FORT MONMOUTH, N.J. -- The staff of the CECOM LCMC Historical Office spent a Saturday recently promoting Fort Monmouth's rich history at the Monmouth County Archives' 14th Annual Archives and History Day in Manalapan, N.J.

More than 60 New Jersey-based archives and history organizations participated in the event, which hundreds of people attended.

This year's theme was "New Jersey During the Great Depression." The CECOM LCMC historians consequently worked with Chenega Technology Services Corp., graphic artist Michael Kravetsky to design an exhibit highlighting the construction effort of Fort Monmouth during the era of the 1930s.

In 1929 the Signal Corps consolidated the various radio laboratories around the nation here, making it the hub of Signal Corps activity in the country. That led to a major construction effort at the fort that generated local jobs at a time when the jobs were badly needed.

The exhibit included photographs of the tents in which the first Soldiers here lived and the temporary wooden structures that replaced them. Buildings constructed during the Great Depression, such as Squier, Russel, and Allison Hall, were shown as they looked then and as they look today. Photos also depicted Works Progress Administration personnel at work here.

This is the sixth year that the fort's Historical Office's participated in the event. The historians instituted a micro-history program called "Five for the Fort."

Norma Jean Garriton, CECOM LCMC's newest staff historian, conducted five-minute interviews with members of the public about their memories of Fort Monmouth.

Robert J. Clark, of Roosevelt, N.J., had fond recollections of Fort Monmouth. Clark was originally from Illinois, where he participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Illinois. He was stationed here from September 1970 to March 1972. He became the commanding officer of the Military Police (MP) company here in 1971.

"I remember that it was a very good post for someone to be in the military police because it was quieter than many other posts," Clark recalled.

"Over half the population of Fort Monmouth was civilians and it was also the home of the Advanced Signal School; the MPs did not have to deal with people who were drafted and who often had discipline problems," he said.

Clark said, "I found that it was a very good place to be. I met my wife at the Officers Club and wound up staying [in New Jersey] the rest of my life."

The Archives and History Day provided another opportunity to show the general public how Fort Monmouth's history relates to the history of the communities it borders.

If you would like to share memories of the fort, contact the Historical Office for more information about the oral history program.