Hillsborough’s Belle Mead GSA Depot

Hillsborough’s Belle Mead GSA Depot

The Nation’s Largest World War II Era Military Supply Depot

Early History

On January 29, 1941, The Hopewell Herald reported that residents and farmers in the vicinity of Belle Mead, NJ had been approached by two real estate agents looking to potentially buy thousands of acres of land adjacent to the Sourland Mountain in Hillsborough Township. Although the agents did not disclose where they were from, the implication was that the land was being sought by the federal government. With war raging in Europe, it was the consensus of the property owners that they would have no problem at all selling their land for the purpose of “National Defense”.

The land having been acquired, construction began on 28 April 1942, with newspapers reporting hundreds of workers erecting warehouse buildings and constructing miles of railroad sidings on the 1,000-acre site.

 

One of the people that answered the call for “Immediate War Work for Laborers” was the future writer and social activist James Baldwin. In June 1942, not yet eighteen, he moved from Harlem and roomed with a friend who had also taken at a job in Belle Mead and was living with friends in Rocky Hill. They made very good money for the time - $80 per week plus overtime. Baldwin started out in railroad construction, but the heavy labor proved too much, and he was transferred to warehouse duty.

In his book “Notes of a Native Son”, he writes powerfully about the subtle and not so subtle racism he experienced during the one year he worked at the Depot, culminating in a scene that played out on his last night in New Jersey. Baldwin and some friends went to see a movie in Trenton but were refused service at a local diner. An infuriated Baldwin walked to the fanciest restaurant in the vicinity, demanded service, and, when refused, threw a glass water pitcher shattering the mirror behind the bar. This was the signature moment that set Baldwin on a four-decade crusade for social justice.

West Point graduate Colonel R. Potter Campbell was assigned as the first Commanding Officer on 18 July 1942. During this period the Depot went through many name changes: Bound Brook Defense Aid Depot, Bound Brook Holding and Reconsignment Point, Bound Brook War Aid Depot, Belle Mead Quartermaster Depot, and finally, on 27 May 1943, Belle Mead Army Service Forces Depot – by which name it was known until after the war when it was rechristened Belle Mead General Depot.

The Belle Mead ASF Depot was officially activated on 10 August 1942. Between the first inbound rail shipment in September 1942, and 30 June 1943, the Depot had handled more than 580,000 tons and had a civilian workforce of more than 2,500 people.

The civilian workers were the heroes of the Belle Mead Depot. Not only did they build the facility, but they were also employed in the near entirety of its operation, with military personnel providing supervision. As most able-bodied men began to be drafted or enlist in the service following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Depot employed more women in all areas of operations, including guard duty, as shown below.

 

  

On December 6, 1942, The New York Times reported that because of a severe labor shortage due to men being sent overseas as many as 350 Princeton University students – and their professors – were now working at the Depot warehouses on Sundays.

First Anniversary, 10 August 1943

On August 10, 1943, the Depot held its first-anniversary celebration with distinguished military officers from around the country traveling to Belle Mead for the occasion. The festivities included a parade by the military personnel, the civilian guards and their dogs, and the guard band.

New Jersey Governor Charles Edison addressed the assembled and commended them on their exemplary work and vital contribution to the war effort.

Within a month of the anniversary celebration, Colonel Potter was again faced with a shortage of civilian employees. With men constantly being taken away for military service, he pleaded with his superiors in the Quartermaster Corps for relief. They sent him a provisional battalion of 800 African American soldiers – raw recruits, some with only 2 weeks of military service. While civilian employees lived off-base, these soldiers needed to be housed and fed at the Depot. This necessitated the construction of an enormous tent city on the base as seen in the image below.

 

At a time when segregation was the norm in many parts of the country, Colonel Potter not only had to deal with the integration of the African American troops into the mostly white labor force, but also ease the natural friction between the huge influx of military personnel and the 1,700 remaining civilian employees. He did this by having everyone, civilian and military, black and white, work side by side in all of the labor-intensive functions of the Depot, and by encouraging the provisional battalion to participate in all of the recreational activities, including the renowned glee club, led by Irving Washington of East Orange, NJ.

May 1944 – The Press gets a peek inside

At the end of May 1944, on Colonel Potter’s last day as Commanding Officer – and just a week before D-Day – the press was allowed access to the Depot for the first time.

