IMAGES
International Harvester
Plant on Brookville Road
(see note below the photograph)
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IMAGES International Harvester |
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HARVESTER PHOTOGRAPH
This overhead picture is of the International Harvester plant located at 5565 Brookville Road, Indianapolis, Indiana. The photo was taken in 1945 by Bass Photo, Indianapolis. Noteworthy in this photo is a large sign next to the plant entrance. Listed on this sign were the names of all the IHC servicemen/women who were casualties during WWII. The government War Department allowed servicemen to be a member of the all Harvester/IHC battalion. These members fought together in Europe and Africa. Also on the sign, was data about bond sales, war production status, goals, and objectives. During WWII and particularly the 1942-1944 time frame, 30 - 50 cal machine guns were mounted atop the plant for defense. The plant was 100% into military war production, manufacturing gasoline engines for military transport trucks, half-track artillery trucks, Oerlikon gun mounts (anti aircraft guns mounted on warships, Liberty Ships, carriers, etc.). The workforce was 80% women in manufacturing and 25-35% in foundry. These employees met/exceeded every war dept. goal placed upon them. Noteworthy also is the small size of the employee vehicle parking lot. Even though at the time of this photo, gasoline rationing was in place, most all personnel either walked, bicycled, car pooled, or took the trolley/streetcar. The streetcars operating on Washington Street were very popular with the 6 block walk on Ritter Avenue. commonplace to employees. 30-40% of employees resided in the Irvington and surrounding areas. The tall water tower provided the volume and pressure to maintain production during peak demand. The plant also had a separate large ground tank for use in case of war attack. The large building to right of parking lot is the foundry. The foundry manufactured all the cast iron engine parts, Oerlikon gun mount castings, gear cases, and miscellaneous other war production items. The saw toothed buildings to the left of the parking lot machined the parts made by the foundry; machine-sourced parts like crankshafts, camshafts, etc.. With 100% of production dedicated to war effort, the plant had 100% government people involved in all facets of the business. All the engines/mounts were shipped to other IHC operations. The roof profile had thousands of reinforced glass panels to let sunlight into plant. The panels swung out to let air in/out of plant. Next to the tall IH water tower is the powerhouse. This operation provided steam (to heat plants), compressed air (to operate/facilitate machines), and controlled electricity. Immediately behind the plant is a portion of the large Hawthorne yard railroad operation. All the IHC plant in/out material was shipped via rail. This railroad link was one of the main reasons IHC located the plants here. The land for the plant was purchased from the prominent Shimer family in 1936. Plant engine production began in 1938, and 1939 saw the foundry start-up. As the war wound down in 1945, the plant began to start building products for civilian use. The engine plant ceased production of engines in late 2008 and closed in July 2009.
Omer Hankins,
Clock No. 216 Terry Hankins, Clock No. 8446 Kent Hankins, Clock No. 16660
Photograph donated by Terry Hankins, |
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