United States Captain Kant stood in the center as seven German POWs posed with him at Camp Houlton. The prisoners' clothing was marked with a simple PW for prisoners of war that helped identify them.

After battles at Normandy and North Africa, the allies were running out of space for prisoners and North America became a viable location. In early 1944, 155 base camps were created in 32 states, Camp Houlton being one. Eventually, 48 states held German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners in 700 camps.

The prisoners in Houlton worked harvesting potatoes and peas, and cutting wood for processing pulp for much-needed paper.