Did You Know A German POW Camp Was In Phoenixville During World War II?

Philadelphia and Chester County are rich in Colonial Era history, but Phoenixville is notable as a location of a historical landmark during second World War.

German prisoners of war (POW’s) were kept at Phoenixville’s Valley Forge General Hospital.

Prisoners arrived in February 1945 and left in July 1946, often being assigned to minimum-security work details, according to historical documents.

The hospital eventually closed in 1970.

Today it is the location of the University of Valley Forge, located between Charlestown Road and Township Line Road, slightly southwest of downtown.

Images courtesy of Richard Gump Devaney