Fort Drum Fort Drum is a census - designated place and U . S . Army military reservation in Jefferson County , New York , United States . The population was 12 , 955 at the 2010 census . It is home to the 10th Mountain Division . Fort Drum consists of 107 , 265 acres ( 434 km² ) . Its mission includes command of active component units assigned to the installation , provide administrative and logistical support to tenant units , support to tenant units , support to active and reserve units from all services in training at Fort Drum , and planning and support for the mobilization and training of almost 80 , 000 troops annually . History . This section of the article incorporates text taken from a public - domain document prepared by the US military . A portion of the present Fort Drum was purchased for use as a military training site since 1908 , when it was named Pine Camp . However , the Army ' s presence in the North Country may be traced back to the early 19th century . In 1809 a company of infantry soldiers was stationed at Sackett ' s Harbor to enforce the Embargo Act and control smuggling between northern New York and Canada . Following the outbreak of the War of 1812 , Sackett ' s Harbor became the center of United States Naval and military activity for the Upper St . Lawrence River valley and Lake Ontario . During the 1830s and 1840s , the Lower Canada Rebellion in Canada prompted a new round of military preparations and Madison Barracks became the home of artillery units . Pine Camp . In 1908 , Brigadier General Frederick Dent Grant was sent to the Pine Camp region to train with 2 , 000 regulars and 8 , 000 militia . Grant , the son of former US president and Civil War general Ulysses S . Grant , found Pine Plains to be ideal for military exercises . In 1909 the military allocated funds to purchase land to form Pine Camp , and summer training continued here through the years . The camp ' s first introduction to the national spotlight came in 1935 when the largest peacetime maneuvers were held on Pine Plains and surrounding farm lands . Approximately 36 , 500 soldiers came from throughout the Northeast to take part in the exercise . Some soldiers traveled by trains which arrived in town every 15 minutes , coming from as far away as Buffalo , New York and New York City . For 36 hours , young men from offices , factories , and farms marched , attacked and defended in tactical exercises on the 100 miles ( 160 km ) the Army had leased for its war games . The maneuvers were judged to be most successful and the War Department purchased another 9 , 000 acres ( 36 km² ) of land . LeRay Mansion . The LeRay Mansion , built in the early 19th century , was named after James LeRay de Chaumont . Throughout the years the mansion served as a post commander ' s quarters , visiting dignitaries ' quarters and a location for formal military receptions . Today the mansion is used to house high ranking visitors , which has encouraged the continued upkeep of the mansion . The LeRay Mansion is registered with the National Register of Historic Places . World War II expansion . With the outbreak of World War II , Pine Camp was selected for a major expansion . An additional 75 , 000 acres ( 304 km² ) of land was purchased , displacing 525 local families . Five entire villages were eliminated , while others were reduced from one - third to one - half their size . By Labor Day , 1941 , 100 tracts of land were taken over . Three thousand buildings , including 24 schools , 6 churches and a post office were abandoned . Contractors then went to work , and in a period of 10 months at a cost of $ 20 million , an entire city was built to house the divisions scheduled to train here . Eight hundred buildings were constructed ; 240 barracks , 84 mess halls , 86 storehouses , 58 warehouses , 27 officers ' quarters , 22 headquarters buildings , and 99 recreational buildings as well as guardhouses and a hospital . Construction workers paid the price , as the winter of 1941 - 42 was one of the coldest in North Country history . The three divisions to train at Pine Camp included the 4th Armored Division ( Gen . Creighton Abrams was a battalion commander there at the time ) , the 45th Infantry Division ( United States ) and the 5th Armored Division . The post also served as a prisoner of war camp for captured Italian and German troops . Of prisoners who died here , one Italian and six Germans are buried in the Sheepfold Cemetery near Remington Pond . Pine Camp became Camp Drum in 1951 , named after Lt . Gen . Hugh A . Drum who was chief of staff of the First United States Army during World War I . During and after the Korean War a number of units were stationed and trained here to take advantage of the terrain and climate . Formation of Fort Drum . In 1974 , a permanent garrison was assigned and Camp Drum was renamed Fort Drum . In April 1980 , B Company , 76th Engineer Battalion ( Combat Heavy ) was reassigned here from Fort Meade , Maryland . It was followed by the rest of the battalion , less Company D , three years later . On September 11 , 1984 , the announcement was made that Fort Drum would be the new home of the 10th Light Infantry Division . Its mission is to be manned and trained to deploy rapidly by air , sea , and land anywhere in the world , prepared to fight upon arrival and win . The first division troops arrived at Fort Drum on December 3 , 1984 and the unit was officially activated on February 13 , 1985 . The name was changed to the 10th Mountain Division ( Light Infantry ) at that time . The division reached full strength in 1989 . Between 1986 and 1992 , 130 new buildings , of roads , and 4 , 272 sets of family housing units were built at a cost of $ 1 . 3 billion . On June 4 , 1985 , the identity of a Roundout Brigade was announced that would be composed of Army National Guard battalions . Units from the New York Army National Guard from central and northern New York under the 27th Infantry Brigade made the Roundout Brigade . On June 28 , 1985 , the 76th Engineer Battalion was inactivated . Geography . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 25 . 4 square miles ( 65 . 7 km² ) , of which , 25 . 3 square miles ( 65 . 4 km² ) of it is land and 0 . 1 square miles ( 0 . 2 km² ) of it ( 0 . 35 % ) is water . The military reservation occupies a large tract in the eastern part of Jefferson County , including parts of the Towns of Antwerp , Leray , Philadelphia , and Wilna . Several villages in the county are on the border of Fort Drum : Antwerp , Black River , Carthage , Evans Mills , and Philadelphia . The nearest city is Watertown , New York which is the service and shopping destination for the fort ' s personnel . The Black River flows along part of the reservation boundary . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there were 12 , 123 people , 2 , 253 households , and 2 , 203 families residing in the CDP . The population density was 479 . 8 per square mile ( 185 . 2 / km² ) . There were 2 , 280 housing units at an average density of 90 . 2 / sq mi ( 34 . 8 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the CDP was 64 . 2 % White , 19 . 8 % African American , 0 . 8 % Native American , 2 . 4 % Asian , 0 . 7 % Pacific Islander , 7 . 6 % from other races , and 4 . 5 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13 . 3 % of the population . There were 2 , 253 households out of which 75 . 3 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 91 . 9 % were married couples living together , 4 . 3 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 2 % were non - families . 2 . 0 % of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 33 and the average family size was 3 . 36 . In the CDP the population was spread out with 24 . 9 % under the age of 18 , 37 . 5 % from 18 to 24 , 36 . 0 % from 25 to 44 , 1 . 5 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 22 years . For every 100 females there were 186 . 9 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 235 . 4 males . The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 31 , 699 , and the median income for a family was $ 31 , 202 . Males had a median income of $ 19 , 779 versus $ 19 , 401 for females . The per capita income for the CDP was $ 13 , 395 . About 6 . 3 % of families and 6 . 2 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 6 . 8 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over . Employment . Fort Drum is made up of 107 , 265 acres with both on post and off post jobs and housing . Some job opportunities include day care providers , school teachers , nurses and custodial workers . There is also a Teen - In - Hire program that helps teens in school obtain jobs . Housing is more difficult to obtain on post because of rapid number of families moving to the North country . When families are unable to get a house they are sent to stay at the Fort Drum Inn , cottages , guest house , cabins or the LeRay Mansion . These facilities are under the care of Fort Drum Lodging . Entertainment . The 10th Mountain Division band plays in local concerts year round .