Military History of the Hempstead Plains
Long Island, NY 1776 -1961
Camps and the Cradle of Aviation
The Hempstead Plains
One of the few natural prairies east of the Allegheny Mountains
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The Hempstead Plains
American Revolution: used as an Army enlistment center.
War of 1812 and Mexican War: It was a training center for Infantry units.
American Civil War : It was the location of Camp Winfield Scott.
American Revolution: used as an Army enlistment center.
War of 1812 and Mexican War: It was a training center for Infantry units.
American Civil War : It was the location of Camp Winfield Scott.
Spanish American War 1898: The site was known as Camp Black.
Fighting 69th drilling in column formation at Camp Black
- from the Nassau County Museum Collection.
- from the Nassau County Museum Collection.
Camp Black was formed on the Hempstead Plains, in March 1898, in support of the Spanish-American War. Camp Black was bounded on the north by Old Country Road, on the west by Clinton Road, and on the south by the Central Line rail. Camp Black was opened on April 29, 1898. The first regiment to occupy Camp Black was Co. H of the 71st Regiment. The Camp officially closed on September 28, 1898.
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The 7th Battery, Light Artillery, N.Y. Volunteers. Camp Black July 27, 1898.
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Click on each photo below to enlarge.
New York 13th Regiment at Camp Black –
from the Nassau County Museum collection
from the Nassau County Museum collection
WWI – 1917-1918 Camp Albert Mills
The Hofstra University Collection via New York Heritage Digital Collections
The collection is comprised of sixty-one 2 5/8” x 4 3/8” and six 3 1/8” x 5 1/2” black-and-white photographs taken by an unknown WWI soldier in the Quartermaster Corps. The photos were taken between January and April of 1919, when Camp Mills was used as a post-war port of debarkation. They depict daily life at the camp, and contain annotations on the versos.
