Special Presentation by Matt Carter Monday, June 26, 2023, 6:30 PM Multi-Purpose Room on the Fairgrounds Free will offering to support museum projects.
During World War II, more than 400,000 prisoners of war were sent to the United States after being captured by Allied forces. These prisoners of war were sent across the country where they were placed in prisoner of war camps throughout the duration of the war. The U.S. had more than 12-million men and women serving the country, causing a labor shortage across the country. The prisoners of war were used to offset the labor shortage, working within the communities where they were housed and eventually returning home after the war’s conclusion. This presentation will explore the history of the German POW camps that were prevalent throughout Wisconsin.
Matt Carter is a Wisconsin native and currently works as the executive director of the Dakota County Historical Society in South St. Paul, Minnesota. He has worked in the museum field for more than 10 years and has researched a variety of topics that range from the history of baseball to prisoner of war camps throughout the Midwest. His interest in POW camps started when he learned of Camp Reedsburg, a German POW camp during World War II that housed 137 German prisoners in his hometown of Reedsburg, Wis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Public History with a minor in Library Science and a master’s degree in History with a Public History certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He currently lives in Menomonie, Wis. with his wife, two children and their dog.