Contributed photo Men of the 17th Airborne Division dance with local girls in one of many such dances held at Camp Mackall during World War II training there.

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Camp Mackall has been a part of Richmond County for the past 69 years.

Located off of U.S. Highway 1 just south of the Moore County line, Camp Mackall has aided the military in training soldiers. Those years will be explored in a presentation at 7 p.m. next Monday at Rockingham City Hall at a meeting of the Richmond County Historical Society.

Presenting a look back in time at Camp Mackall and its impact on the community will be Tom MacCallum, former reporter for the Daily Journal.

He will make the presentation in honor of the late Lowell Stevens Sr. He and Stevens produced the book, “Camp Mackall: Its Origin and Times in the Sandhills.” The book is now published by the Richmond County Historical Society with a new cover and additional pictures. MacCallum is also the author of “Camp Mackall North Carolina.”

In addition to a PowerPoint presentation, there will be numerous displays of photos and drawings from WWII at Camp Mackall. The doors of City Hall will open at 6:30 p.m. for early viewing.

“Richmond County was a perfect location for yesterday’s U.S. Army Airborne training camp,” said MacCallum. “Today it is a perfect location for U.S. Army Special Forces training.”

Camp Mackall often aids in the training of Special Forces soldiers who go through the U.S. Army J.F.K. Special Warfare Center and Training School which includes the program Robin Sage.

“Most notable are the Robin Sage final qualification exercises held regularly in the county and beyond from which Green Beret soldiers are selected. Built as a temporary facility during WWII, Camp Mackall today has taken on a new role with permanent buildings and a new mission,” said MacCallum. “The same public acceptance of the military installation when it first opened continues today. There is a sense of continuity over the years in the way people of Richmond County respond to it.”

The program will highlight the community’s response to the influx of soldiers from Camp Mackall during WWII and its importance to the mission of providing a caring community during the war.