Camp Merritt was a place where soldiers died while on duty, and more than a million American soldiers passed along the highway beside it on their way to and from the World War from 1917 to 1919. The camp's center was marked in memory of those who gave their lives for their country through an effort by the State of New Jersey, the County of Bergen, the Bergen County Historical Society, officers and men of Camp Merritt, many patriotic citizens, and the Camp Merritt Memorial Association.