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POW Camp Heritage Trail Sign | |
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POW Camp Heritage Trail Sign | |
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By Sarah Ramaker Staff Writer Heritage Trail Unveils Sign at Old POW Camp More than two years after the Heritage Trail officially opened to the public, a formal unveiling ceremony took place at the Lake Allegan prisoner-of-war camp in Allegan. Roughly 85 people gathered to get a glimpse of the newest sign and hear a bit of the site's history, including tales from a former POW who was housed there. The ceremony began with comments from Kevin Ricco, director of Allegan County Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Ricco said the concept for the Heritage Trail began at a meeting in Saugatuck in 1998 with the idea of preserving the area's rich history. An advisory board was formed in the spring of 1999. The installation of the newest sign on the trail at the POW camp is part of the third phase in the progression of the Heritage Trail. This phase consisted of creating and installing interpretive signs at 14 of the 28 sites along the trail. A fourteenth sign will be installed in Otsego after renovations are completed on the Department of Public Works building. Ricco said phase one saw the creation of a map and guidebook describing the sites and was completed May 2003. Phase two was completed in the fall of 2004 with the addition of a two-disc audio CD. "Today's event marks the completion of phase three," Ricco said. "We thought this was a very appropriate place for the unveiling." Even more appropriate was the choice of guest speakers for the event. After a brief opening, Ricco introduced Gerd Lindenmann, who was a prisoner of war at the camp during World War II. Lindenmann, a German officer, explained that he was taken prisoner in Africa outide Tunisia. He described his journey to the United States in detail, summarizing it by saying, "That was a hell of a trip." "When we came here (America), it was a relief in some ways to be out of the bombings and such," Lindenman said. By 1943, Lindenman ended at Fort Custer in Augusta after a series of stays at other locations thoughout the U.S. As a former general in the German Army, he recieved special accommodations.
In the spring of 1944, Lindenmann voluntarily gave up his officer privileges to join a work project after farmers in the Allegan area requested help with harvesting. Through no longer an officer, Lindenmann was put in charge of the 250 Prisoners housed at the new camp. "It looked a lot like this when we got here," Lindenmann said, motioning to the vacant land around the signs location. "There was no barbed wire, no fence, no nothing. We had to fence ourselves in. So that's what we did." Lindenmann said the entire group had been captured in Africa and that they were the best workers. Together they organized building projects and set up a staff and kitchen crew in addition to working on various farms and projects in the area, including work at the Heinz 57 pickling plant in Holland and a cherry cannery in Fennville. "We earned 5 cents an hour," he said, which was used to buy necessities like toothpaste and underwear. "There were a lot of things we weren't used to, but the guys did a wonderful job," Lindenmann said. "We became acquainted to farms and the farmers treated us right." In the fall of 1944, Lindenmann was transferred back to Fort Custer. When he arrived he asked what he had done wrong. He was told, "Nothing. Somebody complained that you got too close to the natives." At the end of the war, Lindenmann returned to Germany, but returned to Allegan County to retire with his wife. Bob Crane of Crane Orchards also spoke at the unveiling. He drove prisoners to and from the camp to his family's orchards while the camp was in operation. During the ceremony, Crane explained that he met Ann, Lindenmann's wife, at a different event. She told him that Lindenmann had been treated so well during his stay in Allegan that he wanted to come back to the area and live after retirement. "I think that says a lot about the people of Allegan County," Crane said. Crane also described his experiences as a young man working with the POW's. He said the prisoners "seemed happy. We couldn't converse with them, but they whistled." he said. He explained that area residents were concerned about prisoners working in the area and driving the farm equipment unsupervised. His father responded by saying, "Gee, do you think they're gonna escape with my little old Ford tractor and a load of peaches?" Crane summarized the experience by saying, "These guys, if they didn't have POW painted on their backs, looked like your neighbors. They were good workers." Allegan Historian, John Pahl, also spoke at the ceremony about what happened to the camp after the war. Pahl said the camp officially closed in 1945 and was turned over to the state in 1946. The land and buildings went to be used a a rehabilitation camp for trustees and non-violent inmates at the county jail and by the various groups and clubs, the conservation club, the girl and boy scouts and eventually Allegan Public Schools as a sixth-grade camp. Pahl said, "Unfortunately, the state didn't have enough people to properly police the camp." According to Pahl, vandalism and theft were frequent occurrences. Thieves went to far as to steal wiring and plumbing and lighting fixtures. "The buildings fell into a sad state of disrepair," he said, "There simply weren't enough custodians to stop the stripping of the area." Ricco closed the ceremony by thanking the cities, organizations and the individuals who made the purchase possible and members of the Heritage Trail advisory committee for their eight years of hard work and dedication before officially unveiling the new sign. The Heritage Trail is a project of the Allegan County Tourist Council's Heritage Preservation Advisory Board, which involves representatives from city, village, township, and county governments, and historical societies from all parts of Allegan County. For more information about the Heritage Trail or to purchase the guidebook and audio CD, call the Allegan County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Office at 1-888-4ALLEGAN or visit The Allegan County Tourist Council. |
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Last Updated on 2/26/2020
By Lynn Matt
