Links

The Walnut Street Gaol/New Gaol, PA

.

Philadelphia, Pa

http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/whitemarsh_3.htm

http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp

?ArticleID=2337 
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3h89.html 
http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/birch/birch2.html#221 

Information donated by Bob Brooks

Charlottesville,

Albemarle Co.,

Virginia

for Convention army prisoners (Brunswick and Hanau)
plus English prisoners.

Information donated by John Merz - Link

.

The Oct. 3, 2005 Morning Call (Allentown, PA) had an article about a Hessian  prisoner of war camp located at what is present day Third and Gordon Streets in Allentown, PA.  The article quotes Robert's History of Lehigh County, 1914: "Early in the year 1777, a number of the Hessians taken as prisoner at Trenton were brought to Allentown and kept in tents.  The camp was located in the northern part of the town in the neighborhood of Gordon Street, according to the testimony of an old citizen." The article goes on to state that during and after the Revolution, many of the Hessians decided to stay in the Lehigh Valley, since they were in a German speaking community in the Valley, and that a number of local families can count a Hessian on the family tree. A plaque on a stone monument was erected in 1926 by the Liberty Bell Chapter of the DAR to commemorate the site on the camp. 

 Barb Wiemann 

Descendant of Henry Stemler of Lehigh County, PA 

During the American Revolution, Fort Frederick saw service as a refuge for settlers and as a prison camp for Hessian and British soldiers.
(found in archives)

Camp Security is the last remaining prisoner of war camp in the United States that has not been swallowed up by development. The camp was opened in the summer of 1781. These were the British soldiers surrendered by Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777. I also believe that the British that arrived at Camp Security in early 1782, having surrendered with Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, could have numbered up to another 1,500. George Gibson's Return of Prisoners dated April 19, 1782. If I am reading it correctly, it lists, under "Burgoyne," a total of 796 men, women, and children. (Officers could have families with them.) It also lists, under "Cornwallis," 903 officers and soldiers. That total is 1,699. Some sources, however, indicate that these totals do not include those that were paroled out to work for local farmers and craftsmen. We do not have the figures on that either, but it was substantial enough for the Pennsylvania General 
Assembly to pass an act requiring those prisoners to be registered. The order read:"Public notice is hereby given that in Pursuance of a late Act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, All and any Person or Persons having Prisoners of War employed by them or residing with them for the Purposes of Labour & otherwise, by any Order of the War office, or of such Officer as may be authorized by the Said Office for that Purpose, Such Persons so having or receiving Such Prisoners of War, Are Required to enter the Names of such Prisoners with the next Justice of the Peace within One Week of bringing them to their Places of respective Residence.
The Inhabitants of York Town and its Vicinity are directed to make their Entries with Col. William Scott, Esquire."

Books about Reading
Hessians and the Citizens of Reading by Larry Wildemuth, Historical Review of Berks County, Spring 1970, p. 46-75; bibliography. 
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The Hessian Camp at Reading, PA 1781-1783. A paper read before the Historical Society June 14, 1910, by Andrew Shaaber. Published in Transactions Historical Society of Berks County, Volume III, Reading, 1923. This volume covered papers contributed from 1910-1916. p. 24-49. This article includes map with location of the POW camp, photo of a hut of Hessian camp reproduced from description. Lengthy foot notes but no bibliography. 

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"Reading Revisited" - They were Revolutionary War prisoners that no one wanted and the fledgling American government could not afford to finance their care and well-being by 

Henry J. Retzer 

Online at: http://www.berkshistory.org/articles/hessian.html 

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Berks County Historical Society, 940 Centre Avenue, Reading, PA 19601 phone 610-375-4375
The library is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM
This is the most recent information I have on phone and library hours. 
Donated by Peggy Lyte Tyrrell member of list

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Pennsylania - German  " A monthly magazine"

Article - Reading a Hessian Camp - donated by 

Marie Rasnick Fetzer  

Link