Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne

5. Camp Hearne Artifacts

CHAPTER 5 Camp Hearne Artifacts OVER FOURTEEN HUNDRED ARTIFACTSwere recovered from Camp Hearne as a result of archaeological survey and excavation. This study represents the first intensive archaeological investigation of a German POW camp and is among the first at a World War II–era archaeological site. Camp Hearne’s grounds have been given the official Texas archaeological site designation RT. The first phase of the investigation included a preliminary archaeological survey and excavation of parts of Compounds  and  in . Mowers, provided by the city of Hearne, cleared the vegetation so the ground surface could be examined. The mowing revealed building foundations and cement fountains built by the POWs. Metal detectors were then used to locate isolated artifacts and artifact concentrations. Initial test excavations undertaken around two barracks and several small fountains were recorded. A much more extensive survey was conducted in the summer of  when the city of Hearne burned the vegetation from a large segment of the camp. All the burned areas—the southeast quarter of Compound , southern half of Compound , and southwest quarter of Compound —were surveyed utilizing metal detectors. Artifacts were located , plotted onto maps, and collected. This survey and initial excavations conducted in  indicated that most artifacts were located in high traffic areas such as walkways and the entrances to the barracks and other buildings. Many artifacts also were found behind the lavatories where clothes were washed. Otherwise, artifacts were scattered throughout the camp, with the lowest densities occurring in the recreation areas. The only exceptions were the deliberate dumps of field equipment and the purposeful burial of individual canteens and mess kits at various places in the camp. Based on this knowledge of artifact spatial distribution, extensive excavations were undertaken in the fall semester of  near the entrances of several barracks in Compounds  and  (the NCO compounds). The entrances and backsides of two lavatories in Compounds  and  also were investigated. Limited testing was conducted in Compound  (the enlisted men’s compound) due to logistical problems and extensive ground disturbance. Sixteen graduate students and more than three hundred undergraduate students from introductory anthropology classes at Texas A&M University were involved in the surveys and excavations at Camp Hearne. They excavated more than five hundred three-foot-by-three-foot excavation units. All units were excavated to a depth of ten centimeters and the sediment screened through quarterinch mesh. All artifacts recovered during the survey and excavation were carefully cleaned, conserved, cataloged, and subsequently analyzed. More than twenty POW-built features—including fountains, remnants of formal flower gardens, a theater, and a spectacular fountain with a miniature castle complete with cement figurines—were recorded during the survey and excavations. The artifacts from Camp Hearne included items made of metal, glass, plastic, rubber, leather, paper, and cloth. All artifacts described here were found within the three POW compounds, but most came from Compounds  and . The POWs brought many of these items to the camp from battlefields in North Africa and Europe, whereas they were issued, purchased, or made other items while they were in the United States. Many of these artifacts were unintentionally lost, whereas others were intentionally discarded. The Camp Hearne artifacts are discussed under six major headings:German uniforms, American uniforms, military and political insignia and identification tags, military equipment, POWmade items, and personal items. Where possible, insights into the use of artifacts recovered from Camp Hearne are provided by former POWs and guards. Other materials, primarily construction debris, were also encountered at the site. Nails, tacks, tarpaper from the building walls, broken window glass, bricks, and metal fittings occur in great quantity. These materials from the construction and dismantling of the camp are not discussed. The following discussion provides a good representation of the types of artifacts that can be found at a German POW camp and provides more insights into life as a POW at Camp Hearne. It should be noted that the German POWs and their American guards left all of the artifacts found on the camp’s grounds. No archaeological evidence of the brief presence of Japanese POWs was found at the site. German Uniforms The photographic record and the recollections of former POWs and guards show that the prisoners wore a variety of German uniforms. Metal and Bakelite (a hard, heat-treated plastic) artifacts such as buttons, cinches, hooks, buckles, and shoe fragments found in the POW compounds have confirmed this. All of the former POWs recalled that they were encouraged to discard their German uniforms when they arrived...