Fort Gillem Timeline 1917-2011
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DISTRIBUTED BY US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District 2012 PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS SPONSOR US Army CONTRACTING AGENCY US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District TECHNICAL GUIDANCE Susan Bupp, Parsons Corporation AUTHOR Jennifer Corcoran, Brockington and Associates, Inc. DESIGN AND EDITING John Cason and Meg Moughan, Brockington and Associates, Inc. TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................. 3 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... 7 IntroductioN ................................................................................................... 11 Historical Overview ......................................................................................... 11 Purpose ........................................................................................................... 12 Previous Studies .............................................................................................. 13 A Note on Installation Names and Building Numbers ...................................... 14 Fort Gillem Timeline 1917-2011 ...................................................................... 16 Army Depot/Fort Gillem Commanders ............................................................. 18 PRESENT-DAY Atlanta AND Fort GILLEM ........................................................ 21 Location and Demographics ............................................................................ 23 ARMY Depot at THE CANDLER WAREHOUSE 1917-1941 ................................... 29 WORLD WAR II MOBILIZation AND Depot Construction .............................. 33 Depot Site Selected ......................................................................................... 33 The CCC at the Depot ....................................................................................... 34 Design and Environment ................................................................................. 35 Land Acquisition .......................................................................................... 35 World War II Army Construction Practices and Standardized Designs ............. 36 Atlanta General Depot Construction ............................................................. 38 Depot Infrastructure and Utilities ................................................................. 53 Motor Base Construction .............................................................................. 57 THE Depot AND motor BASE DURING WORLD WAR II ...................................... 63 The US Army Reorganization and the Technical Services .................................. 63 Army Organization Effects Changes to Atlanta Installation ........................... 63 Distribution Areas ........................................................................................ 64 Missions of the Technical Services ................................................................. 65 Impact on Atlanta............................................................................................ 69 Life on Post During World War II ...................................................................... 70 Publications................................................................................................. 70 Events ......................................................................................................... 71 Fires ............................................................................................................ 71 Unusual Missions of the Depot During World War II ......................................... 72 Shoe Shop ................................................................................................... 73 Coffee Roasting Plant .................................................................................. 74 The Depot Historian ..................................................................................... 77 3 Atlanta Motor BASE ........................................................................................ 83 Prisoners of War at the Motor Base .............................................................. 85 Automotive School ....................................................................................... 86 AFTER WORLD WAR II .......................................................................................... 99 Supply Surplus ...............................................................................................100 Morris Army Airfield .......................................................................................101 Explosive Ordnance Disposal ..........................................................................105 Atlanta ARMY Depot Becomes Fort GILLEM ................................................109 The New Mission of Fort Gillem ......................................................................110 Renaming Ceremony ......................................................................................111 Fort GILLEM IN THE 1970s and 1980s ..............................................................115 VA Cemetery ...................................................................................................117 Bicentennial Events .......................................................................................118 Fort Gillem and the Environment ...................................................................119 NEPA and the Development of Environmental Regulations ..........................119 Environmental Improvement Efforts and Issues ..........................................120 Installation Improvements and Beautification ...............................................122 Holland Park Housing .................................................................................123 Scouts at Fort GILLEM ....................................................................................129 ARMY Commands at Fort GILLEM ..................................................................133 Second US Army .............................................................................................133 First US Army Arrives at Fort Gillem ................................................................134 Fort GILLEM IN THE 1990s AND BEYOND ..........................................................137 War in the Persian Gulf ...................................................................................137 Fort Gillem Activities ......................................................................................138 Tenant Organizations and Construction ..........................................................140 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) ...........................................................144 The Future of Fort Gillem ................................................................................147 4 Cultural RESOURCES OF Fort GILLEM ...........................................................153 Landmarks and Historical Markers ..................................................................155 Flankers Road .............................................................................................155 Hardee Hall ................................................................................................155 Holland Hall ...............................................................................................155 Hood Avenue ..............................................................................................156 Iverson Gate ...............................................................................................156 McIntosh Gate ............................................................................................156 Morris Army Airfield ...................................................................................157 Wheeler Drive .............................................................................................157 SOURCES .............................................................................................................159 Archival Records .............................................................................................159 Print Sources ..................................................................................................161 Electronic Sources ...........................................................................................162 Interviews and Correspondence .....................................................................165 5 6 Figure 1.0 Fort Gillem location map............................................................................................................................10 Figure 1.1 Installation name changes and dates. .......................................................................................................15 Figure 2.0 Downtown Atlanta, 2012. .........................................................................................................................20 Figure 2.1 Fort Gillem entrance, 2012. .......................................................................................................................21 Figure 2.2 1864 map of Atlanta General Depot ..........................................................................................................22 Figure 2.3 Modern map of the installation. ...............................................................................................................24 Figure 3.0 Loading supplies at