Reporters were wowed by the $1.2 billion (over $16 billion today) in war supplies, the 45 miles of railroad track, 5 locomotives, 550 freight cars, 14 giant warehouses, and 7 million square feet of indoor and outdoor storage space. Cranes, heavy trucks, bridges, portable buildings, complete manufacturing plants, spare parts, tools, rifles and ordinance, petroleum products – 5,000 tons of equipment was moved in and out of the Depot daily.

Captain Staniar, in charge of the outside storage areas, showed off “the largest concentration of cable in the world, 53,000,000 feet of it”!

The timing of the press tour could not have been coincidental. Like a prizefighter at the pre-bout weigh-in, our adversaries overseas must have been seriously intimidated and demoralized by this amazing show of material strength.

 Italian Service Units and German POWs

On June 21, 1944, The Hopewell Herald reported that Italian Service Units had replaced the QM Provisional Battalion. The newspaper correctly reported that these men were former prisoners of war who had been captured in North Africa and Sicily and had volunteered to work for the U.S. They were allowed visits by family members living in America, and other privileges such as “spaghetti, cheese, and other foods” to supplement their military rations.

Italian Service Units worked at the Depot in skilled and unskilled positions until October 29, 1945, when they were replaced by German prisoners of war. Unlike the Italians, these POWs were not afforded any luxuries and were kept under strict guard. A reward of $15 was offered for the apprehension of an escaped prisoner, who could be recognized by the letters PW emblazoned on the back and sleeves of shirts, and on the seat and legs of the trousers.

After the war

By the end of 1946, the army was using the Depot to dispose of military surplus. Veterans were given the first shot at buying items such as farm equipment, office equipment, household items, hardware, and clothing – even jeeps.

The Belle Mead ASF Depot saw renewed operations during the Korean War, but nothing like the intense activity from 1942 through 1945.

In 1958, 800 acres of the property was acquired by the General Services Administration, who operated the Depot until 1991. Subsequently, the property was sold in two portions, with the Somerset County Improvement Authority purchasing the acreage that is now being developed as a county park.

 The Future

In October of 2014, the Somerset County Park Commission, together with local officials, held a ground-breaking ceremony for Mountain View Park.

Although there are very few, if any, physical structures remaining at the Belle Mead Depot, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still opportunities for Somerset County and Hillsborough Township to commemorate the role the Depot and its civilian workforce played in defeating fascism by winning World War II.

"Yard" Sale at Belle Mead General Depot, 1946

Now that yard sale season is in full swing in Hillsborough, N.J., let's take a look back at what was likely the largest cash and carry outdoor sale in our history.

After the end of World War II, the War Assets Administration was given the task of disposing of millions of dollars worth of surplus goods, machinery, vehicles, etc.

Returning veterans were given the first chance to get their hands on unneeded clothing, household equipment, office supplies, farm equipment, hardware, and all the rest.

All of these ads appeared in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in December 1946 and January 1947.

Let's Remember How Hillsborough Won the War

Two noteworthy township events over the last several weeks  - the renaming of the municipal building driveway and the dedication of Mountain View Park - seem interestingly linked in the lead up to Veteran's Day.

On October 10, Mayor Doug Tomson was joined by Congressman Leonard Lance, Assemblywoman Donna Simon, local and county officials, and members of the Rotary Club of Hillsborough at a ceremony to rename the driveway of the Peter J. Biondi Building "Veterans Way" as a fitting tribute to all those who have served our country.

A couple of weeks later, Tomson, Simon, Freeholder Pat Walsh, members of the Somerset County Parks Commission, and others were photographed at the site of the Belle Mead GSA Depot for a ribbon-cutting to announce the beginning of the construction phase in the transformation of the depot into Somerset County's "Mountain View Park".

Belle Mead ASF Depot World War II era main gate

This second event was derided by some as being considerably less than newsworthy - nothing more than a pre-election photo op.  For me - and perhaps I missed an earlier announcement - the news was the name: "Mountain View Park".  I was unaware that a name had been chosen for the planned athletic complex.

Belle Mead ASF Depot Guards ready for inspection

The two ceremonies are linked because of their juxtaposition.  In the first case, a nondescript driveway is renamed in honor of our veterans.  In the second, the history of the nation's largest World War II era military supply depot is blotted out with one green billboard.

Belle Mead ASF Depot first anniversary, August 1943

As someone who would have liked to have seen Auten Road School named Veterans Memorial School when it was built 15 years ago, I can and do support the renaming of the municipal building drive.  And I have no particular objection to the name "Mountain View Park".

