Fort Holabird was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

post in the city of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, active from 1918 to 1973.

History

Fort Holabird was located in the southeast corner of Baltimore and northwest of the suburban developments of

Dundalk, Maryland Dundalk ( or ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Mar ...

, in surrounding

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

, fronting on Holabird Avenue between Broening Highway and Dundalk Avenue. From 1941 until the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the military installation grew to include approximately 350 acres and 286 buildings. After the Second World War, activities at Fort Holabird were curtailed and portions of the property were transferred from the Army. The largest land transfers occurred in the timeframe over three decades later following the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, between 1977 and 1979, when 223 acres were transferred to the city of Baltimore. The city later developed the land in succeeding years into the Fort Holabird Industrial Park.

Timeline

*1918: Established as Camp Holabird on 96 acres of marsh near Colgate Creek. Established as the U.S. Army's first motor transport training center and depot in southeastern

. It was named for Army Quartermaster General and West Point graduate

Samuel B. Holabird Samuel Beckley Holabird (June 16, 1826 - February 3, 1907) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, Holabird attained the rank of brigadier general and is most notable for his service as the ...

(1826-1907). *1918: During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Holabird supplied the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

in France with

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

-made vehicles. Thousands of military personnel were trained there to drive and repair automobiles and trucks. *1918 or after: Became home to the Holabird Quartermaster Depot. *2 July 1919:

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

blimp C-8 explodes while landing at Camp Holabird, injuring about 80 adults and children who were watching. Windows in homes a mile away are broken by the blast. *1920: by 1920 a center for the research and development of military vehicles was established at Holabird. Here the now-famous

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

was tested and refined. *1940: Listed as Holabird Quartermaster Depot on the 1940 U.S. Census. *1942: Renamed as Holabird Ordnance Depot. *1943: Renamed as Holabird Signal Depot. *1947: Renamed as Camp Holabird. *1950: Renamed as Fort Holabird. The U.S. Army Intelligence School and Counter Intelligence Records Facility based here until transferred to

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, appr ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in 1972. It was also used as an Armed Forces Examining & Entrance Station (induction facility). *Early 1970s: Due to its proximity to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, Ft. Holabird was used to guard witnesses in major federal cases, such as the

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

hearings.

E. Howard Hunt Everette Howard Hunt Jr. (October 9, 1918 – January 23, 2007) was an American intelligence officer and author. From 1949 to 1970, Hunt served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), particularly in the United States involvem ...

Charles Colson Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as Pr ...

and

John Dean John Wesley Dean III (born October 14, 1938) is an American former attorney who served as White House Counsel for U.S. President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. Dean is known for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal ...

were among the Watergate witnesses held there.Charles Colson. ''Born Again'', Chosen Books.5-alarm fire that destroyed buildings at Fort Holabird is 'termed very suspicious'
"The Baltimore Sun", October 6, 2001 *1973: Closed, area has been redeveloped into an industrial park. *2001: Fire destroys remnants of former spy school.

Notable people trained or stationed at Ft. Holabird

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

, former

President of Tunisia The president of Tunisia, officially the president of the Tunisian Republic ( ar, رئيس الجمهورية التونسية), is the head of state of Tunisia. Tunisia is a presidential republic, whereby the president is the head of state an ...

Donald L. Barlett Donald L. Barlett (born July 17, 1936) is an American investigative journalist and author who often collaborates with James B. Steele. According to '' The Washington Journalism Review'', they were a better investigative reporting team than even ...

, author and investigative journalist *

Stephen Barnett Stephen Roger Barnett (December 25, 1935 – October 13, 2009) was an American law professor and legal scholar who campaigned against the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 and the effects its antitrust exemptions had on newspaper consolidation. ...

, law profession and legal scholar *

Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is a retired American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and repl ...

, associate justice of the Supreme Court of United States *

C. D. B. Bryan Courtlandt Dixon Barnes Bryan (April 22, 1936 – December 15, 2009), better known as C. D. B. Bryan, was an American author and journalist. Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich ...

, author and journalist *

Boniface Campbell Boniface Campbell (September 27, 1895 – March 25, 1988) was a United States Army Major General. He was commander of V Corps in 1951. In 1953 he was commandant of Fort Holabird, in the Army Counterintelligence Corps. In April 1957, he was award ...

, U.S. Army major general *

Roger Christie Roger Christie (born June 15, 1949) is an American ordained minister in the Religion of Jesus Church, which regards marijuana as a "sacramental herb." In 2000, he founded the THC Ministry, which offered cannabis as a part of its services. On July ...

