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Where are they Today

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    Posted: Apr 27 2016 at 8:18pm
May 2016-J
 
Where Are They Today
Google Maps of Prime Contractors

EDITORS NOTE: this was put together by a member that wished no recognition but was awarded club points for doing so.

The following is an excerpt from his email to the club.
 
A couple of weeks ago I was snowed and needed something to do to keep from getting cabin fever. I thought it would be neat to take a “virtual” trip to each of the original carbine manufacturing locations utilizing Google Earth. It took a little bit of online research to find them all and I’m still not really sure of some but I persisted.  I know it’s not complete and probably fraught with errors, but I thought you might find some of it interesting and possibly worth sharing with others.

It would be great if this could reach people who have actually seen, in person, these locations and then they could add their own perspective about the history of the manufacture of the “Light Weight Semiautomatic Rifle”.
The coordinates are given to allow anyone to personally visit the site on Google Earth Street View, and walk around as they please. I’ve included links to related websites that might be of interest.

I would ask that any and all members when finding something carbine related no matter how big or small to submit it to the club.

 

Winchester Repeating Arms Company, New Haven, Connecticut

(41.321583, -72.928821)

Winchester closed its New Haven plant on January 16, 2006. One of the original buildings in the middle is now an apartment complex known as “Winchester Lofts”, renting from $1200-2700/mo. Check out their website. There are a few neat historical pictures in their gallery.

www.winchesterlofts.com

 

Inland Manufacturing Division, General Motors Corporation Dayton, Ohio

(39.750029, -84.238824)

The Inland complex was recently razed, all except for the original Wright Brother’s factory which awaits restoration as a museum. Note the distinctive shape of the front of the buildings, inspiration for the Inland logo found on carbine trigger housings. Here’s a link to a neat website that shares the Inland story along with lots of pictures.

http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/General%20Motors/inland.htm

Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, Hartford, Connecticut

(41.762801, -72.695169)

Underwood, now defunct, was acquired by Olivetti, an Italian company, in 1959. The original factory at 581 Capitol Ave. was demolished in 1970. The modern office building and parking structure show above replaced it.

Check out this link to a story about Underwood’s “giant” typewriter

https://redletterdayzine.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/giant-typewriters-at-the-panama-pacific-expo-1915/


Underwood's General Research Lab, Hartford, CT.

56 Arbor Street. (41.75928,-72.70387)

Though actual parts for the carbine were not produced here, the facility was used to test parts to make better carbines. For more see War Baby pg.112

This location is now an "Art Space" which exhibits visual art, has a theater and hosts live music, theater, and community events.


With New2brass’ help, the original location of the two UEF Bridgeport factories has been determined. One was located at 575 Broad Street and the other on 480 Bunnell Street.


Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, 575 Broad St., Bridgeport, Connecticut

(41.17173, -73.18923)

These buildings no longer exist. There is a parking lot on Broad Street, shown above. This is where UEF Bridgeport Building “A” once stood. This near Jenkins Curve, an infamous sharp bend in the railway.


Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, 480 Bunnell St., Bridgeport, Connecticut

(41.18498, -73.168)

 
The original factory at the Bunnell Street location has been torn down.
It has been replaced by this now abandoned cinder block building (below) which was part of the Seaview Avenue Industrial Park Project circa 2006.
Currently not occupied.


 

 

We have also since determined the two New Hartford location of their factories as well. 

War Baby page 109 mentions that parts were made in New Hartford but it is unclear which of these two buildings were utilized at this time.

Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, 57 Greenwoods St., New Hartford, Connecticut 

(41.8846, -72.97948)

Unfortunately, Google Earth has no Street View for this location but New2brass was able to take this picture in person.     



The building is still standing and is at 37 Greenwoods Road and is now occupied by several small businesses and called the Hurley Business Park http://www.hurleybusinesspark.com/ 

There was a second New Hartford location owned by Underwood on the same street. It is gone and now at that location a small town maintenance garage. There was no street view available.

 In 1955 Two back-to-back hurricanes saturated New England and several river valleys in the state, causing severe flooding in August 1955. Many houses and buildings were swept away or destroyed.

It has not been confirmed as of yet but it is believed this second factory was swept away or torn down as unrepairable due to the flooding.




