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Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy
Camp Blanding
Camp Blanding southeast of Lake City near Starke trained
more than 800,000 soldiers from 1940 to 1945. One wonders how
many of those soldiers, having experienced the beautiful weather of
north Florida, returned after the war for vacation or to settle down. In
Lake City during the war many participated in canned-food drives
and in growing home gardens. Officials dedicated Lake Shore Hospi-
tal in 1940 to increase medical care to those in the area. In 1942,
federal officials commissioned the Naval Air Station, which would
become the municipal airport after the war. The Lake City Woman’s
Club became the United Service Organizations (USO) headquarters
to entertain service personnel stationed in the vicinity.
Travelers and residents of Lake City used the
Greyhound Bus Terminal at the corner of West Duval
and North Columbia streets.
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www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: 7C3282B3-DDE1-49C3-985A-3A9C9467368D
