Camp Nordland was a resort facility located in

Andover Township, New Jersey Andover Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 5,996, a decrease of 323 since the 2010 Census.German American Bund, which sympathized with and propagandized for

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in the United States. This resort camp was opened by the Bund on 18 July 1937.

History

In the years before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the Bund held events at the facility to encourage pro-German, pro-Nazi values—many of these events attracting over 10,000 visitors. On 18 August 1940, it was the site of a joint rally with the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

, organized by

Alton Milford Young Alton Milford Young (May 24, 1884 – July 16, 1950) was the Grand or Imperial Kaliff and the Imperial Kludd of the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey. The Imperial Kludd is the chaplain of the Imperial Klonvokation and he performs "such other duties as ...

and

Arthur Hornbui Bell Arthur Hornbui Bell (February 14, 1891 – March 1973) was an attorney and the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey. Early years He was born on February 14, 1891, in Manhattan, New York City to William John Bell of England. Arthur wa ...

. On 30 April 1941, Sussex County sheriff

Denton Quick Denton may refer to: Places In England * Denton, Cambridgeshire, part of Denton and Caldecote * Denton, County Durham * Denton, East Sussex * Denton, Gravesham, part of the town of Gravesend, Kent * Denton, Greater Manchester * Denton, Kent, ...

(d. 1969) led a law-enforcement raid with ten deputized

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of ...

naires on the camp which resulted in its closure, confiscation, and the arrests and trials of key Bund leaders. One of those convicted, August Klapprott, a naturalized American citizen, later petitioned the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

in '' Klapprott v. United States'', 335 U.S. 601 (1949), to intervene in the revocation of his citizenship and the proposed deportation that resulted from his conviction. After being seized by the government, the property was eventually turned over to Andover Township and became the township's "Hillside Park." Today, the facility houses the township's police headquarters and several recreational fields. The property's banquet hall is used for township events and frequently rented for wedding receptions. While much of its history and notoriety has faded over the last 70 years, many local residents of Sussex County still refer to the area as the "bund camp."

References

{{Coord, 41.02985, -74.72035, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NJ, display=title Andover Township, New Jersey German American Bund German-American culture in New Jersey Organizations based in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Sussex County, New Jersey

History

See also

References