The Namesake

Samuel Beckley Holabird was born on June 16, 1826, in Canaan, Conn. A graduate of West Point Military Academy, Holabird had an extensive military career that included service in the Civil War and several appointed positions as quartermaster.

During his reign as Quartermaster General of the Army from 1883 to 1890, he devised new fatigue clothing, which was issued to enlisted men for free.

In 1918, the Army named its newest installation after the brigadier general. The site was to be used by the Quartermaster Mechanical Repair Unit Number 306.

Army officials originally shopped for a site in Norfolk, Va., but later shifted their search to Baltimore, where they purchased a 96-acre parcel of land on Colgate Creek from the Canton Co. in December 1917. Only six and a half miles southeast of Baltimore's business district, the marshy, undeveloped property had been used as a truck farm.

On Jan. 21, 1918, Col. F.S. Leisenring was installed as Camp Holabird's first commanding officer. By March, headquarters had been erected and a collage of tents and muddy streets characterized the camp.