Camp Joe Hooker, Lakeville - The small town of Lakeville (population 1,160 in 1861) was an out of the way location for a training camp. It was, however, along the railroad from Fall River to Boston. And it is geographically central to Bristol and Plymouth Counties making it an ideal location for companies from those counties to rally. The Commonwealth leased three farms along the shore of the large Assawompsett Pond. Camp Joe Hooker’s term as a training camp was a concentrated period after the August 1862 call for nine-months regiments. Two southeastern Massachusetts units, the old 3rd and 4th Massachusetts Volunteer Militias (which had served as 90 days units) elected to reorganize and answer the call. Both regiments went into Camp Joe Hooker in mid-September. The 3rd Massachusetts departed in October and the 4th Massachusetts in December. Units trained: Two: the 3rd and 4th Massachusetts Volunteer Militias Camp Joe Hooker continued to be used as a training site and was active during World War I. Today, a small wooden sign along Staples Shore Road placed by the Town of Lakeville notes that Camp Joe Hooker once occupied the site.