Jack Dillard Collection, Camp Greene Records, 1917-1919

Camp Greene, named for Revolutionary War hero General Nathaniel Greene, was one of 32 camps in the United States dedicated to training World War I draftees. Originally encompassing 2,400 acres, it occupied the area between what is now Wilkinson Boulevard and Tuckaseegee Road. Charlotte beat out many larger cities for the training camp, largely due to the lobbying efforts of such city fathers and business leaders as Zebulon Taylor, David Ovens, Cameron Morrison, and Joseph Garibaldi, among others. Charlotte’s mild winters, access to transportation systems, large source of water, and available land encouraged its selection as well.

Work began on Camp Greene late in the summer of 1917, and was completed in less than ninety days. The first troops began arriving in September of 1917, and would continue through the end of the war, reaching a peak of 60,000, which was twice the population of Charlotte at the time. Charlotteans welcomed the soldiers with open arms, providing the men with friendliness and hospitality. Many of the soldiers would remember this thoughtfulness later, and returned to Charlotte following the war’s end to marry local women and settle in the area.

Although many of the men training at Camp Greene were from northern states, they had been sent to Charlotte for the more favorable climates during winter. The winter of 1917-1918 proved to be the worst on record in over fifty years, however, with severe cold, snow, and ice storms. Once the ground melted, mud nearly one foot in depth bogged down men, animals, and machines, and disrupted training greatly. The Influenza outbreak of 1918 the following fall added to the difficulties of camp life, and by October, everyone was quarantined for two weeks to prevent the further spread of illness. Nearly three hundred soldiers had died of influenza by the end of the outbreak.

Following the war’s end on November 11, 1918, Camp Greene closed quickly. A farewell dinner was held on December 19, 1918 by the Headquarter Company of the Fourth Division Recruit Camp. All structures and furnishings were set for removal by March 15, 1919. By April, little of the camp was left, and the area was returned to fields and a few vacant buildings. Many of these were torn down through Charlotte’s expansion to the west during the 1970s.

While Camp Greene only operated from September 1917-early 1919, it left a lasting legacy on the community. The population swelled with returning servicemen who had fond memories of Charlotte and her people and chose to relocate after the war’s end, as well as the laborers who helped build Camp Greene and stayed to continue the city’s expansion. Today there are few references that Camp Greene existed, although Dowd House, a private residence that served as the camp headquarters, and Remount Road, referencing the stables where the cavalry officers saddled their horses, remain.