Army Camp

Soldiers train on New River to assemble floatation bridges

 

Camp Prince or Army Camp as it was known locally, lies in the middle of the New River Gorge National River, and is located on the tip of the sharpest meander within the park. Along this section of the river, the New flows west, north, and east, all within a half mile. This area, being relatively flat, was first used as farmland, and around 1950 the U. S. Army established a training and testing ground for the quick assembly of floating bridges, operated by the 1428th Engineer Float Bridge Company. These bridges were used for stream crossings of military equipment and personnel. There were usually between 100 to 150 soldiers stationed here at any one time. Each training session in the assembly of these bridges took approximately six to eight weeks to complete. The temporary bridge building came to an end in 1957 and the camp closed for good in the early 1960’s.

In recent years, the land was turned over to the National Park Service and included in New River Gorge National River. Today, this site is used as a campground as well as a day use area. All that remains of Army Camp are the foundations and concrete floors of the eleven buildings and a concrete water tank along the river bank that were utilized by the soldiers.

 

Soldiers train on New River to assemble floatation bridges