Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 04/04/18
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
TheShumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Laundry Building, in East Camden, Arkansas, is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A for its significance in the area of Military History. The Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Laundry Building is a well-preserved example of a Ammunition Depot Laundry Building originally designed for the Shumaker Ammunition Depot at the end of World War II, but not built until the beginning of the Cold War. As it is noted in several news articles regarding the Naval Ammunition Depot, news about what was going on inside was hard to come by given the tight security measures surrounding the site. The Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Laundry Building was one of the first construction contracts handed out after the depot was reactivated following the emergence of the Korean War. What is known is that the laundry buildings were found on almost all large-scale military ammunition depots and armories that produced or assembled munitions between World War II and the Cold War.
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Narrative Statement of Significance
The military has a long history in Arkansas. The area surrounding Fort Smith, Arkansas, has had military occupation since 1817. It was influential in the peace between the Cherokee and the Osage,[1] during the Mexican War as a supply outpost and during the Civil War. Other areas such as Arkansas Post gain notoriety during the Civil War for the Confederate built Fort Hindman, which was later destroyed by Union Troops in January 1863. Although Arkansas has had a long history of military occupation, it was not until World War II that Arkansas’s role became even more prevalent as the US military branches, began to expand into Arkansas through the establishment of Army Air Field Training school or aviation school, army camps, and munition assembly and storage.
Following the end of World War I, the United States military, went through a drastic demobilization. Starting as early as 1918 and continuing through 1938, all of the armed services went through lean budgetary years including those entities in charge of munition procurement and maintenance. It is stated by the United States Army Joint Munitions Command, that “at the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, immediate action was taken to decrease the manufacturing of munitions.”[2] As was the case in most of the military branches during the 1920s and 1930s, the areas of research and modernization were greatly impacted due to budget constraints during this time period. It is again stated that “as ammunition supplies were expended, there was no major resupply or modernization effort. At the same time, developments in weapons and doctrine, primarily abroad, rendered much of the stored ammunition obsolete,”[3] or deteriorated due to inadequate storage conditions.
Yet, it was not until 1929 that the lack of funding being put towards creating an adequate ammunition supply chain was again expressed. In 1929 a “special survey” was completed for the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, that stated that it took a year longer to arm fighting men then it took to train them to fight. It then went on to state that if global war broke out again, there was a “wide gap between the exhaustion of the present reserve and the receipt of munitions from new production.”[4] This would remain a serious problem until it was again looked at through further studies that advocated for future ammunition facilities to be located according to “proximity to strategic raw materials, transportation facilities to probable theaters of war, economy of operation and climate.”[5] These criteria would largely be part of the driving force in Arkansas’s growing role in munition production during World War II.
Until mid-1939, the United States made a conscious decision that it would maintain its neutrality as Germany began to rearm itself for what would be the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March of 1939 and then attack Poland in September of 1939. However, the United States government was already beginning to “[anticipate] a major emergency, [and began] to [press] for further rearmament.”[6] In the years leading up to 1941, there were only nine naval ammunition depots to fulfill the Navy’s peacetime munition needs. Yet, by 1940, the build up to maintain adequate munitions for a growing naval force was beginning to take shape. It is noted that following the fall of France in the spring of 1940 the United States implemented the “nation’s emergency program of national defense construction,”[7] leading to an expansion of many of the Naval Ammunition Depots and the construction of new ammunition depots.
With this drastic build-up of ammunition depots for both the Army and the Navy across the United States, Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot, would be the last Naval Ammunition Depot constructed by the Navy during World War II.
Military Activity in Camden, Arkansas
The United States began its World War II operations in the Camden area as early as 1942, when the United States Army Air Corp proposed an aviation school near the city. By March 1942, the first meetings were held within the city to discuss the possibility of locating the school on a tract of land northeast of the city.[8] That tract of land speculated on during the first community meeting was eventually purchased on April 2, 1942.[9] The purchasing of the land for the construction of the cantonment and runways, for the aviation school was estimated at $3,000,000.[10] The aviation school would eventually be built just outside of Camden, Arkansas, on what is now Harrell Field.
