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Significance
Camp Security is the site of a Revolutionary War prison camp that housed approximately 1500
British prisoners of war and their families between the summer of 1781 and the end of the war
in the spring of 1783. It was the last prison camp established to house the Convention prisoners
captured at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
The significance of Camp Security has been known for generations, its story kept alive through
written documents and local legend. Commemorating the prison camp are a state historical marker
on PA State Route 462 (Old US Route 30) and an exhibit at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Excavation of a small portion of the site in 1979 identified intact archaeological deposits; and,
an archaeological investigation in 2000 revealed that the site is quite large, with a series of
four terraces built along a hillside on which it is believed the prisoners’ huts were
constructed. Both investigations recovered a plethora of late 18th century domestic and
military artifacts.
Camp Security’s greatest significance lies in its potential to document the story of
Continental prison camps, including the Colonies’ management of wartime prisoners,
the daily life of captured troops and their families in the hastily established camps,
and the interaction between the prisoners and colonists. Camp Security can also tell the
story of prisoners who married Colonial women and stayed in this country following the war.
These are the beginning stories of America – a nation of mixed backgrounds.
This unique historic and archaeological resource holds stories that belong to all Americans.
Camp Security is irreplaceable and must be preserved for future generations to visit, study,
and enjoy.
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