, ordained minister in the Religion of Jesus Church *

Garrison B. Coverdale Garrison Barkley Coverdale (July 12, 1905, Phoenix, Arizona – June 8, 1988, Columbus, Georgia) was a United States Army Officer. General Coverdale is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. Coverdale earned a B.S. degree from the ...

, U.S. Army major general *

Thomas J. Dodd Jr. Thomas Joseph Dodd Jr. (born 1935) is an American diplomat and academic who served as the United States Ambassador to Uruguay (1993–1997) and United States Ambassador to Costa Rica, to Costa Rica (1997–2001). Early life and education He gaine ...

, U.S. Ambassador to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Oliver W. Dillard Oliver Williams Dillard Sr. (September 28, 1926 - June 16, 2015) was a United States Army major general, the fifth black officer in the U.S. Army to attain flag rank. He was a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and Officer Candida ...

, U.S. Army major general *

Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel ( ; May 13, 1930 – June 26, 2021) was an American politician and writer who served as a United States Senator from Alaska from 1969 to 1981 as a member of the Democratic Party, and who later in life twice ran for ...

, U.S. senator from Alaska, 1969-81 *

W. E. B. Griffin William Edmund Butterworth III (November 10, 1929 – February 12, 2019), better known by his pen name W. E. B. Griffin, was an American writer of military and detective fiction with 59 novels in seven series published under that name. Twenty-one ...

, novelist *

Chic Hecht Mayer Jacob Hecht (November 30, 1928 – May 15, 2006) was an American Republican politician and diplomat who served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1983 to 1989, and as U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas from 1989 to 1993. Early life ...

, U.S. senator from Nevada 1983-89 * Dennis F. Hightower, former Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce * Clint Hill, Secret Service agent * Patrick M. Hughes, former director of the

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the I ...

* Thomas Charles Huston, author of the Huston Plan *

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, financier and attorney, owner of the

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from 1989 to 1993 *

Morton Kondracke Morton Matt Kondracke (; born April 28, 1939) is an American political commentator and journalist. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist on ''The McLaughlin Group''. Kondracke worked for several major publications, serving for twen ...

, political commentator and journalist * Ann M. McDonough, first woman member of the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps *

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, U.S. senator from Maine, 1980-95 *

Ben Moses Ben Moses (born 1948) is an American documentarian, television producer, director, writer, and filmmaker best known for ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' and the documentary ''A Whisper to a Roar''. Moses has been the executive in charge of television ...

, filmmaker and documentarian * Robert H. Pepper, U.S. Marines Corps lieutenant general *

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, journalist and author *

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in '' ...

, author''J D Salinger: A Life'', by Kenneth Slewenski, 2011 * Douglas L. Turner, former Washington Bureau Chief of ''

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'' *

Humbert Roque Versace Captain (United States), Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace (July 2, 1937 – September 26, 1965) was a United States Army officer of Puerto Rican American, Puerto Rican-Italian people, Italian descent who was posthumously awarded the United S ...

, U.S. Army officer who received the

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George J. Walker George Jerry Walker (16 January 1934 – 11 April 2005) served as an officer in the U.S. Army, including a stint in 1985 as Deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). Early life and militar ...

, U.S. Army brigadier general and former Deputy Commanding General of

INSCOM The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is a direct reporting unit that conducts Military intelligence, intelligence, security, and Information Operations (United States), information operations for United States Army c ...

Gallery

File:Camp Holabird.tif, Camp Holabird, Baltimore, Maryland, sometime between 1918 and 1923. File:Holabird ordnance depot 8d28982v.jpg, Holabird Ordnance Depot, Baltimore, Maryland, circa May 1943. File:Ft Holabird Sphinx.png, A sphinx guarded the entrance of HQ CIC at Fort Holabird in the 1950s.

References

External links

Camp Holabird, from "On the Trail of Jeep History""The Army Intelligence Center is Established 1 September 1954"" Congressional hearing on the relocation of The U.S. Army Intelligence School from Fort Holabird to Fort Huachuca, May 10, 1972
{{Coord, 39.2689, -76.5357, display=title, region:US-MD_type:landmark Military intelligence Closed installations of the United States Army Holobird History of Baltimore 1973 disestablishments in Maryland

History

Timeline

Notable people trained or stationed at Ft. Holabird

Gallery

See also

References

External links