Camp Perry - Linda Higgins

Although five miles west of Port Clinton proper, Camp Perry is generally considered part of our community and has a Port Clinton address. Originally intended for National Guard training, the 640-acre property is named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Perry was the American commander known for the 1813 British defeat in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the War of 1812. In 1908, the Ohio legislature made it official.

The need for Camp Perry became apparent during the 1898 Spanish-American War. American gunnery and marksmanship were deficient. A Congressional Act funded state militias that already were providing marksmanship instruction and rifle match practice so that they could now instruct the military in best form. In 1905, General Ammon B. Critchfield, Adjutant General for the State of Ohio, was duck hunting along Lake Erie's marshes when he found this perfect site for firing practice. By September of 1907, the National Rifle Matches were being held at the camp.

By 1909, Camp Perry became permanent, boasting the largest and best-equipped rifle and pistol ranges in the country, possibly the world. Construction continued, adding mess halls and other military buildings, as well as a landing field for the Observation Squadron aircraft. During the Depression, the WPA added the Commercial Center: made up of the Arcade, the Post Theatre, the Post Headquarters Building, and a host of other base components.

During World War I, Camp Perry was a training center for officers and marksmanship instructors. The Erie Ordnance Depot near Camp Perry supported weapons testing and development for the war effort. During World War II, the camp became a reception center for new recruits, then a POW camp for approximately 2,500 Germans and 2,000 Italians. These prisoners were well treated. Many of them worked under guard for local farms and businesses, filling the void left by our local draftees. A large number of POWs remained in the area after the war, becoming United States citizens and respected members of the surrounding communities, including Port Clinton.

On November 25, 1984, the Arcade’s Bataan Armory was officially named in honor of the men of Company D, 192nd Tank Battalion, who had been captured on April 9, 1942. They were held as POWS by the Japanese for 3½ years, suffering brutal treatment. Of the 42 soldiers from Port Clinton who were forced to join the Bataan Death March, ten survived. A State of Ohio plaque on the plaza was placed in tribute to these men.

Most of the buildings and other integral parts of Camp Perry’s history, constructed during the first half of the 20th century, remain. Many having been repurposed for both military and civilian use. Although primarily a military training post, a conference center, motel, cottages, and RV and tent camping are part of present-day Camp Perry, as are a post exchange and other restricted-usage complements. It has been the site of the “World Series of the Shooting Sports” since 1907 and, to this day, civilian and military marksmen (and women) meet for five weeks each summer for rifle and handgun competitions in various formats. Camp Perry always has been, and continues to be, a vital intersection of Port Clinton’s many facets.