But as the citizens of the neighboring town of Raritan are justifiably proud and continually pay tribute to their greatest World War II hero, Sgt. John Basilone, with bridges and statues and parades, I would argue that Hillsborough's greatest World War II hero was the Belle Mead Army Service Forces Depot and, by association, all of the thousands of military and civilian personnel who were employed there during the war.

Gasoline drums ready for overseas shipment, May 1944

Let's be clear, the Belle Mead Depot wasn't just one of many dozens of supply depots scattered around the US in the 1940s.  Hillsborough's depot was the largest and greatest.  Its proximity to the New York and New Jersey ports made it THE vital classification way-point for overseas shipments.

Newark Evening News, June 1, 1944

It was no coincidence that reporters were allowed their very first access to the depot just one week before June 6, 1944.  The immense amount of war materiel  - not stored at the depot as much as continually moving through -  would have been enough to intimidate any opponent.  Much like the weigh-in before the championship bout, the sight of Belle Mead before D-Day was more than impressive.

Let's keep alive the memories of the thousands of military and civilian personnel, many from Somerset County, who fought and won the war right here in Hillsborough.  Let's make sure that one of the construction phases of "Mountain View Park" includes, at least, an interpretive display of the history of the Belle Mead Army Service Forces Depot and the part it played in defeating fascism and preserving freedom and liberty in America and around the world.

He Wants to Ride His Bicycle

An indoor velodrome on the Belle Mead GSA Depot property? I'll admit, the idea - being promoted by Hillsborough resident and cycling enthusiast Michael Izzo - seemed a little crazy when I first read it in the Courier News.

Then I did a little research.

The Dunc Gray Velodrome in Bankstown, Australia

There are only 24 bicycling arenas in the U.S. - just one more than in the relatively tiny U.K. and many less than in Japan. Only a couple are in the northeast (New Hampshire and Queens, N.Y.), and only two are indoor tracks, (California and Colorado).

Having a velodrome - even a less expensive outdoor track - as part of the planned recreation facility at the Depot definitely falls under the category of Big Ideas. But it is an idea that would instantly put Hillsborough, and Somerset County, in the lead pack with the yellow jersey.

Something to consider.

GSA Depot Survey

What kinds of recreational, athletic. or other facilities would you like to see at the former Belle Mead GSA Depot? Residents who participated in a design charette at the municipal building on October 21 considered the possibilities. Ball fields, nature trails, indoor recreation facilities, and a performing arts center ranked high among the possibilities.

The rest of the general public can also be heard by participating in an online survey on the Hillsborough Township web site. If you are interested in something like a performing arts center or community center, be sure to write that in as they are not listed in the multiple choice portion of the survey.

Besides the recreational aspects of the site, I would like to see some memorial to the depot's fifty year history. How about something to honor civilian Army employees - an often overlooked yet essential component, and the backbone of the depot through three wars. Also, how about a memorial to writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin, who experienced a pivotal moment in his life as a black man in America while working at the depot, and who wrote about the incident in one of his books.

GSA Depot - Halfway There

Now that Somerset County and Hillsborough Township have at last gained control of the Belle Mead GSA Depot property, what's next?

This major accomplishment, three years in the making, means that the project is only half finished - if that. Two major components remain to be completed. One is the cleanup of the contaminated areas, and the other is the actual construction of a recreation "Mega-Facility" - sure to be the envy of towns across New Jersey.

What will this awesome facility look like? The designs have yet to be completed, but in 2007, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy did prepare a concept redevelopment plan for the property. The following graphic is slide number 8 of their 39 slide PowerPoint presentation.




One interesting aspect of this concept plan is that it includes not only the 369 acre parcel now owned by Hillsborough Township, but also the 300 plus acre "northern" parcel owned by Hillsborough Properties - potentially making the entire property nearly twice as big!

In the Bloustein plan, much of the northern parcel is used for passive recreation, meaning that all of the ball fields and other active recreation facilities can be built regardless. But wouldn't it be beneficial to have the entire 700 acres for Hillsborough?

Personally, I am hoping, even at this late stage, that some solution can be found that would allow the two properties to be joined. After all, the only thing better than a "Mega Facility" is a "Double Mega Facility". Especially one with the potential to be as amazing as this one would be.

