Camp Shelby archaeologists connect WWII reception center to ‘Rails-to-Trails’ site

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (WDAM) - Archaeologists at Camp Shelby are excavating a historic site used by thousands of soldiers just arriving for training in World War II.

It’s a reception center, with building foundations that are around 80 years old.

It’s being integrated into a Rails-to-Trails site.

The goal is to establish a wider nature trail that will wind around the historic structures while preserving the concrete foundations.

“People can explore these woods, and we’ll have trails through here, and each of the foundations will have signage that will tell you what it was back in World War II, when it was the reception center, what building it was and what year it was constructed,” said Brian Flynt, an archaeologist with the Mississippi National Guard.

The current work at the reception center site is part of a larger project called the Camp Shelby Historic Trail. That project involves the excavation and preservation of several historic sites at many different locations throughout Camp Shelby.

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