Introduction
©U.S. Army photo by Spc. Tucker White – https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5884607/conditioning-course-camp-atterbury
The Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck Joint Maneuver Training Center serves as a primary training site located in South-Central Indiana, about 4 miles West of Edinburgh, Indiana. It provides realistic live, virtual, and constructive training and testing programs for individual, collective, or joint operations. The campground aims to increase training readiness, attract commercial defense industry participation, and build strategic partnerships.
Camp Atterbury (CAIN) is a federally owned facility that offers various range training, live-fire venues, managed airspace with air-to-ground firing capabilities, and an LVC simulation and exercise base camp. It can provide training excellence and full logistics assistance for up to two brigade-size elements simultaneously on more than 34,000 acres. The military and civilian training base facility is licensed and operated under the Armed Forces of the State of Indiana’s command.
Directions:
The Camp Atterbury Main Gate is a GPS-friendly address. Enter the following address into any online map, GPS program, or device to receive the approximate location of the camp:
Camp Atterbury
3008 Old Hospital Road, Edinburgh, IN. 46124
Please note that the Old Hospital Road is not officially recognized in Edinburgh, Indiana. The online map or GPS program will lead you to Road 800 S. You may click here for the camp’s cantonment map download (pdf).
A brief history of Camp Atterbury
Soldiers doing drills at Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana (1943) ©https://www.atterburymuscatatuck.in.ng.mil
The site was mainly selected when the United States War Department issued orders to consider potential sites for a new US Army training base camp in Indiana. On 14 January 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entry into WWII, they proceeded with their plan. Before it had been home to more than 500 Indiana farm families, a military installation took root in the 40,351.53 acres of land. It has over 1,700 buildings, including barracks, officer quarters, mess halls, a library, a post office, an infirmary, and medical and recreational facilities.
The initial construction began in February 1942. The initial construction began in February 1942. They named the camp in memory of Indiana native, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and World War I veteran Brigadier General William Wallace Atterbury. He served as a staff member to General John G. Pershing and received a Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions during WWI. Camp Johnson, Camp Bartholomew, and Camp MacArthur were the other names taken into consideration.
Within six months, various civilian contractors were able to finish the camp. After seeing its muddy grounds resulting from heavy spring rains during 1942, they called it Mudburry during its construction. During WWII, its primary aim was to provide training excellence for the United States Army throughout its peak years. Training commenced between 1942 and 1944 for numerous auxiliary and service units commanded by the military. Four US Army divisions trained at the camp as well.
They reactivated the camp and other facilities at the onset of the Korean War for support. It was again deactivated in 1954 and remained dormant until the late 1960s. When the army discontinued its use as a military installation, they transferred and commissioned the camp under the Indiana National Guard’s control.
The Wakeman General Hospital
Aerial view of the camp and its facilities, 1942 © James D. West – www.IndianaMilitary.org
The Wakeman General Hospital Center became the plastic and neurological surgery pioneer that treated more than 85,000 patients. Under the direction of Col. Truman G. Blocker, it served thousands of soldiers at the camp, specializing in plastic, neuro-, and reconstructive surgery. During the 1940s, it was one of the best equipped among forty-three specialized general hospitals in the United States.
It was deactivated together with the camp in December of 1946 and stood dormant until August 1950. They transferred the remaining patients during that time to other medical institutions. The Women’s Army Corps Medical Department Enlisted Technicians’ School relocated to San Antonio, Texas.
The Internment Camp
©https://orangebeanindiana.com/2019/11/13/pow-paradise-camp-atterbury-in-south-central-indiana/
From April 1943 to June 1946, they enclosed a portion of the camp with a double barbed-wire fence surrounded by military towers for war prisoners. The internment camp received an estimated 15,000 soldiers, most Italian and German. Seriously injured prisoners received treatment at Wakeman General Hospital beds. For the duration of its operation, the internment camp was under the command of Lt. Col. John L. Gammell. They assigned a roman catholic priest as the camp’s chaplain named Father Maurice F. In 1970. The remains of the prisoners who died at the camp were exhumed from the POW Atterbury Cemetery and moved to Camp Butler Cemetery, near Springfield, Illinois.
