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Written by Freda Day – During World War II, Camp Bowie was a huge, bustling Army base. It was built in 1940. By 1942, what started as 2,000 acres had expanded to 120,000 acres. Camp Bowie became one of the largest training centers in Texas, with about 250,000 soldiers passing through. In 1943, it also became a Prisoner of War camp, with approximately 2,700 prisoners held there.

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In 1946, the War Department announced that Camp Bowie was considered “surplus” since the end of the war. Much of the land and buildings were distributed to private owners. A smaller version of Camp Bowie remains as a National Guard training station.

During the war, Camp Bowie was largely a training camp, where soldiers were trained in the many tools of war, so it isn’t surprising that after the camp closed, there was a good deal of live ordinance left in and on the ground.

The story of Rudy Gil was told to me by a cemetery visitor looking for the grave of his childhood friend.

This gentleman said that when this took place in 1953, he was ten years old and Rudy Gil was only seven. When he was a child, his family picked cotton. One day some of the boys found three ordinance shells, and took them home to play with. They played with them for many months with no problem.

One day when it was raining, the boys were playing outside. Rudy was had two of the shells, running them through the mud and into each other, nose to nose. One of them exploded, and Rudy was killed.

Rudy is only one of the hundreds of children in Greenleaf Cemetery.

About Greenleaf Cemetery:

The Greenleaf Cemetery was established in 1868.  Greenleaf Fisk gave five acres to the town for a burial place, and two and one half acres each the Pecan Valley IOOF Lodge No. 236, October 26, 1883, and to the Brownwood Masonic Lodge No. 141 AF and AM, December 3, 1883, making a total of ten acres for burial purposes.  There has been four additions to the cemetery since then and now has over 18,000 burials.  A section was set aside in 1958 for members of the Catholic denomination.  The cemetery was named Round Mountain and later renamed Greenleaf.  The Brownwood Garden Club built the present entrance.  During 1918 they averaged about four burials a day due to the flu epidemic.  At this time they had four crews digging day and night.

The Greenleaf Cemetery Association was incorporated April 10, 1923  The Greenleaf Cemetery is a non-profit perpetual care cemetery.  Its governing body consists of five board members, elected by members of the Greenleaf Cemetery Association.  The cemetery is located off Highway 377 South (Brady Highway) across the railroad tracks within the city limits of Brownwood.

Source: http://browncountyhistory.org/greenleafC.html

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Freda Day works as the Office Manager for the historic Greenleaf Cemetery. She moved to the Brownwood area in her teens, after traveling with her family as an “Air Force Brat.” Now in her 60’s, most of the generations of her family that came before her have passed. She says “Everyday is like a family reunion coming to work.”

If you would like to help Greenleaf Cemetery with a financial donation, please make a check payable to Keep Brownwood Beautiful and write “Greenleaf Project” on the memo line. Mail your check to:

Greenleaf Cemetery P.O.Box 455. Brownwood, Texas 76804-0455

Donations by credit card are also accepted by calling the cemetery office at (325) 646-6919.

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