About Susquehanna

About the Installation

The New Cumberland military installation, Defense Distribution Center Susquehanna, has changed over the years as the defense needs of the nation have dictated.

1918-1938

The history of the New Cumberland installation begins in 1917, when officials selected the site.

On February 22, 1918, President Wilson approved $250,000 from the $100 million National Defense appropriation. The funds covered land purchases for two reserve depots. One depot would be near Harrisburg, Pa. The other would be near Schenectady, N.Y.

The federal government purchased 832 acres for $160,167 from local farmers.

• Deed from J. C. Haldeman estates with 21 acres, and Marsh Run Farm of 57 acres, and Cherry Lane Farm of 231 acres (Husband of Elizabeth H. Longnecker). (See history of Susquehanna Club)
• Deed from Elizabeth H Longnecker and husband, conveying 231.58 acres, more or less (excepting railroad right of way containing 10.719 acres, and also the public roads known as Baltimore Turnpike, Cherry Lane, Mountain Road, and Marsh Run, all containing 5.45 acres) for the sum of $42,500. Deed from Elizabeth H Longnecker and husband dated April 1918, conveying 57 acres, more or less, for the sum of $11,700.
• Deed from J. D. Strock and wife, conveying 46 acres, more or less for the sum of $9,200.
• Deed from Adam H Thorley, conveying 99.523 acres, more or less, for the sum of $15,000.
• Deed from J. Emerson Thorley, conveying 90.57 acres, more or less, for the sum of $11,100.
• Deed from Annie Baughman and Harrisburg Trust Company, executors, conveying 113.97 acres, more or less, excepting the graveyard containing 0.04 acres, more or less, for the sum of $20,945.
• Deed from Edwin Keister and wife, conveying 124.86 acres, more or less, exception about 3 acres, for railroad right of way for the sum of $28,283.
• The remaining $7,090 was paid to Lease-hold tenants of the above owners.

The New Supply Depot

On May 14, 1918, the Reserve Quartermaster Warehouses held a flag-raising ceremony. The New Cumberland Band provided music. The Blue Devils of France attended the ceremony. This French Army light infantry group trained for warfare in the Alps.The first buildings accommodated horse- and mule-drawn wagons. They responded to conditions created by World War I, from 1914 to 1918. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supervised construction of the new supply depot. Construction cost $5 million. As many as 3,380 people worked on the project. Laborers reportedly earned $2.80 per day. Saddle horses earned $3.00 per day.

Workers built eight warehouses and two open sheds. Other buildings included a medical infirmary, fire station, bakery, and pump house. The depot also included barracks, lavatories, mess halls, officer’s quarters, a PX, and a guardhouse.

Workers laid more than 10 miles of permanent railroad track. The track connected to the Northern Central Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. This line ran from Baltimore through Harrisburg to central New York.

Workers constructed slightly more than four miles of road. They graded a highway along the west boundary for public use. The highway replaced the previously used Cherry Lane. Marsh Run Road followed part of the southern boundary. The public continued to use Marsh Run Road.

The federal government purchased 832 acres for $160,167 from local farmers.

A local farmer planted and harvested wheat and hay on much of the land. The government acquired 100 tons of baled hay and straw. It also acquired more than 1,000 bushels of wheat. The government transferred these materials to Camp Meade, Maryland.

The government sold the wheat for $2,500. The Utilities Officer then wrote Washington about farming the land. He stated that 450 acres could be cultivated without affecting operations. The Chief of Storage declined to authorize farming operations.

A stone quarry opened at the reservation’s northwest corner. Two stone crushers produced 90 cubic yards of crushed stone each week. The Riverton Consolidated Water Company supplied water by pipe from a small reservoir. Analyses found impurities in some springs and wells on the property. Officials condemned those water sources.

On the eleventh hour of November 11, 1918, the Armistice effectively halted the war. Afterward, the installation received supplies returning from overseas. Between 100 and 300 boxcars waited on sidings at all times. Workers unloaded more than 2,000 boxcars in 1919. They used two-wheel hand trucks and four-wheel trailers.

