiers learned how to drive and fix cars and trucks here.
• 1918 or after: The base became home to the Holabird Quartermaster Depot. This was a major storage and supply center.
• 2 July 1919: A U.S. Navy airship called C-8 exploded while landing at Camp Holabird. About 80 adults and children who were watching were hurt. The blast was so strong that it broke windows in homes a mile away.
• 1920: By 1920, a special center was set up at Holabird. Here, military vehicles were researched and developed. The famous Jeep was tested and improved at this very place.
• 1940: The base was listed as Holabird Quartermaster Depot in the 1940 U.S. Census.
• 1942: The base was renamed Holabird Ordnance Depot. "Ordnance" refers to military weapons and equipment.
• 1943: It was renamed again, this time as Holabird Signal Depot. A "Signal Depot" deals with military communications equipment.
• 1947: The base was renamed back to Camp Holabird.
• 1950: The base became known as Fort Holabird. The U.S. Army Intelligence School was located here. This school trained soldiers in intelligence, which means gathering and understanding information. The Counter Intelligence Records Facility was also here. This facility kept records related to stopping enemy spies. Both of these moved to Fort Huachuca, Arizona in 1972. Fort Holabird was also used as an Armed Forces Examining & Entrance Station. This was a place where people went to join the military.
• Early 1970s: Fort Holabird was close to Washington, D.C.. Because of this, it was used to protect witnesses in important federal cases. For example, witnesses from the Watergate scandal were held here. The Watergate scandal was a major political event in the 1970s.
• 1973: Fort Holabird officially closed. The area was later turned into an industrial park.
• 2001: A fire destroyed some of the remaining buildings from the former spy school.

Notable People Who Were at Fort Holabird

Many interesting people were trained or stationed at Fort Holabird. Here are a few examples:

• Zine El Abidine Ben Ali: He later became the President of Tunisia.
• Stephen Breyer: He became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
• Mike Gravel: He served as a U.S. senator from Alaska.
• Clint Hill: He was a Secret Service agent, known for his actions during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
• George J. Mitchell: He served as a U.S. senator from Maine.
• J. D. Salinger: He was a famous author, known for his book The Catcher in the Rye.
• Humbert Roque Versace: He was a U.S. Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.

Gallery

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  Camp Holabird, Baltimore, Maryland, sometime between 1918 and 1923.

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  Holabird Ordnance Depot, Baltimore, Maryland, circa May 1943.

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  A sphinx statue guarded the entrance of the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) Headquarters at Fort Holabird in the 1950s.