History[change | change source]
The first settlement at Göppingen was in the Hallstatt period, 800-480 BC. A Roman settlement from about 250 BC was found near the present day Oberhofen Church. An Alemannic prince by the name of "Geppo", is believed to have started the town after the sometime in the 3rd or 4th century. The town is named after him.
A fire on August 25 1782 destroyed most of the town, but it was immediately rebuilt. During the 1800's, many factories were built in the area. Companies such as Märklin and Schuler are still based in the town.
Cooke Barracks[change | change source]
In 1930, an air field was built north of Göppingen. This was taken over by the Luftwaffe in 1935 and was called the Fliegerhorst Kaserne (barracks). From 1945 to 1949, displaced persons and refugees were housed in the buildings. In 1949, it was renamed Cooke Barracks, after Charles H. Cooke, Jr., who been killed in action and given the Silver Star and Soldier's Medal for bravery.
In late 1950, the 7th Army had been reformed in Stuttgart and U.S. Army units began to be stationed at Cooke Barracks. The barracks were made bigger for the 28th Infantry Division headquarters. The 28th Infantry was renamed as the 9th Infantry Division (United States) in 1954 and was replaced by the 8th Infantry Division in 1956. They were then replaced by the 4th Armored Division in 1957, which was renamed as the 1st Armored Division in 1971 and moved to Hindenburg Kaserne in Ansbach in 1972. The 1st Infantry Division moved from Augsburg in 1972 until 1991.
Cooke Barracks were given back to the German government in 1992. The barracks were again used to house refugees for some time, then returned to civilian use.