From the Sycamore (Illinois) History Museum.
During World War II, German prisoners were sent to POW camps throughout the United States. Many were sent to Camp Grant in Illinois (outside of Rockford).
During harvest time, many of the POWs from Camp Grant were sent to Sycamore to help with food efforts, including the Sycamore Preserve Company. They stayed at temporary barracks on Park Avenue (where Upstaging is located today).
They ate their meals in town and worked in the local canning factory and harvested food at local farms.
During the last year of the war, some 300 Germans were housed here from ages of 16 to 25. They worked harvesting sweet corn, peas and asparagus. Then they helped can vegetables at the Sycamore Preserve Company.
The camp ran from June 1945 to October 1945.
--GreGen
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