Fort Devens, Massachusetts

Old postcard of Army cantonment at Camp Devens

Fort Devens is a former United States military installation the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens. The nearby Devens Reserve Forces Training Area is located in Lancaster.

History

The area known as Devens today was originally called Camp Devens, established on September 5, 1917 as a temporary cantonment for training soldiers during World War I. It was a reception center for war selectees and became a demobilization center after the war. Two divisions (the 76th and the 12th) were activated and trained at Devens during the war. Robert Goddard briefly used the post for his rocket operations in 1929. The camp became a permanent installation in 1931 and was named Fort Devens the following year.

In 1940, at the onset of World War II, Fort Devens was designated a reception center for all men in New England who would serve one year as draftee. A massive $25 million building project was begun, including more than 1200 wooden buildings and an airfield. The 1st, 32nd, and 45th Divisions trained at Devens during the war. Devens also housed a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian prisoners from 1944 to 1946.

It was the home of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), less 1st Battalion (based in Germany), from 1968 until the Group's move to Fort Carson, Colorado in 1995.

Closure

The U.S. Army post which resided at Fort Devens was officially closed in 1996 after 79 years of service. The process for land distribution for all parcels on the former Fort Devens allowed the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Shriver Job Corps, Massachusetts National Guard, Massachusetts Veterans and MassDevelopment to acquire the land. The bulk of the land was purchased by MassDevelopment for $17 million dollars. MassDevelopment is a semi-private development authority that has been given the task of turning Devens into a residential and business community. Since the closing of the military base, many of the existing buildings have been renovated or reconstructed; housing developments now exist, along with a growing business park, a new hotel, restaurants, a disc golf course, and a golf course. Veterans of the Army Security Agency have also expressed interest in building a museum there as Fort Devens was their principal training facility for nearly twenty-five years.

Today

Although no longer an active military installation, Devens is still used by the Army Reserve Command and Marine Corps Reserve. The base is currently home to the headquarters of the 94th Regional Readiness Command, which is responsible for the command and control of Army Reserve units throughout New England, as well as providing Army Reserve support for Federal Emergency Management Agency operations in the New England region.

The Army recently announced that it would build a new training center in the area. The three buildings will total 280,000 square feet (26,000 m²) and be on about 57 acres (230,000 m²). It will also staff 650 Soldiers and Marines and include space to store nearly 800 military vehicles. It is projected to cost $100 million.

Units

The following military units are based at this location:

• 94th Regional Readiness Command
• 3411st Military Intelligence Detachment
• 3417th Military Intelligence Detachment
• 3437th Military Intelligence Detachment
• 366th Military Police Detachment (CID)
• 1st Battalion, 25th Marines
• 3rd Battalion (Logistical Support Battalion), 313th Regiment, 174th Infantry Brigade, FIRST ARMY EAST
• 2nd Battalion (Training Support Battalion), 310th Regiment, 174th Infantry Brigade, FIRST ARMY EAST
• Detachment 1 J2/JT, United States Central Command, Army Reserve Element (ARE)

External links

• Fort Devens: Official Web Page of Fort Devens
• devenscommunity.com: information about the current status of redevelopment in Devens
• devenscommittee.org: information for Devens residents