The site of Dever State School was originally a military camp called Camp Myles Standish, and it was used as a staging area for troops entering into and returning from the European theater of operations during World War II. It was also used as a detention center for about 3,000 German and 4,000 Italian prisoners of war at the time. Following the war, in an effort to improve the quality of life for the state's mentally disabled, the 1,200 acre campus was developed for use as a state school, with the 1,400 bed hospital of the military camp being the primary reason for this location. The other military buildings were destroyed and the state erected several brick buildings for the new school.