Chatom in Washington County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
German P.O.W. Camps from WW II
Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 17, 2026
1. German P.O.W. Camps from WW II Marker
During World War II, 275.000 German and Italian forces were captured with many being sent to the United States to be housed. Chatom and Jackson Alabama were the two local sites to be selected. Conditions in the camps conformed to the Geneva Convention to provide humane treatment to the POW'S. Daily life in the camps consisted of work and leisure. Some were assigned to work outside the camps at nearby farms and businesses and were paid 80 cents per day and ultimately became friends with the locals.
Some of the prisoners played on their own soccer teams. Others displayed their talents by playing in an orchestra, creating paintings, murals, sculptures, carvings and other artwork. Following Germany's surrender in the spring of 1945, Alabama's POW'S repatriated to their devastated homelands. Decades after the end of WWII a number of soldiers returned to Alabama to reconnect with their past. By 1947 most all of the camps were dismantled. To the immediate West of this marker was Chatom's POW site.
Erected by the Washington County Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this
this page online
Location. 31° 28.44′ N, 88° 14.94′ W. Marker is in Chatom, Alabama, in Washington County. It is on Jordan Street (Alabama Route 17) 0.2 miles Irving Adams Drive, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17527 Jordan St, Chatom AL 36518, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Mobile Bay. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Washington County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); Washington County (approx. 0.7 miles away); Washington County Courthouse (approx. Ύ mile away); Washington County Confederate Memorial
Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 17, 2026
2. Looking west torwards former location of POW Camp.
Additional commentary.
1. Chatom fell under Camp Shelby in Mississippi.
The Chatom POW Camp was a branch camp operating under Camp Shelby in Mississippi. The camp was established to house and utilize POW labor, primarily for agricultural work in the surrounding area.
The camp was dismantled after the war and little physical evidence remains today. The camp was part of a broader network of 21 branch camps, 4 base camps, and 1 hospital in Alabama.
— Submitted February 18, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 17, 2026
3. German P.O.W. Camps from WW II Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 58 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 18, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
