A sepia-toned vintage photograph capturing an elevated view of a snow-covered military or internment camp. Rows of dark barracks with snow on their roofs are separated by a road and secured by tall chain-link and barbed-wire fences under an overcast sky.

World War Two Prisoner of War Camps

The US Government housed German Prisoners of War at Camp Houlton during WWII. Photo: Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum.

During World War II, Maine became home to nearly 4,000 German prisoners of war. Camp Houlton, the state's largest Prisoner Of War camp, opened in 1944 and oversaw smaller branch camps in Augusta, Bangor, Presque Isle, Seboomook, Spencer Lake, and Princeton. Prisoners worked on potato farms in Aroostook County, harvested crops, cut pulpwood, and completed other jobs that kept farms and the forest products industry running. These camps helped solve a serious labor shortage after many Maine men left to serve in the military.

Life inside the camps was stricter than civilian life, but the prisoners were treated according to the Geneva Convention. They attended classes, played sports, performed music, and created artwork during their free time. Some even published camp newspapers, including Der Wachter and PW Post. Many of the paintings, wood carvings, and handmade items they left behind are now preserved in museums and archives across Maine.

Many local farmers were surprised by the prisoners' willingness to work hard, and over time, some developed a level of mutual respect. One of the best-known stories from Maine's POW camps took place at Spencer Lake, where several German prisoners escaped into the North Woods. They soon realized they were unprepared for the harsh wilderness and surrendered after only a short time.

Although Maine's prisoner of war camps are not widely known today, they played an important role in supporting the state's wartime economy. The photographs, artwork, newspapers, and personal stories that remain offer a unique look at an often-overlooked part of Maine's World War II history.

DigitalCommons Fogler Library: Maine POW Collection

A vintage black and white photograph of two men in military-style caps harvesting potatoes in a field. One man crouches on the left with a cigarette in his mouth, while the other bends over in the center wearing work gloves, with woven baskets sitting on the ground amidst the unburied potatoes. — POWs could not be forced to work, but could volunteer, which many of the German POWs at Houlton did. The prisoners were paid a dollar a day in scrip that they could spend at the base store. Photo: Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum.

A historic black and white photograph showing a group of men in uniform alongside a woman in a dark winter coat standing outdoors near a house. Several of the men's trousers and jackets are marked with the letters "PW", and the handwritten text "Prisoners 1945" is visible at the bottom edge of the photo. — Camp Houlton was established in 1944 for the internment of prisoners of war (POW) to provide laborers for local farms to harvest peas, pick potatoes and other work. Photo: Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum.

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