Quality Hardware and Machine Corporation, Chicago, Illinois

(41.988185, -87.674487)

Quality Hardware was also involved in making special equipment for the fabricating and handling of uranium components for the University of Chicago during the 1944 -1945 time frame. Rumor has it that this was in support of the Manhattan project. The company liquidated its assets shortly after the war and no longer exists. The original Quality Hardware facility was at one time considered a candidate for the government’s radiation cleanup program. I guess it was decided that radiation levels were below cleanup criteria at the time (1989). You can read more about it here:

http://projects.wsj.com/waste-lands/site/379-quality-hardware-and-machine-co/

The original buildings located on Ravenswood Ave. have since become the site of a 36 unit condominium project across the street from the railway.


Rock-ola Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago, Illinois

(41.896701, -87.707705)

Today the site at 800 N. Kedzie Ave is the home of a strip mall where you can find Aldi’s Discount Supermarket and J & J’s Fish and Chicken. I guess the original factory was demolished after Rock-ola sold out and the business moved to California. Here’s a link to a little of the history of Rock-ola with some neat pictures in the “Factory” section.

https://www.jukeboxhistory.info/rock-ola/history.html

Irwin-Pedersen Arms Company, Saginaw Steering Gear, Grand Rapids, Michigan

(42.936688, -85.667031)

The site of the former Irwin Pedersen Arms Co. was, before that, a Macey's Co. Building, later taken over by Saginaw Steering Gear Division of General Motors. Today it's a fenced-in empty field at 1516 Division Ave. South. At first, I thought it was an inner city park but it’s posted with “DANGER NO TRESPASSING” signs on all sides. Notice it's on the railhead as were many large factories at the time. All that's left today are the railroad tracks. There’s not much history on the Irwin-Pedersen Arms Co. as they weren’t around long. They were incorporated in March of 1942 just to build the carbine, which didn’t work out for them and taken over by Saginaw Steering Gear in March of 1943.

I found a website that tells a little bit of the history of the Saginaw Steering Division of G.M. Surprisingly there is not much historical information about the Saginaw Division available online.

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clarke/ehll--saginawsteering?view=text


National Postal Meter Company, Inc., Rochester, New York

(43.155845, -77.567401)

NPM was located in a former automobile showroom and repair shop. The buildings survive today. By the way, the Trimble Nurseryland Furniture Co. (NPM stock maker) is supposedly nearby on Lexington Ave. Here’s a bit of wartime history published by the Rochester Public Library.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/columnists/memmott/2018/01/30/jim-memmott-rochester-company-switched-meters-munitions-during-wwii/1076149001/

Standard Product Company, Port Clinton, Ohio

(41.510865, -82.921016)

Today it’s a Superfund site at 215 Maple Street. Only a few of the old buildings still remain. They have been abandoned for years. By the way, it’s also on a railhead.

https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0510570

International Business Machines Corporation, Plant #4, Poughkeepsie, New York

(41.655372, -73.935243)

This was as close as I could get to IBM, Poughkeepsie (Plant #4) on Google Earth Street View. It’s like a 200+ acre site. Big Blue has bought and sold hundreds of acres in the area over the last 70 years so it’s hard to know exactly where our favorite rifle was made. The original building may not be there anymore. Here’s a link to a site that tells a little more about the history of the Poughkeepsie plant.

http://tech-insider.org/mainframes/research/1995/0110.html

Saginaw Steering Gear, Saginaw, Michigan

(43.400568, -83977683)

It took me a while to find the location of the original Saginaw Steering Gear Plant in Saginaw, Michigan at 1400 Holmes Street. Nothing remains except an ocean of concrete and asphalt slabs. It was razed in 2002.

Here’s an interesting article about the Steering Gear Plant employee reunion.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2012/12/saginaw_steering_gear_plant_2.html

I found a website that tells a little bit of the history of the Saginaw Steering Division of G.M. Surprisingly there is not much historical information about the Saginaw Division available online.

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015071539939;view=1up;seq=17


The club is the membership and without submissions, we are just another chat forum.