The Camp Atterbury Rock
The 15th-century stiletto carved into the stone ©https://superfitcanine.com/events
Since World War II, the famous rock had sat at the east entrance to the post when the nation once used it as a prisoner-of-war camp. There were around 3,000 Italian prisoners at the internment post, and one of them, Libero Puccini, carved the famous rock. During the rock’s unveiling ceremony, American officials in attendance were surprised to see the Italian dagger carved into the stone. After the armed conflict, Libero Puccini returned to America and became citizen.
The Chapel in the Meadow
Camp Atterbury’s annual POW Chapel event, September 2020 ©https://www.facebook.com/CampAtterburyIndiana/photos
In 1943, the first wave of POWs, mostly Catholic, built a tiny chapel at Camp Atterbury during WWII. The POWs used scraps, natural dyes from nearby flower and berry patches, and other discarded materials from other building projects to complete the chapel. They gave the nickname “The Chapel in the Meadow.” In 1989, it was restored and re-dedicated at Camp Atterbury. It is the only virtually remaining site of the POW camp and is now a popular tourist destination.
The Camp’s Capabilities
From the 1970s through the 1990s, Camp Atterbury’s primary mission was to aid the Indiana National Guard and its various missions. It includes assisting with Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Desert Shield conflicts. Under the Indiana National Guard’s supervision, it has found a new life as a premier training and mobilization site promoting the United States military efforts worldwide. Today, Camp Atterbury continues the mission that started in 1942, preparing America’s troops for service and, in this, embodies the installation motto: “Preparamus” (we are ready).
3 Primary Mission Areas:
- To provide traditional training and testing assistance to ARNG (Army National Guard), Active, Reserve, and Joint Forces as a proposed Regional Collective Training Capability (RCTC) installation.
- Provide users with sophisticated and high-tech multi-domain training opportunities.
- Upon order, it will serve as a Primary Mobilization Force Generation Installation (pMFGI) identified by the United States FORSCOM.
The Atterbury-Muscatatuck can participate in distributed training events located at any Joint Maneuver Training Center (JMTC) site throughout the globe with capabilities and opportunities that provide collective simulation and gaming-based training exercises capable of replicating complex operational environments.
Training Environment
The vigorous simulations capability includes a 25-acre Training Aids, Devices, Simulators, and Simulations (TADSS) complex. It is approximately 10,000 square foot Training Support Center (TSC) and a 25-acre Joint Simulations, Training and Exercise Center (JSTEC) with ARNG Mission Training Complex (MTC).
The RCTC or Regional Collective Training Center offers focused and immersive training environments for domestic and foreign active and military reserve components. It also provides training for law enforcement and homeland defense agencies. They cater to special operations forces, military units, civilian expeditionary workforce volunteers, and including the Regional Training Institute (RTI) attendees.
Types of Training includes:
- Pre-mission training
- Task Force training
- Division and brigade warfighters
- Validation exercises
- United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) testing and evaluation
- Private sector testing and evaluation
- Pilotless aerial systems training and testing
- Cyber course and cyber validation exercise
- Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR)
If you need help planning a testing or training program, you can contact their planning team specialist.
