Tyrell Park - WWII Prisoner of War Camp

Location of Interest: Tyrrell Park (Beaumont, Texas)

Previous: Prisoner of War Camp - Active 1943 - 1945
Coordinates: 30° 0' 42.85" N, 94° 8' 48.19" W

Tyrrell Park is currently a municipal park in Beaumont, Texas. It includes the Henry Homberg Municipal Golf Course. The entire park consists of about 1500 acres, which was donated to Beaumont in 1923 by prominent businessman and area citizen, W.C. Tyrrell. In addition to the golf course, many area residents enjoy the stables and equestrian trails, hike and bike trails, and the Beaumont Botanical Gardens. But few likely think much of the dilapidated ruin that remains at the center of the property—and who were housed in it from about 1943 to 1945.

Early in its history, the property was under the care of Civilian Conservation Corps Company 845. This evolved during the depression years as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which included government work efforts to keep men working. In this particular case, the men performed a host of activities to augment the property as a park. They dug drainage ditches and laid roads, erected the park entrance way, horse stables and recreation buildings, as well as carved out nature trails and created the golf course. But America's entry into World War II would modify the usage for Tyrrell Park.

An aerial view showing ruins of primary camp building.

Although the early months of 1942 were not entirely successful ones for US forces, the tides of war changed and the America began advancing on it's enemies. One result was in hordes of German and Italian prisoners. Many, if not most, were sent back to Texas. And when camps began to burgeon as US victories mounted, satellite camps were opened wherever Uncle Sam could locate them—and one was at Tyrell Park in Beaumont.

Texas had around 30 or so of these satellite camps, each housing as few as 35 or 40 prisoners of war. Most of the satellite camps dotted the coastal rice-producing areas of Texas—from Orange and Jefferson counties over to Brazoria and Matagorda counties. Part of the reason was that World War II robbed much of the nation's farmers of badly needed labor, and Texas was no exception. Consequently, the War Department authorized a program using POWs from area camps. And since Texas had so many of the camps, they became resources for badly-needed labor. POWs harvested tons of rice.

The government was paid $1.50 per day per prisoner working. That was the predominant minimum wage of the period. And about eighty cents of that went to the prisoner in canteen coupons. The difference went to the US treasury to pay for the POW program. German officers, like their American counterparts, were not required to work—and most didn't.

      

These images show the dilapidated wing and primary entrance to the 

last remaining building of the WWII POW camp at Tyrrell Park. 

It's not uncommon for Texas farmers to recall their POW laborers in a positive light. Equally typical was for many farmers to maintain friendships with them. The experience for POWs in the US was vastly different from their counterparts in Europe or the Pacific. POWs here were treated to the letter of the Geneva Conventions of War, if not better. Indeed, following the conclusion of hostilities, many German POWs immigrated to Texas and the communities where they were interned.