 
 


Edited by New2brass - Jan 09 2022 at 2:43pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote New2brass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 07 2019 at 12:12pm
While doing the research above I was contacted by the member who wrote the article. Subsequently, we worked together to uncover more information.
The original post has been updated to add more information on the Underwood plants.
The Obituary link for Inland's O'Brien was broken so we fixed that link.

Please check it out.
We would encourage anyone with the time and interest to add to this thread, as many have already done.
If you live in or in the area of any of the locations please take a picture of how it looks today. Historical pictures are also welcomed.


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Thanks for all the hard work, you just made my cold rainy Saturday a better day.   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (3) Thanks(3)   Quote AlanDavid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2016 at 2:12am
http://www.robynlisone.com/Abandoned/Winchester-Fire-Arms-New-Haven/ 

Got this link of another forum. Pictures of the old Winchester factory before most of it was demolished.

Regards

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2016 at 7:27am
I love this kind of stuff. Thank you very much for posting.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote moneawon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2016 at 8:12am
Some may have seen these, but to capture for posterity.














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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Uncle John Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2016 at 4:19pm
Really enjoyed the history - especially about carbines.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote docvinyl33 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2016 at 7:06pm
thanks for the pix, they are great
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jackp1028 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2016 at 9:46pm
Thanks for the pictures of the IBM plant. The picture of the machinist at his work bench reminded me of my days as a machinist in a prototype shop I worked at nearly 50 years ago. I had a duct tape seat cushion just like that!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote New2brass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2016 at 10:57pm
The IBM picture below the machinist at desk makes me think of the article on the blind interchangeability test.
 
Two down from that, the woman at table 15, Stamping logo? What operation do you think?
 
And those who missed it, the 1918 BAR's Sweet stuff!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote jackp1028 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2016 at 10:00am
The fixture that she's using looks like it holds the TH in a vertical position. If she were stamping logos wouldn't it be on it's side? The next station has a belt sander so maybe they are deburring. She might be knocking the burr out of the hammer spring hole.

You did ask what I thought.
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I really did enjoyed this article and appreciate the work that went into it. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote New2brass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2016 at 4:36pm
Originally posted by jackp1028 jackp1028 wrote:

The fixture that she's using looks like it holds the TH in a vertical position. If she were stamping logos wouldn't it be on it's side? The next station has a belt sander so maybe they are deburring. She might be knocking the burr out of the hammer spring hole.

You did ask what I thought.
 
 
I pulled out a trigger housing for IBM and looked at it. IBM used the type 4 throughout production *sans any possible transfers*. The type 4 was the brazed style.
 
Looking at the bottom of her fixture it appears there is a pin would have gone into the hammer pin hole, though I think this was to locate it. Being the back section is not flat it would have sat on only a portion of the rear of housing. I observes a mark where this would sit.
 
I copied and enlarged the picture.  First thing that stood out is that those trigger housings have "ears" that protrude forward of the area where the pin goes. I believe that fixture was to bend over pr peen a section before the ears were ground off at the next station.
 
What I find curious was that I was under the impression that the housings were made by Murray-Ohio Manufacturing Company Which makes the BE-B confusing, but further why would there be a picture of them at the IBM plant? Maybe they were partially finished from them?
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Why Carbines? Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2016 at 10:08pm
The E in BE-B stood for IBM's Endicott plant where some of the design work on the type IV housing took place. The Poughkeepsie plant 4 assembled the housings from there is the story I've always seen. Corrections welcomed.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote GoldenGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 05 2016 at 12:08am
The view from the gate of the former Saginaw Steering Gear Plant 2, located at 1400 Holmes. Plant 2, also known as The Gun Plant, was razed in 2002.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jackp1028 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 05 2016 at 10:57am
It looks like the gate is the only thing standing now. You can see it in the distance from the Google Earth location. The correct coordinates are (43.400568, -83.977683). A decimal point is missing.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shadycon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 06 2016 at 4:47pm
Can't get any better than this!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GoldenGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 15 2016 at 9:13am
check out the rack in carbine packing department 219! sexy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote J.R.2009 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 14 2016 at 5:00pm
I love this stuff. Thanks to all who added to it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jhagle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 15 2016 at 7:52pm
I love this kind of thing, I don't understand why history is boring to lots of people.  I guess it depends on your interests.

Thanks to all.
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