Description
Situated along the western shore of Lake Michigan, just a bit north of Sheboygan in the township of Mosel is a tiny burg called Haven. Settled by German immigrants from the Moselle Region of Germany, the area was originally known as Seven Mile Creek.
Until the late 1940s, the area was strictly farmland, but because of its remote location, buffered by 118 miles of water to the east toward Michigan, it proved a suitable site for a military anti-aircraft training facility. For a decade, from 1949 to 1959, it would be home to Camp Haven.
Troops came to Camp Haven from throughout the Midwest to train. The 109th AAA Brigade from Chicago, 800 men strong, were trained in August 1949 for coastal defense. It was the largest group of the year. The Lafayette, Indiana Journal and Courier published its annual reserve training schedule, and in 1952 had men from the 13-state Fifth Army area journeying to Camp Haven to train. The Belleville, Kansas National Guard, newly formed in 1950, sent its fourteen enlisted men and two officers to Camp Haven on its maiden training session. Their two weeks in August were spent training on the .50 caliber and 40mm guns.
For the next ten years, Camp Haven provided training, education, entertainment and drama for the area. This book tells the story of the camp through photos, memories and news articles.
