Shipyard Plaza in Wilmington in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

1st Wilmington WWII POW Camp

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

1. 1st Wilmington WWII POW Camp Marker

Inscription. Camp opened February 1944 on SE corner for 250 German Afrika Korps prisoners of war. Relocated October 1944 to site at 8th & Ann streets.

Erected by City of Wilmington, NC.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1944.

Location. 34° 11.469′ N, 77° 56.033′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is in Shipyard Plaza. It is at the intersection of Carolina Beach Road (U.S. 421) and Shipyard Boulevard (U.S. 117), on the right when traveling north on Carolina Beach Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2607 Carolina Beach Rd, Wilmington NC 28412, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian

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Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. (within shouting distance of this marker); Legion Stadium (approx. 0.8 miles away); Fall of Wilmington (approx. 0.8 miles away); Chadwick-Teague House (approx. 0.9 miles away); Marshall Cottage (approx. 0.9 miles away); Dye-Honeycutt House (approx. one mile away); Watts-Eason House (approx. one mile away); McNeal-Applewhite House (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . .
1. Port City POWs. In February 1944 the first group of 250 German prisoners arrived and was housed in the city’s original camp located at what is today the corner of Shipyard Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road near the Port of Wilmington. The port at the time was the location of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company. (Katie Meine, Aurelia Colvin, Ella Forkin and Audrey Dahl, Wrightsville Beach Magazine, January 27, 2019) (Submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Witnessing a product of war: How Wilmington handled, interacted with World War II POWs.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

2. 1st Wilmington WWII POW Camp Marker

When German Afrika Korps prisoners of war began arriving in February 1944, a confused Wilmington reacted with wonderment. What’s happening, and why? (Wilbur D. Jones Jr., The StarNews, July 18, 2021) (Submitted on December 6, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 487 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.