World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Jerome War Relocation Center, located in Arkansas in southern United States, was opened in Sep 1942 to house Americans of Japanese ethnicity. It was built by the A. J. Rife Construction Company of Dallas, Texas, United States. The internment camp was consisted of 50 housing blocks and 7 guard towers, surrounded by barbed wire fencing. By Jan 1943, it held 7,932 Japanese-Americans, most of whom were simple farmers prior to the US entry into WW2; 2,483 of them were children. The camp's population would swell to 8,497 shortly after. While at Jerome, the internees worked at the nearby farm, saw mill, and soap factory. Various forms of recreation were offered, including social clubs for adults and children, sports, classes, dances, and movies. While this camp was the Japanese-American internment camp to begin operation, it was also the first to cease operation; in Jun 1944, internees of Jerome War Relocation Center were transferred to other camps, and shortly after the camp was converted into a prisoners of war camp for captured Germans.

Jerome War Relocation Center Interactive Map

Photographs

Maps

Jerome War Relocation Center Timeline