Address:
Atterbury-Muscatatuck Center for Complex Operations (AMCCO)
Camp Atterbury, Building 4A
P. O. Box 5000
Edinburgh, IN 46124
Phone:
1-812-526-1526
The Camp Ranges
©https://www.facebook.com/CampAtterburyIndiana/photos
The camp’s range of training sites are available to all branches of service, government agencies at all levels, and to first responders, industry, and other entities who are willing and can schedule training throughout the year. When incorporated with available maneuver areas, managers and leaders can immerse their organizations in a very diverse and challenging training environment. Available range training sites include:
Small Arms and Crew-Served Weapons
- Convoy Live-Fire Range
- Known Distance Sniper Range
- Live Fire Shoot Houses
- Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range (MPMG)
- Multi-Purpose Training Range (MPTR)
- Over 80 Artillery and Mortar Firing Points
Demolition and Explosives
- Breach Houses
- Grenade Range
- IED (Improvised Explosive Device) Defeat Lane
- Light and Heavy Demolition Range
Air Operations
- Helicopter Aerial Gunnery Range
- Indiana Air Range Complex, with two high-tech, varied, munitions-capable air-to-ground complexes
- Multiple personnel and heavy drop zones
- –10,000 foot Bowden Drop Zone
- UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) launch and recovery area with a 1,800-foot paved runway
Muscatatuck Urban Training Operations
- Muscatatuck Urban Training Center
- CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high yield Explosives) Training
- Cyber Range
- Theater-Unique Telephone and Electromagnetic Environment
- Multiple Villages/MOUT (Military Operations Urban Terrain) Sites
The campground’s full complement of the traditional range and venues offers boundless possibilities for full immersion training. Managers and leaders can choose from a wide variety of venues, including the Bowden Drop Zone, one of the most extended personnel drop zones east of the Mississippi River, and Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex, the Department Of Defense’s largest inner-city training facility.
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The Muscatatuck Urban Training Center is currently on the former Muscatatuck State Developmental Center (MSDC) ground location. They created MSDC for patients with mental health problems in 1920 and became one of the largest mental health institutions. In July 2005, the governor transferred the facility and commissioned it to the Indiana National Guard. The actual city includes:
- Built physical infrastructure.
- A well-integrated cyber-physical environment.
- An electromagnetic effects system.
- Other human elements.
This 1,000-acre lot now features more than 120 training structures and over 1 mile of searchable tunnels.
If you and your unit or group are interested, you will be asked to log in or request a new account for scheduling through their Range Facility Management Support System (RFMSS) website. You may also contact the camp’s Range Control Division for adequate scheduling and other information. Make sure that your team or unit is geared up for the challenges at the camp.
Location:
Range Control Division
Camp Atterbury, Building 127
PO Box 5000
Edinburgh, Indiana 46124
Phone Number:
Range Control Officer:
812-526-1351
Fire Desk Secondary Line:
812-526-1476
Helpful links regarding the base camp’s ranges:
Ammunition Supply Point External SOP ( click to download pdf)
The Deployment Facility
©https://www.facebook.com/CampAtterburyIndiana/photos
The Atterbury Rail Deployment Facility (ARDF) can load or unload a brigade combat team in 72 hours. It is cost-effective, efficient, and one of the most economical ways to transport large equipment, military gear, and personnel. ARDF Logistics can handle 120 wagons per day. It is one of the critical factors in the Indiana National Guard’s ability to assist military operations.
ARDF Hours and Contact:
Location:
5921 Schoolhouse Road
Edinburgh, 56124
Hours of Operation:
Dependent upon scheduling
Points of Contact:
812-526-1499, Ext. 74435, 61464 or 76023
Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck: Touring around the camp
You will find many interesting sites to visit within the Camp Atterbury premises, and each brings out the extraordinary circumstances during the campground’s prime years. These historical sites are free and are mostly open to the public and tourists. So bring your camping gear and essentials. Let’s take a tour of Indiana’s historical training campground.
The Camp’s Museum and Outdoor Displays
©https://www.facebook.com/CampAtterburyIndiana/photos
The camp has a fine museum covering a wide-ranging history that focuses on Camp Atterbury’s era. Its timeline set up takes you on a journey through pre-acquisition, construction, activation, unit training, and up until now as it is today. There are exceptional photographs, local newspapers, artifacts, and other information on world issues and local community history.
It has two parts, it has inside and outdoor displays. You can find various old military vehicles in WWII like tanks, artillery pieces, trucks, armored utility cars, etc., outdoors. Visitors can spend thirty minutes to an hour or more taking pictures and learning about Indiana and United States military history.
