Hobe Sound FL Jonathan Dickinson SP Camp Murphy marker01

The

United States Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...

established Camp Murphy, a top-secret radar training school in 1942. Camp Murphy was located between Stuart and

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

in what is now

Jonathan Dickinson State Park Jonathan Dickinson State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located in Martin County, Florida, between Hobe Sound and Tequesta. The park includes the Elsa Kimbell Environmental Education and Research Center and a variety of natural ...

in Martin County in southeastern Florida.

History

In 1942 the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

opened Camp Murphy. It was the home of the Southern Signal Corps School during

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 ...

and served as a US Army base for instruction in

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

operation in the early course of the war. The post was named in honor of Col. William Herbert Murphy, a pioneer in the development of radio beams and equipment for

military aircraft A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...

. Camp Murphy consisted of and accommodated 854 officers and 5,752 enlisted men. The camp had close to 1,000 buildings that included a bank, movie theater, church and bowling alley. Camp Murphy was officially decommissioned in 1944 and used for migrant housing during the fall and winter of 1945. Buildings not already dismantled after the camp's deactivation were sold and carted away beginning in 1948. On 9 June 1947, the property was transferred from the US Govt. to the State of Florida for a State Park. In 1950 Jonathan Dickinson State Park opened to the public. Campy Murphy Vault

The camp included over 1,000 buildings and housed more than 6,000 officers and soldiers. The camp was deactivated in 1944 after less than two years of operation. All but three of the camp buildings have been torn down or removed but some of the building foundations remain. One foundation structure still to be seen is the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

to the

Atlantic National Bank The Atlantic National Bank was an American bank based in Jacksonville, Florida. It existed from 1903 until 1985, when it was acquired by First Union. Subsequently, First Union changed its name to Wachovia Corporation when it also acquired Wachov ...

that was in the Provost building. This is an intact two-room walk-in vault although the vault doors have been removed. One of the vault doors apparently had to be forced open from inside—there is a man-sized hole in the roof immediately above the doorway with the concrete rebar bent inward. In addition, on the western side of the railroad tracks, the remains of the water treatment facility are still visible, although very run down. Throughout the

Treasure Coast The Treasure Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is located on Florida's East Coast, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and comprising Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure ...

and Palm Beach, there are still former Camp Murphy buildings in use which were obtained as surplus shortly after the war. Also, the former

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

club buildings are still standing in nearby communities of

Hobe Sound Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States, located along Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 13,163 at the 2020 census, up from 11,521 in 2010. Geography Hobe Sound ...

and Stuart. Currently, one of the few buildings still in use is now the "Road to Victory Military Museum", located next to Memorial Park / tennis courts in Stuart. One of the Jonathan Dickinson camping areas is located in the area that was the Camp Hospital. Local legend Vince "Trapper" Nelson was assigned to the base as a member of the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

. American humorist and writer

Jean Shepherd Jean Parker 'Shep' Shepherd Jr. (~July 21, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film '' A Christmas Story'' ...

also served in the signal corps there in 1943. There are several remaining sites that may be observed. The former

ammunition dump An ammunition dump, ammunition supply point (ASP), ammunition handling area (AHA) or ammunition depot is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives. The storage of live ammunition and explosives is inherently hazardous. Th ...

is just to the east of the train tracks, it has been sealed shut but you can see the top of the structure. The building across from Hobe Hill is a former

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

. The park office, located just west of the camp area, was a secret bomb shelter for government persons during the

Kennedy administration John F. Kennedy's tenure as the 35th president of the United States, began with his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with his assassination on November 22, 1963. A Democrat from Massachusetts, he took office following the 1960 p ...

. Walking south along the tracks, the former gun range still has a wall standing; walking along the hills you can find bullets. In the back of the park's riding trail you can see a

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

that was used in the 1800s to cut cypress logs for the F.E.C.railway. Also the small home near the maintenance shed was the former camp commander's quarters. The ammo dump was used as a

fallout shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. During ...

for years by park employees; it had 2 rooms and a second level accessed with a stairwell.

The state park

The property was transferred to the State of Florida in 1947 and opened as the

in 1950.

The trails

Presently, much of the former Camp Murphy site is occupied by volunteer built and maintained mountain bike trails. There are about 9 miles in a stacked loop system with multiple bail-outs. Difficulty is easy/intermediate with some optional advanced sections. Additional features at the trailhead include a pump track, skills course, and a children's trail.

References

{{reflist

History

The state park

The trails

References

See also