Have you ever stopped to think about the complexity of history? We usually learn about triumphant moments, but what about the difficult ones? Look here, you are standing before a plaque, an unassuming monument. This plaque commemorates a place that was once called the Seagoville Enemy Alien Detention Station. It was a hidden detention camp, not an extermination camp, but a place where people were confined during World War II, simply because of where they were born. It was a place where men, women, and children, who just happened to have been born in countries that the United States was at war with, were detained. The United States, worried about espionage and sabotage, held these people, some of whom had immigrated years before and lived peaceful lives. This camp was just one of many similar facilities that were established across the United States. This particular one housed families, mothers who were separated from their husbands and children, and some Japanese from Latin America. The camp was closed in 1945, but not without leaving scars on those who were held there. It is a somber reminder that history is not always clear cut, and that even in a time of war, the rights of individuals can be easily forgotten.
Harrison Cemetery Plaque
Is it possible for a place to hold so much history in just one acre? You might not think so,