Cheltenham Township near Elkins Park in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Camp William Penn
1863-1865
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, 1990
1. Camp William Penn Mermorial, Erected July 4, 1943
Historic LaMott
Training camp for colored troops enlisted into the United States Army
Erected 1943 by Allied Veterans Association of Pennsylvania.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1864.
Location. 40° 4.022′ N, 75° 8.505′ W. Memorial is near Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, in Montgomery County. It is in Cheltenham Township. It is at the intersection of Sycamore Avenue and Willow Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Sycamore Avenue. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1622 Willow Ave, Elkins Park PA 19027, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Camp William Penn (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Village of La Mott (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lucretia C. Mott (approx. 0.4 miles away); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. half a mile away); Address by President Lincoln (approx. 0.8 miles away); In The Battle of Germantown (approx. 0.8 miles away); A National Cemetery System (approx. 0.8 miles away); Mexican-American War Monument (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elkins Park.
More about this memorial. Historic La Mott
this page online
Regarding Camp William Penn. Eleven U.S.C.T. regiments (the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 32nd, 41st, 43rd, 45th, and 127th Colored Infantries), made up mostly of recruits from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey were trained at Camp William Penn. One of eight camps north of the Mason-Dixon Line to train Black soldiers, William Penn was the only one set up exclusively for that purpose.
Trainees decorated for valor include Medal of Honor recipients SgtMaj. Thomas Hawkins and 1stSgt. Alexander Kelley of the 6th U.S.C.I. for their conspicuous heroism at the Battle of New Market Heights (Chaffins Farm) in Virginia, 29 September 1864.
Also see . . . Activities at Camp William Penn. PAHistoric LaMott website entry:
The navigation menu on the left of this page offers additional background information about the "The Years of Camp William Penn." (Submitted on December 23, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Additional keywords. U.S. Colored Troops; USCT
Photographed by Don Morfe
2. Sycamore Ave & Willow Ave
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2007, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,811 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on December 24, 2007, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on December 23, 2007, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 2. submitted on July 2, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
