During World War I, the site was leased from the Bay State Rifle Association by the United States Navy. The area then became known as Camp Plunkett and wooden barracks and mess halls were erected on the site. After the war, the land was returned to the association. In 1926, and at a cost of $64,000 dollars, the land was bought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. On March 1 of that year, Governor Alvin T. Fuller named the camp in honor of the former governor Curtis Guild, Jr. “in consideration of public service and intimate connection with the military forces of the state and nation.” During the time period between 1933 and 1936, a Works Progress Administration camp was operated by the state on the site. Several wood frame buildings were also erected on the site during this time. During World War II, the camp was operated by the First Service Command as a staging area for the Port of Boston. The camp was also utilized by the United States Coast Guard, as well for training. In 1992, the army conducted a Lyme DiseaseRisk Assessment and noted that the disease was present in ticks at the facility, as well as the presence of human Lyme disease cases in the surrounding area. In 1968 the site was selected to host the Boston-area Sentinel ABM, but fierce public opposition led to the project being put on hold, and then canceled in favor of the Safeguard Program, which was located far from urban areas. In 1998, the outdoor firing facility was closed after a stray bullet nearly struck a Lynnfield mother and her toddler. Between 1967 and 1998, nineteen stray bullets were found in the abutting neighborhood. Prior to the closing of the range, police departments from the surrounding area used the outdoor range for training. The incident resulted in the building of an indoor range at the facility.
Training Facilities
The facility contains fifteen training areas, two bivouac sites for company-sized elements, a land navigation site, a recovery training site, an engineer dig training site, a helipad, and an Engagement Skills Trainer. Ten miles of unmaintained roads are also present on the site to help with training for wheeled and tracked vehicles.