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It reopened to a new site in the Camp Atterbury Welcome Center on Hospital Road in 2012. It is located just before Durbin Street. The admission is free for any individual, large groups, tours, student groups and can accommodate the physically disabled. It is open Monday to Friday, 9 to 4 pm, and Saturdays, 10 to 2 pm.
You can contact the Camp Atterbury Community Relations Specialist if you want to make special arrangements for large groups who plan to tour outside regular business hours or if you are interested in being a volunteer. You may call them at 812-526-1499, Ext. 61553.
The “Stone” and POW Chapel
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You can see the famous rock or stone on Hospital Road after entering Atterbury Camp from Highway 31. These are considered the two legacies left by the Italian prisoners of war at Atterbury Camp in 1943. Even today, the community still holds mass and activities at the chapel and is usually followed by a picnic or museum social for tourists and other attendees.
The Veteran’s Memorial
©https://www.facebook.com/CampAtterburyIndiana/photos
Soldiers and civilians can attend the Veteran’s Memorial Commemoration to honor the men and women who have served, deployed, or demobilized during the war. Every year, representatives from each division featured on the Camp Atterbury Veteran’s Memorial place a wreath to commemorate their division. Also, visitors can view the Memorial wall, walk, and reflect pool. The memorial is available for use by military units and entities that want to host official ceremonies and programs.
Operating Hours:
Monday – Friday (9 am to 4 pm)
Saturday (10 am to 2 pm)
Phone Number:
Public Affairs Office
812-526-1499, Ext. 61386
Community Relations Specialist
812-526-1499, Ext. 61553
Fish & Wildlife Area
©www.facebook.com/INfishandwildlife/photos
The area is dedicated to providing quality hunting and fishing capabilities. The property totals 4,950 acres of upland game habitat, marsh, running creeks, and shallow impoundments. They receive federal funds and aids from the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson programs to promote its aquatic and wildlife restoration. Taxes levied on sport hunting, shooting, and fishing gear and equipment also contribute to funding their cause.
The Indiana community is proud to provide this property for the enjoyment of all people. Please bring a bag to carry out your trash and keep Indiana’s public lands clean and beautiful in response to this deed. You can find helpful signs and guideposts within the area. Always follow safety rules and regulations to help other visitors have an enjoyable time.
Location:
7970 S. Rowe Street
Edinburgh, IN 46124-1456
Phone: 812-526-2051
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am – 2:30 pm
Helpful download links:
- Fish and Wildlife Area Map (download pdf)
- Indiana Fishing Regulation Guide (download pdf)
Hunting Guide (download pdf)
Other Facilities to visit:
Military Personnel, authorized users under NGR 5-3-1, including service members, retirees, government agencies, Department of Defense contractors, civilians operating on a military base, and their friends and family, can enjoy some of the facilities provided inside the camp. Facilities include:
- Camp Troop – Billeting
Troop Issue Billeting covers nearly 153 acres and aims to provide a timely, safe, and sanitary facility for soldiers and civilians conducting training at the camp.
Contact:
Billeting/Troop-Issue NCOIC
812-526-1499 Ext. 61952
Office Clerk
812-526-1499 Ext. 61705
- Lodging – Chargeable Transient Quarters
The Lodging Office offers hotel-style rooms (standard or deluxe) other amenities like free wifi, microwave, refrigerator, flat-screen, housekeeping services, etc. Users can also choose from either queen-sized or full-sized beds. You may request a private room if it’s available (fees range from $35 to $53, see details of the lodges here).
Reservations:
Phone: 812-526-1128
Email: ng.in.inarng.list.cajmtc-housing@mail.mil
Location:
Bldg. 402, Clark Street
Edinburgh, IN 46124
Operating Hours:
Open Monday-Saturday, 7:30 am to 4 pm.
Closed on Sundays and federal holidays
You can find other hotels and lodges located near the camp. We recommend that you opt for hotels with good reviews. They also have the Muscatatuck Low Budget Motel. You may contact them if you want to make reservations.
