Friends Donations & Sweat Equity Produce Results
The Friends Assist With Park Projects
Interpretive Sign Program
Thanks to Hospitality Helping Hands (see RC 1772 story below) the first of ten interpretive signs was installed near the Old Ordnance Room. After the new Great Rivers Greenway trail comes through Jefferson Barracks County Park, this sign will be moved to a permanent location near the foundations of RC 1772. The remaining signs are installed at various places in the park to help interpret the historic areas.
The Story Of Reception Center 1772
During World War II, from March 1941 until July 1943, more than 125,000 troops were processed through Reception Center 1772 at Jefferson Barracks. The Center operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Forty officers and 311 enlisted men were assigned to staff this area. Their basic mission was to receive men from regional Selective Service Centers, process them, and equip them for transfer to a Training Center or a unit of Field Forces for basic training.
After the War ended and Jefferson Barracks Military Post was decommissioned, some of the land became a park in the St. Louis County Park system. The Reception Center buildings were dismantled and the area became an undeveloped section of Jefferson Barracks County Park. Eventually all that remained of the buildings was covered by trees, bushes, and weeds.
The River Ring, a comprehensive interconnected system of greenways, parks, and trails developed by the Great Rivers Greenway District is coming to Jefferson Barracks County Park. Efforts have begun by St. Louis County Parks Personnel and Trail Crew Volunteers to clear the foliage from the Reception Center area to expose some of the foundations where the new trail will come through. If you are interested in helping with this project call (314) 615-8865. Parks staff and volunteers will partner on this and other projects such as gardening, landscaping, trail building and maintenance, and honeysuckle removal.
The map below shows the area of Reception Center 1772, north and east of the Old Ordnance Room.
