Northwest’s “Vet Village” north of the Administration on Maryville’s highest point, which they called “College Heights,” started with the six barracks from the Camp Clarinda World War II POW camp. The Vet Village was dismantled with the 1968 construction of the Garrett-Strong Science Building
Above colorized image of the Vet Village shows the 6 barracks and 10 Quonset huts in 1958 to the north of the Administration Building (the north theatre wing of the building was destroyed in 1979 fire and was never replaced).
In 1946, six of the barracks from Camp Clarinda POW camp were moved down on US 71 from Clarinda to form the core of the “Vet Village” at Northwest Missouri. Each of the barracks accommodated 4 apartments (a total of 24 units in the barracks).
The barracks were supplemented by 10 Quonset huts shipped from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with each hut accommodating 2 apartments (20 units in total).
Both barracks were placed on concrete pads on the Northwest campus.
It is not entirely clear whether the 6 barracks at Northwest were POW Barracks or Guard Barracks, as both barracks had a very similar design.
The Iowa History Journal reported that Clarina and the camp at Algona, Iowa (northwest of Des Moines and 30 miles from the Minnesota border) were identical in layout and number of buildings. The prisons were built with 10-foot-high chain link fences topped with barbed wire, and they included eight guard towers equipped with .30 caliber machine guns, 400-watt searchlights, and sirens.” The Journal noted that there were 60 POW barracks, each designed to hold 50 prisoners (3,000 official-rated capacity). The POW barracks were arranged in 3 compounds, each with 20 barracks. In addition, there were barracks to accommodate 500 guards in a fourth compound. Both Clarinda and Algona cost more than $1 million, and they began accepting prisoners in 1944. Both Clarinda and Algona held Germans and Italians, and Clarinda was unique in that, in 1945, it began accepting Japanese.
Here’s an aerial painting of the Clarinda barracks based on an aerial photo. The colors in the AI painting are probably off as the buildings were probably white.
The Japanese prisoners posed unique cultural issues in the Midwest. The young Germans and Italians may have been accepted more by locals, but the Japanese had a unique issue of being more distrusted both in the Midwest and by their own families. They did not write their families in Japan because of the bushido code, which held that death was preferable to capture. Surrender was seen as a failure of duty to the Emperor, with many soldiers choosing suicide (seppuku) or fighting to the death rather than submitting, often viewing capture as a total loss of personal and family honor.
When the Japanese surrendered in World War II at the behest of the emperor, the prisoners thought it restored their honor, and they could return to Japan.
On September 5, 1945 — three days after the surrender aboard the USS Missouri, 20 Japanese and 2 Americans were injured on U.S. 71 in Nodaway County near Clearmont when the truck transporting them to farm work in Missouri overturned, making them de facto among the last casualties of World War II.
On October 7, 1945, virtually all of the 1,000 Japanese prisoners, except for one (presumably from the September incident boarded trains in Clarinda to be transported to the San Joaquin Valley in California at the request of Governor Earl Warren to assist with harvests there. The departure left a small number of German prisoners in Clarinda who would assist with area harvests. Below is an AI colorized image of the article on the troops leaving Clarinda.
In April 1946, Dr. J.W. Jones, president of the college, announced plans to move 6 of the barracks to Northwest.
Dr. J. W. Jones Believes STC Housing -Units Available by Fall. Dr. J. W. Jones, president of the State Teachers College in Maryville, went to Chicago Monday night, where he this week conferred with Federal Housing authorities regarding emergency housing for students on the local campus. Dr. Jones and Business Manager Harold V. Neece spoke with Mr. Wright, a representative from the Chicago housing office, who had come to Maryville to discuss the possible location of the housing units. There will be six temporary apartment houses, each with four apartments, and with rental priority to veterans attending classes here. The apartments will likely come from the Clarinda prisoner-of-war camp, which is being dismantled. Possible locations for the buildings here are sites east of the library building and south of the industrial arts building on the college campus. Dr. Jones said last week that he believed the units would be available for sure by the time the fall term starts next September, and that some of the quarters might be ready for this summer term. or not tax
In July 1946, the announcement came that 10 Quonset huts would be moved from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Metal Army Barracks Are Allotted STC Quonset Huts Will Be Moved From Louisiana Army barracks at Baton Rouge, La., will be brought to Maryville for use of veterans attending the State Teachers College here, according to an announcement made this week by the Federal Public Housing *Authority office in Chicago. Orvil R. Olmsted of the Chicago regional office said that a Kansas City construction company has been issued a notice to dismantle and remove ten metal army barracks from the Louisiana city, and to re-erect and convert them to provide twenty emergency family dwellings at the local college. Work is scheduled for completion by September 6. The order for the barracks from Baton Rouge is the second allotment made to the local college, according to Harold Neece, business manager. The first allotment of 24 units consisted of six houses to be moved from the prisoner-of-war camp at Clarinda, Iowa. Frame units from the Clarinda camp should begin to arrive this week, college authorities said. Sewer and water pipes have been laid for the housing units at the college, located just north of the administration building. Concrete foundations for the buildings are yet to be laid. The metal buildings from Louisiana, Neece said, are probably Quonset huts. The ten metal buildings will provide twenty units.
