You may be surprised to learn that Hamlin was once the home of a World War II POW camp. The site was originally a Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC camp, one of 1,600 across the country. Hamlin's camp was constructed to house the men who would build Hamlin Beach State Park. CCC was a Roosevelt era “New Deal” program to ease the country out of the great depression.

Surviving members of Company 1252, Camp 53 gathered for a reunion to share some memories. A Hamlin man has made it his goal to uncover the decades of growth around the site in an effort to preserve the history made there.

Ed Evans was at the reunion in 1985 to videotape the event. He knew then that there was a much bigger story buried in the woods. Well, that thought sat on the back burner of Ed's brain for 23 years until Hamlin Town Historian Mary Smith uncovered an old aerial photo of the site. That’s when Ed began to hack away at the undergrowth.

Next week on viewfinder, Ed’s story continues with his efforts to uncover the camp. It may surprise you to see how much has been recovered.

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