Locals originally called the site the Marsh Run Storage Depot. Its official title was the U.S. Quartermaster Interior Storage Depot. The depot provided reserve storage for several types of supplies.

The federal government purchased 832 acres for $160,167 from local farmers.

These supplies included quartermaster, signal, ordnance, medical, engineer, and chemical warfare items. After World War I, the site received supplies returning from overseas. The site saw little activity between World War I and World War II.

On November 20, 1934, the Secretary of War transferred 0.9 acres to the Secretary of Agriculture. The land provided highway right-of-way across the reservation.

In June 1936, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received a revocable lease for approximately 72 acres. The lease supported airport use for one year. The annual rental was $515.

In February 1937, the Department of Agriculture received a revocable permit. The permit covered approximately 89,600 square feet at the New Cumberland General Depot. It lasted five years. The Department used the space for Plant Quarantine and Control Administrations.

In October 1936, the Works Progress Administration received a revocable permit. The permit covered approximately 68,890 square feet of storage space. It ended on June 30, 1937.

Beginning in 1918, the depot’s name changed several times. It changed from Quartermaster to Army Reserve Depot. It later became the General Reserve Depot. The name returned to Quartermaster Depot in 1941.

1939-1959

During World War II, the site operated as a filler depot for overseas shipments. In 1941, the installation more than doubled its storage capacity, adding 3,277,000 square feet of covered storage. The site also served as a reception center for newly inducted Soldiers. More than 90 percent of central Pennsylvania inductees—about 500,000 Soldiers—processed through New Cumberland. Soon afterward, the installation opened a prisoner of war (POW) camp for German prisoners.

By 1940, workers had demolished most of the original farm buildings. They retained a German bank barn that had housed animals. In May 1942, they renovated the barn into the Officer’s Club.

Immediately after World War II, the installation received and disposed of excess supplies and equipment. The Quartermaster Supply Section served as the regional supply point. In 1946, the installation established a War Reserves Branch (WRB) to store supplies and equipment. After the POW camp and induction center closed, the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Branch opened and operated until 1959.

In 1943, the installation became the Army Service Forces Depot. In 1946, it became the New Cumberland General Depot. The installation also developed a nine-hole golf course in April 1946. The course still operated in 2002. In 1948, the depot became a separate installation under the Quartermaster General.

During the Korean Conflict from 1950 to 1953, activity and construction increased. The installation added four warehouses, bringing covered storage space to 4,200,000 square feet. Staff called these buildings the “Golden Mile” because each measured approximately one-quarter mile long.

1960-1969

In 1960, an aircraft hangar along with maintenance shops, were constructed on the western portion of the site. These facilities were linked with the Harrisburg-York State Airport – now the Capitol City Airport – and served mainly as maintenance and repair facilities for U.S. Army helicopters and other aircraft.

By this time the depot employed some 1,600 persons with an annual payroll in excess of $10 million, nearly 85,000 tons of supplies were received and more than 103,000 tons were shipped. Within the 894 acres, there were 24 miles of railroad track with a railroad siding capacity of 700 cars and a 250-car capacity classification yard.

The depot underwent another name change in 1967, from the New Cumberland General Depot to the New Cumberland Army Depot (NCAD), and it became a field installation of the U.S. Army Supply and Maintenance Command under the Army Materiel Command (AMC).

1970-1983

On June 21, 1972, central Pennsylvania was hit by what has been called the most devastating disaster in central Pennsylvania history, Hurricane Agnes. Although the depot suffered no major damage, surrounding floodwaters made it inaccessible by road and the depot was shut down for five days. Depot flight-crews evacuated 3,500 people and delivered 150,000 pounds of emergency supplies while logging 179 missions.

