On This Day In Alabama History: German POW Camp Opened In Opelika

By Graydon Rust Alabama 200

December 12, 1942

Camp Opelika opened as one of four major prisoner-of-war camps in Alabama during World War II. The camp ultimately housed more than 2,700 German POWs during the war and followed parameters for humane treatment of prisoners outlined during the 1929 Geneva Convention. Prisoners often worked at nearby farms and businesses or at the camp itself, earning 80 cents a day. They also enjoyed several leisure activities, including organized soccer games, a camp newspaper, art studios, college courses and a camp orchestra featuring several professional musicians led by a professor from the Musical Conservatory of Hanover. Today, the Museum of East Alabama in Opelika preserves valuable artifacts and records from the camp.

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