By the middle of 1944, the number of cadets being trained in and at the many aviation schools in Arkansas was beginning to slow down, including those being trained in Camden. Though the number of aviation cadets starting to level out and the need was not as strong, the need for advanced munitions was still strong throughout all branches of the military, including the United States Navy. It is through this continual need, that the Navy began looking for optimal locations to construct a new Navy Ordnance Plant. It is stated that on August 18, 1944, “the Secretary of the Navy directed a board to study several hundred [potential] locations.”[11] It was reported, only a couple of months later, that the potential site near Camden, Arkansas, was one of approximately 120 sites under consideration. Of those 120 sites, only fourteen were inspected in detail by Rear Admiral Kitts, assistant chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.[12]The narrowing process was very favorable to the Camden location due in part to the selection board’s criteria which looked at: climate, availability of labor, transportation facilities including water, rail and air, relative humidity, and housing and character of land.[13]
Some of the features which led to the selection of the Arkansas site are as follows: Located on the site and available for construction activities and for future use in air transport were an airport (formerly an Army training base) consisting of surface runways, two large hangars, barracks and other buildings, power supply, water and sewage systems and other utilities. A six-inch high pressure, natural gas line, owned by the Arkansas- Louisiana Gas Company crosses the area. A high tension line (110,000 volts) of the Arkansas Power and Light Company crosses the area making 20,000 KW of energy available from this source. Three railroads serviced Camden and could be utilized for rail transport, U.S. and State Highways traversed the area and the Ouachita River was
navigable for barge traffic from Camden to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. The War Manpower Commission recommended that the areas covered by the South Central States were the most favorable for a labor market and the local commission in Arkansas advised that 4,000 employees could be obtained immediately for construction and operating work. The Board found that the topography of the area was excellent for construction, that adequate drainage could be provided and that the soil bearing was good for foundations. Large Gravel pits were located on the site. Local authorities indicated that the area selected was inferior for farming and that the land values were approximately half of that found on other sites considered.[14]
This potential plant became closer to reality for the Camden, Arkansas, area when Navy Officials and local elected official inspected a possible site in early September 1944. By late in September 1944, it became official that the Camden site would be selected as the location for the $60,000,000 ordnance plant.[15]Still, it was only a short time later that the rough estimate of $60,000,000 for construction and acquisition cost rose to a new estimate of around $100,000,000. [16]
It is noted in the official news release by Senator John L. McClellan and Congressman Oren Harris, through the Secretary of the Navy, James V. Forrestal that “construction [would] begin in the immediate future… [and] While this plant is of course being constructed in forbearance of the present war efforts it is also designated to and will be used as a part of the Navy’s permanent facilities and operations after the war.”[17] It was then Governor-Nominee Ben Laney[18] stated that it was the help of advanced planning through the Arkansas State Planning Board that helped facilitate the ground work for this project. With the groundwork laid, in procuring the investment in the community, the Bureau of Ordnance designed the general layout of the ordnance plant, while the Bureau of Yards and Docks conceived of building details and construction documents. It is through the bidding process, put out by the Bureau of Yards and Docks, and the urgency in which the construction needed to happen, that the Bureau of Yards and Docks created a “cost plus fixed fee,” which in part consolidated four construction companies: Winston Brothers, Haglin and Sons, Missouri Valley Constructors and Sollitt Construction Company, into one large conglomerate, better known as “WHMS.”[19]
By early October 1944, Navy Officials again inspected the site claiming that it would construct “a new type of weapon urgently needed by the army and Navy,”[20] It was also stated by Rear Admiral George Hussey, Jr., that “the plant will be owned by the Navy but will be operated by National Fireworks, Inc.”[21] This would be part of an ongoing program called a government owned and contractor operated (GOCO) facility. This type of program really began to take off again about 1937 as part of the Ordnance Department’s new push to diversify its munition processing procedures, while also creating good relationships with the commercial companies that would be crucial to any global warfare that may arise.[22]
