Camp Meigs

Camp Meigs was a military training facility built on former farmland in Readville that housed thousands of Union soldiers from 1862 to 1865. The site contained parade grounds, barracks, and support buildings arranged to accommodate the large numbers of troops preparing for battle.

The camp was established in 1862 as a training ground for Union regiments, notably the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, which became one of the first African-American combat units. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the military facility closed and the land passed to other uses.

The site served as a gathering place where soldiers from different backgrounds trained together before heading to battle. Its transformation into community space afterward shows how military grounds become part of everyday local life.

Historical markers and information panels throughout the grounds are freely available year-round and explain the camp's layout and military role. Visiting is straightforward since there are no admission fees or formal restrictions on access.

The grounds later became the Readville Race Track, where in 1915 an experimental aircraft made its maiden test flight. This early airplane represented a turning point in the development of combat aviation.