Save the Date
Sunday afternoon, September 14th
The Italian POW Chapel in the Meadow at Camp Atterbury
Mass and Picnic
Do you know the story?
It’s a fascinating slice of Italian American history that not many people know about.
Camp Atterbury, located a 45-minute drive south of Indianapolis in Edinburgh, IN, is named after Brigadier General William Wallace Atterbury, who was born in Indiana and served in World War I. However, the camp was not established until 1942, primarily to provide training for the US Army in preparation for World War II. It had hospitals, it trained medical personnel, and one of its main functions was to serve as an internment camp for Italian and German prisoners of war. The first POWs to arrive there were Italians. They were captured in North Africa, and it is said that upon arrival, some of them thought that they were in India. They didn’t really know where they were. Many of them were ill, but they were given very humane and kind treatment at the camp. While it was regimented, they were given a lot of privileges: to send and receive mail and they even created a bocce court for themselves.
Farmland surrounded them, so they did agricultural work, which many of them were used to doing.
The atmosphere seemed to be cordial between the soldiers and the POWs. Perhaps the prisoners were happy to be out of the war. A story is told that one of them tried to escape when he heard a rumor that they were sending him back. That was apparently the only escape attempt.
They asked the Commander if they could build a chapel. The Commander did give his permission, but the materials for it would have to be found in the camp. They began in earnest and the building became known as the Chapel in the Meadow. They painted a crucifix, angels with the Madonna, and St. Anthony, from pigments they made from berries and plants.
At the end of the war, when the prisoners were freed, several of them stayed behind and married local girls and some of their descendants still attend the Mass that we say every year at this chapel. The chapel was not torn down after the war but deteriorated over time. In the late 1980s, it was restored.
That’s when we started to celebrate it every year and we still do.
In 2017, The Indiana Historical Society, one of the most prestigious museums of its kind in the United States, thought the story should be told, so we were invited to collaborate with them. The Italian Heritage Society was one of the major sponsors of this interactive exhibit, which was called “You Are There”. They recreated the Chapel, hired actors to play the parts of the POWs, the commander, the chaplain so one was transported back to 1943 watching the POWs paint.
More information will be coming out this summer with program details. We hope that you will plan to join us for a beautiful day together honoring this historical moment of our Italian heritage.
We thank long-time member Mario Vian, who has dedicated his time and resources for many years to ensure that the traditions continue at this event.
To learn more about this event and its history, visit Indiana History’s dedicated page or watch this short documentary.
Submitted by Carol Faenzi, excerpted from her interview by We The Italians.
