Late in 1941, the U.S. government began condemning about 46,000 acres near Blackstone to establish Camp Pickett and train troops for World War II. The action forced 263 families, totaling 1,181 individuals, from their farms early in 1942. Many relocated to other farms, but some had to abandon the only way of life they had known. Within months, their homes were demolished, the graves of their ancestors were moved elsewhere, and the camp was erected. Because of the sacrifices of these citizens, more than one million men trained at Camp Pickett and fought bravely on battlefields around the world.