Palacios

Year Marker Erected: 1997
Location: Business SH 35, 1.5 mi W of Palacios

Marker Text:
Camp Palacios was established on this site in 1925 as the summer training camp for the 36th Infantry of the Texas National Guard. Located on the Turtle and Tres Palacios Bays, the land was donated by Palacios area citizens. Over 6,000 guardsmen arrived in July of 1926 for the first training session. Renamed for Major John A. Hulen (1871-1957) in 1930, the new camp supported the largest concentration of troops for field training in the United States military. In 1940 the War Department leased Camp Hulen; first to undergo anti-aircraft training were National Guard units from several states. By 1941 the city of Palacios suffered a housing shortage that was alleviated by government housing near Camp Hulen. After extensive development the camp had facilities for 12,000 military personnel. Basic training continued until early 1944 when U.S. soldiers were removed. German prisoners of war, guarded by a small contingent of U.S. personnel, were housed here from 1943 to 1945. In 1946, the War Department returned Camp Hulen to the National Guard, for whom it had become too small, buildings were slowly dismantled and sold. In 1965 the property was sold jointly to a group of Palacios citizens and a development company. (1997)