During the Second World War, Camp Perry served as a POW camp for German and Italian prisoners. After the war prisoner quarters were converted back to use by transient personnel who were at Perry for training. In 1946 the Governor of Ohio, Frank Lausche considered turning the camp into a college temporarily. The camp was used extensively for several years after World War II, but use slowed somewhat during the 1960s. The Erie Army Depot closed in the mid-1960s and was eventually converted to industrial use. However, many of Camp Perry's original structures are still in use in one form or another. On June 24, 1998 a tornado damaged several buildings on the grounds.