On October 18, 1946, the Tarkio Avalanche reported that four hospital buildings would be moved to Tarkio College to provide 65 single-veteran housing units.
COLLEGE SECURES FPHA CONTRACT, WILL GET HOUSING UNITS—Four Hospital Buildings at POW Camp at Clarinda, Ia., Will House Single Veterans. Tarkio College has been awarded a contract by the government agency F. P. H. A. (Federal Public Housing Authority) authorizing the college to receive, remove, and reconstruct approximately half of the hospital buildings from the POW camp at Clarinda, Iowa, for use as veteran housing on the campus. This will allow for the housing of approximately 65 single veterans attending college here, and will provide comfortable housing, as the very buildings to be used are of superior materials and equipment. Dr. M. Earle Collins, president of the college, was in Chicago, Ill., last Thursday to discuss further details of the housing program with F.P.H.A. officials. Under the supervision of D. B. Lindsay, a college engineer, a crew of workmen has already been hired and is busy tearing down the buildings at Clarinda for removal to the campus. However, the exact locations of the buildings here have not been announced. The buildings, four of them, connected, form a corridor 420 feet long and will make excellent temporary housing with steam heat, an overhead sprinkler system, hardwood floors, windows, storm windows, pine woodwork, a fine bathroom, and excellent building materials throughout. As soon as conditions permit, reconstruction of the buildings will begin.
What had not been transferred was reported to be sold at Clarinda on June 18, 1947.
In 1952 the Forum had this item about refreshing the barracks (the images have been colorized)
On February 28, 1958, the Forum said this:
It started out as a quiet village, founded in 1947, when only 24 veterans and their families lived in the federal emergency housing units. But with more units, added occupants, kiddies and trikes, increased school enrollment, cars and freeways, things soon changed. It wasn’t safe for the 47 children: Village residents couldn’t call their front yard their own. because of the major parking problem. So–the group organized. And out of that organization evolved a safe campus community of 134 residents, a mayor, a constable, three councilmen, one postman, and traffic laws provided for and protected by the Maryville police department. It all started last fall when Carl Carmichael, a graduate assistant in the social science department at the College, decided something should be done. With nearly all the villagers turning out en masse, a council was elected. And, with the official sanction of Dr. J. W. Jones, College president, the council has remedied the situation. Notable at the site just north of the Administration Building are 10. mph speed limit and one-way signs. “Residents Only” is a warning at the village’s road entrance. Enforcement of the law by local police was finally established after some indecision as to the city’s business limits. The village mayor, constable, and campus electrician are the positions held by James Kay. Councilmen are Kenneth Winter, Robert Glasford, and J. K. Albertson. Charles Kidd, village resident, is the official mailman for the area. Today, 44 families live far happier and safer than they did a mere few months ago. In many families, the mother and father both attend school, raise a family, and, besides that, work on or off campus at odd hours.
The Vet Village was torn down in preparation of the construction of the Garrett-Strong Science buidling in 1968. Housing was provided elsewhere and four of the barracks moved to the northeast corner of Lieber and Main (east of the Shell station). They were torn down sometime after 2008. (Discussion on Ville Facebook page about buildings).
The above image of the Vet Village north of the Administration Building is from sometime between 1959, when Lamkin Gym was built, and 1965, when the Fine Arts Building was built. The image shows 4 of the 6 barracks and 1 of the 10 Quonset Huts. The photo shows the old College Bridge over the Wabash tracks and shows the lack of construction on the north side of the college. This dramatically shows that North College Drive is aligned with Munn Street to the south.
The original 1960 black-and-white image is available here.