Two years later, in September 1974, Tropical Storm Eloise again led to flooding in many areas. Depot flight crews answered the call once more, logging 32 hours while flying 23 missions in support of flood victims. The depot’s mission was modified to include the Aviation Support Command. In 1974, AMC selected NCAD as the East Coast secondary item stockade and issue point as part of a revised distribution plan for secondary items. In 1976, the Defense Supply Agency designated NCAD as the principal distribution depot supporting U.S. Army units in Europe and the eastern continental United States under the Direct Support System. The primary mission during this period was supply and maintenance operations, especially the overhaul and modification of Chinook helicopters and helicopter components. Some 70,000 central Pennsylvanians toured America’s Freedom Train when it visited the New Cumberland Army Depot over the Fourth of July weekend in l976. In addition, NCAD transferred 14 acres to Fairview Township for recreational use in 1976. This area was formerly the site of a sanitary landfill.

1984-1990

During the 1980’s, most of the maintenance operations related to helicopters and other aircraft were eliminated, and NCAD’s mission was modified to function solely as a supply depot. Several structures on the western portion of NCAD were demolished to make room for the construction of a major state-of-the-art storage and distribution center .

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Bill #1, calling for the state to “enter into negotiations with Department of Defense for the construction and operation of a private turnpike interchange directly connected to the New Cumberland Army Depot” was passed and sent to the Senate for consideration, March 1985.

Ground was broken in May 14, 1985 for the Eastern Distribution Center (EDC), sixty-eight years from day of the installation’s first groundbreaking. Among those joining Depot Commander Col. William A. Henry, USA, in turning the first shovel of dirt were Governor Dick Thornburgh, U.S. Senator John Heinz, U.S. Representatives Bill Goodling and George Gekas. After 49 years, 19.7 acres of state owned land adjacent to NCAD were returned to federal ownership in July 1985 as Governor Dick Thornburgh turned over a parcel at Capital City Airport to the depot for its EDC project. The state received $11,600, the same amount it had paid when it originally purchased the land from Uncle Sam in 1936. Construction of the EDC was completed on July 21, 1989 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

The completion of the EDC was none too soon; in December 1989, depot workers provided support for “Operation Just Cause” in Panama. The depot went into overdrive as it supported “Operation Desert Shield,” and the extra effort continued through “Operation Desert Storm.”

1991-1997

NCAD was deactivated in April of 1991 and assigned to the Defense Logistics Agency as Defense Distribution Region East (DDRE), a regional headquarters responsible for the management of eight depot operations in eastern United States. At the same time, the consolidation of Defense Depot Mechanicsburg and New Cumberland Army Depot created the Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, Pennsylvania (DDSP), one of those depot operations. At the time of deactivation, NCAD had the distinction of being the oldest, continuously operated depot in the U.S. Army.

The Defense Logistics Agency began taking steps to consolidate distribution management even further by eliminating one of the two remaining regions and establishing a consolidated Defense Distribution Center (DDC). After extensive analysis of potential locations, on September 16, 1997, DLA selected New Cumberland, Pennsylvania as the location.

The DDC mission was to manage material distribution functions for Department of Defense (DoD) customers, except those for fuels and munitions, and to run as a business on capital provided by direct appropriation. Simply put, the DDC and its depots, including DDSP, were responsible for the receipt, storage and issue of supplies. DDSP became the largest Department of Defense wholesale distribution depot in the United States.

1997- 2002

Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna Pennsylvania is one of two Strategic Distribution Platforms supporting DoD customers in the eastern half of the United States, Central and South American, Europe, North Africa, and South West Asia. DDSP stocks more than 600,000 line items valued at over $5.5 billion dollars. DDSP employed 1,858 personnel as of April 2002. As the largest automated distribution facility in DoD, the Eastern Distribution Center (EDC) is the cornerstone of DDSP. The 1.7 million square feet of floor space in the EDC includes 1.13 million square feet of processing space and some 420,000 square feet of storage area.

Recent logistical success in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, resulting from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, has proved DDSP’s aggressive dedication to provide world-class products, services and innovative logistics solutions to our armed forces in the most timely and efficient manner. DDSP along with twenty-four tenant commands located on the installation employ approximately 3,100 people, contributing to the local economy with a $144 million dollar annual payroll. The installation is named the Defense Distribution Center; however, DDSP is the garrison command that operates and maintains the 848-acre installation.