Side A: Railroad Importance to Camp Perry. The railroad has been vital to Camp Perry since it was established in 1906. Rail accessibility was a deciding factor in the site’s selection when choosing locations for the Ohio National Guard rifle range. The area needed to be accessible from all parts of the state. Because many roads in the area were impassible, materials for camp construction initially had to be hauled in by boat. In 1907, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway extended a rail spur from LaCarne to the south end of Camp Perry. The spur eased delivery of materials and laborers for construction of the camp. (Continued on other side)
Side B: (Continued from other side) A baggage station was built in 1907 to service the several daily trains. Participants and spectators of the National Rifle matches traveled by rail to Camp Perry. Later, the railroad was important when Camp Perry served as an Army induction center during WWII. One thousand soldiers were processed every three days until the prisoner of war camp was established in 1943. Trains brought Italian and German POWs to Camp Perry from ports in New York. As of 2018, the Camp Perry spur was still occasionally used for train car storage.
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