At the onset of World War II, the area that is now Sampson State Park was chosen as an inland site for a new naval training station because it offered level land near water for a small-craft fleet, access to a nearby city that could serve as a liberty port, and railroad and highway connections able to move large numbers of people. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved construction of the Sampson Naval Training Station on May 14, 1942, and work began a few weeks later. During the peak construction period in September 1942, 15,500 people were employed there. The first naval recruit, James K. Boyle, arrived on October 17, 1942. Before the station closed on May 31, 1946, 411,429 naval recruits had trained there. After physicals, recruits were assigned to companies of 112 men, and service schools prepared them for roles including storekeepers, stenographers, cooks, bakers, electricians, gunners, and firefighters in classes lasting four to sixteen weeks. Named for Palmyra native Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, the center was completed in 270 days at a cost of $56 million and covered 2,535 acres. Its units were named for naval war heroes, and its roads and walks honored naval war heroes born in New York State.