Camp Angel was Civilian Public Service (CPS) camp number 56, one of many camps across the United States where conscientious objectors (COs) were given unpaid jobs of "national importance" as a substitute for World War II military service.Camp Angel was unique as the only Fine Arts Program camp in the CPS system. Between 1942 and 1945, Camp Angel's Fine Arts Program sponsored production of original plays and publication of books by the COs. When the war was over, notable objectors including poet William Everson, actor/writer Kermit Sheets and dramatist Martin Ponch relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and launched what became known as the San Francisco Renaissance, profoundly influencing the Beat Generation.