The National Fireworks, Inc. Company, initially received a contract that stated that it would run from September 1944 to July 1945, but the contract was extended in June 1945 to take the end of the contract through December 31, 1945.[23] This contract was awarded to the National Fireworks Inc. Company, in part because of past work performances for the Navy. Under the initial contract, National Fireworks was already engineering and designing assembly lines for the new ordnance plant.[24]
Only a few days after the inspection of the cultivated ground located in both Ouachita and Calhoun counties, it was speculated that the entire facility would span roughly 68,000 acres.[25] It is during this inspection that Rear Admiral W.A. Kitts stated that when inspecting possible locations that they could find no disadvantages with this site.[26] It is also at this time that the Admiral stated that the number of construction personnel would reach close to 6,000 and that nearly 4,000 personnel would be needed to operate the plant.[27] He also stated that the plant would take a year to build, but that production would begin in March 1945.[28] Once the plant was up and operational, the Navy would have fifty naval officers in charge of the operation, but that the National Fireworks, Inc. Company, would employ the plant personnel.[29] The construction crew of nearly 6,000 people[30] would be housed in barracks at the plant, but that housing for employees would be constructed as part of the overall plan and be done cooperatively between the Navy and the City of Camden. The area encompassing the ordnance plant and the civilian housing (Bilkits Housing) would officially be designated as Shumaker Station, or just Shumaker.[31] Once the munition plant was up and operational, Rear Admiral Kitts stated that “much of the ammunition and weapons made here will be moved by barge on the Ouachita River.” He also noted that infrastructure improvement over the river would need to happen as well as deepening the Ouachita River channel. [32] It was at this point in time that they warned the citizens and politicians in the area that it would take a miracle to meet the deadline of March for beginning production and that it was up to these officials and citizens to push to make sure the deadline was met.[33]
Due to construction beginning to ramp up in order to meet the March 1 production deadline, a base of operation was established at the former Army Air Field Training base located to the west of the construction site. At the time, “the airport was closed for air traffic and all its facilities were converted to offices, barracks, cafeteria and motor pool usage. Hangars were used as office and design buildings. Runways were used as parking areas. Utilities were enlarged and in addition to existing buildings, hundreds of buildings and hutments were erected to accommodate the influx of personnel.”[34] By the time the base operations were completely up and mobile, it was able to accommodate approximately 14,000 people within the former Army Air Force Base.
With construction beginning in October 1944, the overall construction project was still moving slowly between November and January and may not meet the March 1, 1945, deadline to be up and operational. With this in mind, the War Manpower Commission put out a request for 16,000 construction workers to help put the construction project back in line with this production date. At this point in time, the Navy was calling the Camden plant its No.1 project in the entire nation. Citing that the munitions would be made in this plant were new developments and that the faster the weapons could be produced and shipped overseas, the faster the war would be won.[35] It is clear that the construction crews were unable to get the production and assembly personnel into operation to start production by March 1, 1945. The plant would open nearly two months late with the first building accepted by the Bureau of Ordnance on April 25, 1945, and the first assembled rocket motor completed the next day.[36] Still, even as most of the ordnance plant was still under construction the Navy was already trying to expand it as it received an additional $32,600,000 to enlarge the plant.[37] With the plant up and operational, and munitions beginning to be sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese military. However, word was already spreading by August 21, 1945, that the ordnance plant would be slowing production and assembly.[38] It was noted just a day later that construction would continue as planned. With the rumors of the plant’s possible closure, construction workers and plant personnel continued to file into work, with a few terminations handed out, but no closure.
