Sunbonnet Questers
The May meeting of Sunbonnet Questers was May 10 at the home of Susan Grigsby with 10 members present. Susan introduced new member Jan Cory.
The business meeting was brief. However, Charlotte Townsend presented ideas for summer field trips for the group. Proposed ideas included a trip to Oskaloosa, a visit to the Meredith Corporation Test Garden in Des Moines, and the nearby Sculpture Garden. Dates and times will be discussed at the next meeting, June 14 at the home of Nancy Ignozzi.
Charlotte Townsend presented the program — “World War II Prisoner of War Camps in Iowa.” There was a large camp at Algona. She found between 1944 and 1946, 500 camps held 425,000 prisoners with the majority of those German POWS. The camp at Algona was one of the largest, holding about 10,000 over the two-year period. Facilities at the camp included three barracks, a 150-bed medical building, as well as a shower and latrine building, and buildings to house guards and military personnel. Cultural and sporting events were held for prisoners at the camp. Everything was dismantled after prisoners left to return home in 1946, Algona now has a POW museum describing the camp, its facilities and the work of the prisoners and memorabilia and letters from former prisoners.