Reservations:
Phone: 317-247-3300, Ext. 41790/41792
Location:
Building 5284
Operating Hours:
Open Monday-Saturday, 7:30 am to 4 pm.
Closed on federal holidays
- MWR Accommodations
The Lakeside Cabin Rentals offer guests a relaxing place to enjoy leisure activities and wildlife. It also includes an outside fire pit, paddle pontoon boats, a wooded hiking footpath, a playground for kids, and a sandy beach area. You can also set up your tent (fees range from 20$ to 30$), do barbecue grills outside, and enjoy nature and its wildlife with your friends, kids, and family.
RV site spaces (fees cost $30/day) are available inside the camp. Hook-ups are available if you want to recharge your batteries and other devices, get clean water, or whether your RV needs a sewer service. If you want to make sure that you’ll have a good night’s sleep, having the best beds or mattresses for your RV is a must. Although the campground feels safe and guarded by the Indiana State security prisoners, you still might want to invest in your RV’s door locks so you can be worry-free during your stay. You can check the reviews of these RV campsites to ensure a great experience.
Reservations:
Phone: 812-526-1128
MWR Program Manager: 812-526-1499, Ext. 61966
Location:
Bldg. 402, Clark Street
Edinburgh, IN 46124
Operating Hours:
Open Monday-Saturday, 7:30 am to 4 pm.
Pool (BLDG 320) Monday-Friday, 12–8 pm daily (seasonal)
Closed on Sundays and federal holidays
- Conference and Workshop Facilities
It can conduct government, military, and civic conferences in the MG R. Martin Umbarger Conference auditorium or camp meeting rooms. Amenities are available, such as large meeting rooms, break-out rooms, catering services, an auditorium with full audio, video, and IT systems, on-post accommodations, and guided tours.
Contact:
Team Conference Support
812-526-1387 or 812-526-1276
©U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Matt Scotten – https://www.dvidshub.net/image/360944/atterbury-programs-keep-soldiers-fit
The Resilience Campus provides military members, retirees, and families access to various innovative programs and tailored services to improve their sense of well-being. Each designed program aims to enhance mind and body resilience and readiness. Some programs include family counseling, financial management, substance abuse, spiritual fitness, and suicide inhibition advocacies. Their fitness facility offers services for physical fitness exercises and assessments. It has a basketball court, volleyball net, aerobics area, free weights, aerobic machines, and on-site shower facilities.
Contact:
317-247-3300, Ext. 61687
Location:
IRC Welcome Center
Building 338, Camp Atterbury
Edinburgh, Indiana 46124
Operating Hours:
Monday – Friday: 0800-1600
Weekends based on mission
Camp Atterbury and its Community
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The Indiana National Guard continues to help, provide, and host community programs at the base camp open to the public. These community day programs feature various exhibits, tours, and activities for families and children. It usually includes military static display areas, community information, video presentations, live audio music bands, on-post tours, historical scenes reenactments, and live firing demonstrations. You may follow the camp’s official Facebook fan page or the Indiana National Guard Official Facebook Page for gatherings, exhibits, and other activities in the camp. Please take note that their Facebook fan page is not a platform to answer questions from the public. It only provides information and announcements of programs happening at the camp. You may inquire about Community Requests, Armed Forces Participation and Aerial Support in public gatherings, Humanitarian Donations, Transportation of Non-Department of Defense Goods, and Child and Youth community projects at their website. You may consult their official website (see link here).
COVID-19 Guidance
In response to the COVID-19 prevention guidance, they have updated their procedures for utilizing their fitness gym facilities. The fitness gym will be open for military personnel ONLY. No guests or dependents are allowed to use the facility at this time. Camp Atterbury Auxiliary Gym (Bldg. 528) will remain closed until further notice. All personnel coming to the camp must be pre-screened using their Q-2 Appendix 2 COVID-19 Screening questionnaire (download here).