By September 1945, with the defeat of the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy, production was slowed and held at a reduced level due to peace-time requirements. It is unknown to what extent the Administration area was completed or at least under construction at this time. With the formal surrender of the Japanese on September 2, 1945, on the USS Missouri, all construction contracts were cancelled to await revision of schedules and plans, even though most of the plant was still actively under construction. With the end of World War II, it was again expressed that the Naval Ordnance Plant would be a permanent naval facility.[39] By November 5, 1945, the National Fireworks Company’s contract was terminated and the ordnance plant was reverted back to the United States Navy. A small ceremony was held to mark the change over from being an Ordnance Plant, to the Shumaker Naval Ordnance Depot. It was noted that the ceremony was small and located at the flagpole in front of the cafeteria at the old Harrell Air Field, because many of the buildings were still under construction[40].
It was during this time that construction began to “boom” again that it was noted progress was being made on the completion of the Administration Building and that work on the Administration Building and operational offices was “progressing rapidly.”[41] The contract to finish the construction that was started in 1944 and 1945 was again granted to the construction conglomerate of “WHMS” on a cost plus fixed-fee.Commander George Gans stated that “we are gradually increasing employment.” [42] The need for increased production and employment lead the Navy to contact the National Fireworks, Inc., on May 25, 1951, due to the heavy demand for rockets.By July 1, 1951, the entire operation was again handed over the National Fireworks, Inc.[43]
Things remained slow at the Naval Ammunition Depot until the United States’ entered into the conflict on the Korean Peninsula, in what would soon be known as the Korean War. It was at this time that production again increased with the addition of more employees. Therefore, the depot began adding shift workers, creating two shifts a day, six days a week.[44] Between late 1950 and early 1951, employment at the depot had increased to about 1800 personnel and shift workers.[45]
Quartermaster Laundry Services
With the buildup of employees beginning to take place, there was also another push on construction throughout the installation. One building that was constructed during this time was the Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Laundry Building. Laundry Service on military installations did not officially begin until 1909 when Congress authorized laundry services on a few military installation in the American West. It was not until 1918 that post laundry facilities really began to become the norm, but never operated at full capacity until late in World War I. Laundry Services expanded drastically during World War II with post laundry facilities located on all base camps, as well as a few mobile laundry service vehicles located throughout Europe during World War II. These new laundry facilities at base camps, forts and other military installations went from small shops, to large laundry plants. In order to meet the demand for laundry services, the military sub-contracted out the laundry services to civilian cleaners to operate the large facilities. It is unknown if the laundry service was sub-contracted out at the Shumaker Ammunition Depot after it was constructed in 1950, but it is known that such an operation was essential to keep employees, who were handling explosives and powders from having contaminated clothing upon leaving the facility. It is noted in resources pertaining to the Hastings Naval Ammunition Depot that the laundry building was used because “employees’ clothing frequently became contaminated with powders and chemicals.”[46] Though there is no documentation, the laundry building and its operators probably also washed the uniforms of those men and women that lived on the installation, such as those that lived in the commanders housing, marine barracks, bachelors’ quarters, and the civil barracks building in 1952. As the Korean War raged on through 1953, so did the production and assembly at the depot. This laundry building would be used constantly between 1950, when completed, and 1957 as production again began to slow.
As technology advanced, so did the need for adequate trained personnel that began to come in from several of National Fireworks other plants across the United States, showing again the need of adequate housing within the confines of the installation.It was not until the conflict on the Korean Peninsula reached a ceasefire that things began to slow down once again. However, it only slowed a little bit, as production levels were maintained at war-like levels between 1953 and 1956. Technology and advancements in weaponry were being pushed in those same three years. In these three years, the Bureau of Ordnance set out new directives and specifications for methods of
loading and assembly, which would go against current practices at the depot. Problems arose at the depot in trying to adhere to the new requirements which were unable to be met.[47] It is also at this time that news broke that the depot would be shutting down as Defense Department officials began inspecting the depot to see if any other military use could be found.[48]By June 30, 1957, the National Fireworks, Inc. Company, completed its contract and the Navy again took over facilitating the depot.[49] It was at this time that the entire depot went from full operations to maintenance status, causing many of the rooms within the civilian barracks to be vacated.
