
About Fort Indiantown Gap
Anyone visiting Fort Indiantown Gap must pass through an access-control point. Those without an approved form of ID (drivers license, passport, etc.) must see personnel inside the Visitor’s Center for a background check. See the website linked below for more information.
Name:
- Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard Training Center (Or FTIG, for short)
- “Indiantown” was once the name of an American Indian village in the area.
- “Gap” references the separation in the Blue Mountains where Indiantown was located.
History:
- After outgrowing their 120-acre training site in Mount Gretna in 1931, the PA National Guard began to use Fort Indiantown Gap in 1932.
- With the U.S. preparing to enter conflict in WWII, the state of PA leased the National Guard post to the U.S. Army as a training post for $1 on September 30, 1940.
- FTIG was dedicated on March 3, 1941 under the name “Indiantown Gap Military Reservation.”
- Between the end of WWII and the beginning of the Korean War, control of FTIG was returned from U.S. Army to the PA National Guard.
Today:
- FTIG is one of the busiest National Guard Training Centers in the U.S.
- FTIG serves as: a National Guard Training Center, the home of the PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the headquarters of the PA National Guard. It also houses a number of tenant organizations.
- The Muir Army Heliport, located at FTIG, is the second-busiest heliport in the U.S. Army.
- The base regularly hosts over 100,000 personnel for training each year.
Other Sites of Interest:
Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum Regal Fritillary Butterfly HabitatGet the Insider’s View:
Categories: Annville, Pennsylvania, Explore, History & Heritage