One Step Forward, No Steps Back for GSA Depot

Hillsborough Township is one step closer to acquiring the 369 acre Belle Mead GSA Depot now that Governor Corzine has signed off on the Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer. This document allows the property to be transferred from the federal government to Hillsborough before environmental remediation has taken place.

During the three years that it has taken to get to this point, some have commented that we should be getting this property for free - all clean and ready to go. I have been unable to conclude whether or not that is true, but I do know one thing - if we waited for the feds to clean up the depot, we could be waiting decades.

The purchase price of approximately $16 million will be used to clean the site, and work can begin as soon as the transfer is complete.

Despite questions and lawsuits, Hillsborough is right on track with this project. Every bit of news so far has been positive, with no setbacks. Let's hope that lasts.

The Myth of the Clean Northern Property

Hillsborough Township is one step closer to acquiring the 369 acre Belle Mead GSA Depot property from the federal government now that the Township Committee has introduced an ordinance to rezone the property and presented a plan for its redevelopment. This step was necessary in order to apply for a New Jersey Brownfields Grant - which will provide additional money to clean up the property. Most of the funds to be used for the cleanup will come from the federal government, which is keeping the $15.7 million purchase price in an escrow account specifically for that purpose.

This latest development comes at the same time that Bhrugesh Patel, owner of the "other half" of the GSA Depot, has filed a lawsuit against the township to have his 335 acres included in the redevelopment plans. This parcel - which some refer to as the northern section of the depot - was split from the township's section years ago, but both share their 50 year history as first a military and then a federal government warehouse and distribution facility.

The most interesting aspect of Mr. Patel's lawsuit is that he is making the claim that his property has the same environmental concerns as the township property, and would, presumably, need the same type of clean up operation.

Here is the quote from Roger Staib, spokesman for Patel's Hillsborough Properties, which appeared in a local newspaper:

”The significant environmental contamination (on Mr. Patel’s property) rose due to the unified use of the whole tract,” he said. “It crosses property lines, and because of that, both properties are included in an April 15, 2000, memorandum of understanding between the GSA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which governs the terms by which the GSA must remediate the entire depot tract.”

This makes sense for two reasons. First, Mr. Staib is correct, the property has a history of one unified use, with railroad tracks, warehouses, and other facilities throughout the property. Second, Patel's "northern section" is not all in the north! The two properties fit together like a puzzle, with the eastern part of Patel's property actually further south than the western part of the township property.

For years we have been told that Hillsborough missed its chance to acquire the "clean" northern section before Mr. Patel bought it. That we blundered and are now stuck with the "dirty" southern half of the depot. Now, Mr. Patel, through his spokesman, is admitting that his property is in the same condition as the township property!

Clearly the notion that there is a clean GSA Depot out there somewhere is a myth.

GSA Depot Blaze

Last week's fire at the former Belle Mead GSA Depot exemplifies the danger inherent in vacant properties in general, and in disused Federal properties in particular. We can be thankful that no child vandals, or firefighters, were injured or killed in the blaze - and can view this incident as a wake up call for township and federal officials , and the general public.


Part history, part curiosity, and part eyesore, the GSA Depot has been part of Hillsborough for over 65 years. Now we need to kill the curiosity by demolishing the eyesore. The township committee has taken the first steps by approving acquisition of the 369 acres to be used primarily for recreation. The federal government needs to replace missing security fences and tear down unsafe buildings on the property.

Mayor Ferrera has called on Hillsborough Township Police to increase patrols in the area. When the depot was in operation, it was regularly patrolled by guards wearing this patch on their uniforms.

Four More Years! Four More Years!

The Hillsborough Township Committee finalized their agreement with the Hillsborough Baseball League this week, allowing the organization to use the Willow Road Baseball Complex for four more years. The hope is that at the end of the four year lease, the Belle Mead GSA Depot property will be redeveloped to include a new baseball complex.

Residents in the Winding Way neighborhood adjacent to the Willow Road fields were pleased that the lease again forbids the use of lights at the complex, and puts limits on the length of the baseball season. They also were cautiously optimistic about the creation of a review committee that will make sure the lease is being adhered to.

But what intrigued me were the questions residents had about what would happen to the Willow Road Baseball Complex after 2012. My first impulse would be to shrink the complex, eliminate some of the seven fields - but keep two or three. Continue to plant trees as a buffer for the residents on Winding Way. Redevelop the grounds as a large community park, similar to Woodfield.

