Camp Nordland was a resort facility located in

Andover Township, New Jersey Andover Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,996, a decrease of 323 (−5.1%) from the 2 ...

. From 1937 to 1941, this site was owned and operated by the German American Bund, which sympathized with and propagandized for

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Bund held events at the facility to encourage pro-German, pro-Nazi values—many of these events attracting over 10,000 visitors. In its first year, about 8,000 people gathered at the site to enjoy refreshments as they practiced speech making, Nazi salutes and marches. Newspaper articles report that protests were established by Samuel Dickstein,

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

, and various VFW posts throughout the state. On 18 August 1940, it was the site of a joint rally with the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

, organized by Alton Milford Young and Arthur Hornbui Bell. The rally was greeted unenthusiastically by many members of the Klan, many of whom were nationalists who viewed the Bund as against American interests. The rally had anticipated 50,000 attendees, but less than 3,000 people were present. Both Young and Bell were later ousted from their positions by the Klan for the meeting. On 30 April 1941, Sussex County sheriff Denton Quick (d. 1969) led a law-enforcement raid with ten deputized

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 Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. 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 Antisemitism in 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