Past
The United States Army operated Camp Murphy from 1942 to 1944 as their Southern Signal Corps School. Its primary purpose was train soldiers in radar maintenance during World War II. At the time radar was top secret. Captain (later Colonel) John A. Ord was responsible for setting the camp up. The camp was named after Col. William H. Murphy, a "pioneer in the development of radio beams and equipment for military aircraft."
Although the property owned or leased for the camp covered over 11,000 acres, nearly all of the buildings were located between the railroad tracks and US 1. Only the water treatment plant, incinerators, dumps, and firing ranges were west of the railroad. Among those stationed at camp was the legend Vince "Trapper" Nelson.
Present
After the camp was decommissioned, it was used briefly for migrant housing before being transferred to the state to become a State Park. In recent years, a historical marker about the camp was erected in the parking area for Hobe Mountain Tower. An adjacent kiosk has also been added with information about the camp, including photos and a map of the camp's layout.
Although the camp consisted of over 600 buildings, most were made of wood and nearly all have been removed. The only camp building in good condition and still in active use is a former barracks building remains along the road to Hobe Mountain. Old concrete buildings include the water vaults, water treatment plant, cistern, admin building, literature vault, and bank vault. Ruined foundations can still be found for the post exchange, theater, and recreation hall.
Future
Most of Camp Murphy's remains will eventually be removed in an effort to restore and preserve the sand pine scrub environment. Removal of old camp infrastructure has been underway since the 1950s; many asphalt roads and more than a dozen concrete foundations have already been removed. The concrete rubble may be used for an artificial reef.
Some of the environmental impact from the camp can be seen in areas where the asphalt has been removed, both in person and on aerial photographs. Oil and compressed asphalt fragments have altered the soil's pH which makes it harder for plants to grow. As a result, most of the old roads are still easy to find. Also visible for similar reasons is the old railroad spur area which included not only a railroad track, but also asphalt, warehouse buildings, and a coal storage area.
Much thanks to Barry Richardson, JDSP Park Ranger and Archeological Resources Monitor when this cache was created, for information about Camp Murphy and for his efforts to gather and preserve that history.
Cache
Determining the cache's location originally required using both the historical marker and adjacent kiosk. In early 2024, a careless driver plowed into the kiosk and destroyed the display. As a result, the cache has be reworked to only use the marker.
The cache is located at N 27 00.ABC W 80 0D.EFG
Camp Murphy consisted of 11,FDG acres and had a maximum capacity of 854 officers and 5,E52 enlisted men.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park first opened to the public in 1ABC.