What would you do?

"World's Richest Department Store"

On June 1, 1944, just 5 days before D-Day, reporters were invited to tour the Belle Mead Quartermaster Depot in Hillsborough. This was the first time the depot, which opened in October of 1942, allowed the public inside its gates.

Belle Mead Quartermaster Depot Uniform Patch

At that time, the depot property consisted of about 1000 acres of former farmland. Where twenty-six farms once stood there was now $1.2 billion of supplies warehoused in what the New York Times called "the world's richest department store".

Fourteen warehouses and five million square feet of outdoor storage space sat alongside 45 miles of railroad track. Five locomotives belonging to the depot worked to string together railroad cars for shipment. The depot was an intermediate stop for the 45,000 tons of shipping that passed through every day during the war - and supplies were constantly being unloaded, sorted, and reloaded by the 1700 civilian employees.

Shortly after the depot opened, in December of 1942, a civilian labor shortage forced the Army to employ Princeton University students on Sundays. As many as 350 students worked at the depot on any given Sunday. Faculty and administrators also pitched in, working side by side with the undergraduates. Their enthusiasm and dedication to "winning the war" motivated the students to work quickly and productively.

The depot was also home to prisoners of war. During the war, captured Italian soldiers who swore allegiance to the U.S. after Italy switched sides were formed into Italian Service Units, living and working at the depot.After the war, German prisoners began to arrive. An article in the Hopewell Herald on November 14, 1945, described how to recognize a German POW. Although the escaped prisoner would be wearing American military clothing, the letters "PW" would be painted on various parts of the uniform. There was a $15 reward for the capture of an escaped prisoner.

The Survey Says!

We're finally going to be able to see just how big a property we bought. Hillsborough Township is set to perform a boundary survey at the Belle Mead GSA depot - a first step in the "closing" process for this significant purchase. They better bring a lot of stakes!

If you take a close look at the aerial map in my previous blog entry, you can see the two baseball diamonds and adjoining fields that comprise the bulk of Ann Van Middlesworth Park - Hillsborough's largest park. Now take a look at the size of the Belle Mead Depot! The park is puny in comparison. In fact, the area that we are purchasing, for $17 million in a joint effort with Somerset County, is about 438 acres - what's left of the depot after other parcels were dispensed of over the years. And that's not even a tenth of the size that was once contemplated for this massive project.

On January 29, 1941, an article appeared in the Hopewell Herald detailing how farmers on the Hillsborough-Montgomery border were being approached by two real estate agents looking to purchase between 4000 and 6000 acres of land. The agents denied that they were sent by the Federal Government - but the farmers all agreed that they would not object to selling their land for the cause of "national defense". Remember, this was still 10 months before Pearl Harbor.

After the shocking events of December 7, 1941, the depot was needed not just for national defense, but for the war effort. The depot is situated in a prime location for the transport of materials, with connections to the Reading Railroad (now CSX) and by way of a short rail spur to the Lehigh Valley Line near Flagtown (now Norfolk Southern). And contrary to what was rumored during its construction, the depot was not primarily used for ammunition, but rather as a general supply depot, originally called the Belle Mead Quartermaster Depot.

The Belle Mead GSA Depot was part of Hillsborough's history for almost 50 years, finally closing in 1991. It seems now that it is also destined to be part of Hillsborough's future.

Tomorrow: Happenings from the Depot's first 50 years.

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I've written much more about the Depot. Click here.

Depot Home

Government Spends Millions In Erecting Nearby Project

Extensive Building at Belle Mead is Believed to Be Ammunition Storage Location - Railroad Sidings Under Construction

Hundreds of Workmen Busy Daily

Extensive building operations are under way near Belle Mead, it is reported, by the government, said to be the beginning of an ammunition project, which, when finished, will run into millions of dollars. Several hundred workmen of all descriptions, including carpenters, electricians, masons, and other skilled labor are busy and have been for the past few weeks. More will probably be employed.

Although the procedure is secretive, at present it has been significantly rumored that the plant will be a storage center for ammunition. Buildings are going up daily and at present the site covers hundreds of acres, said to be eight miles square. Railroad sidings are in course of construction from two railroads.

The news has spread rapidly in this section and hundreds have driven to the location in the past few weeks. It represents the largest building venture and most extensive business ever to have located or been considered in this area.

[Hopewell Herald, 10 June 1942]

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