Closure
It is noted that for fiscal years 1957-1958, only 410 employees would remain in operation at the depot, with sixty people working in production and assembly on the “new” guided Sidewinder missile, and the other 350 people would be working in plant maintenance and administration. It is unknown if any of those 410 employees that were retained were housed within the barracks, though it is plausible. However, with marines still located within the marine barracks, to protect the installation it is highly plausible that the laundry facility remained active until the property was sold in 1961. Although a few people would remain to continue to work on the Sidewinder, it is noted that the depot was being shut down because “rockets are rapidly becoming obsolete and [were] being replaced by guided missiles.”[50]
As notifications continued to go out about the closure of the depot, the federal government and local economic programs continued to try to find a new occupant for the roughly 70,000-acre site. In order to promote the soon to be empty acres, the Camden Chamber of Commerce produced a booklet which would be used to promote the site to
other federal agencies, as well as private manufacturers.[51] By late 1959 the Navy was already set to approve the sale of the depot. The Navy had deemed the property excess after checking with the Army and Air Force again about possibly taking over the site. As part of this transaction to approve the sale of the site, it first had to be approved by a congressional committee before the property would be turned over to the General Services Administration (GSA) for final disposal or sale of the property.[52] Between December 1959 and March 1961, GSA and the local government continued to fight to find a potential occupant for the site, with no success. Therefore, the GSA put the property up for sale to the general public.
Once open for bidding by the general public, the bids remained open until April 4, 1961, with twenty-five bids coming in. The highest bidder was International Paper with a bid of $8,146,000. The second highest bid was from Brown Engineering Corporation out of Houston, Texas, with a bid of $8,105,350. As part of the original bid process, the winning bidder could purchase all or part of the original acreage. Since International Paper was really only concerned with the timber associated with the Depot, it left Brown Engineering with the potential to buy the manufacturing portion of the depot, which was its main goal. However, the sale of the land, and the manner in which the land was disposed of did not sit well with local citizens or many Arkansas Government Officials. The fear was that Brown Engineering Corp, was going to purchase the property and “junk it” by selling off smaller parcels, all but killing any economic viability of reusing the current layout of the depot. These protests made their way all the way to Governor Faubus’s office as he tried to halt the sale of the four parcels associated with the manufacturing area. Faubus went as far as to state that if he could not get assurance that the land would be put to its best use, the state would offer to take it on a long-term lease from the federal government.[53] Faubus would eventually receive word from Brown Engineering that it would try to use the property to its best possible use, causing Governor Faubus to back away, while local citizens continued to criticize the GSA for the fact that the parcels were so large that local citizens could not purchase them.[54] One other problem that arose with local citizens was that the original agreement in 1944 between the original property owners and the Navy stated that if the property ceased to be needed by the Navy for its intended purposes, the original owners had first right of refusal to buy it back at the price received for it.[55] In a corresponding letter, the reasons for dispersing of the property in large chunks rather than holding to the agreement become clearer. The Surplus Property Act of 1944, which would have allowed the original property owners first right of refusal, was repealed in 1949. [56] It also become clear that the GSA would not notify the public about the repeal, but it was looking to get the most out of the site and make money on the deal.[57] However, the sale went on with Brown Engineering purchasing the final four parcels, on May 12, 1961 that were not purchased by International Paper in the original bidding process.
With the final sale completed, Brown Engineering began moving into the former depot in July 1961.[58] By November 1961, the “keys” to the depot were officially handed over to Brown Engineering in a small ceremony that included the remaining ten employees, which included three Navy staff and seven civilian employees. With the formal closure of the depot completed, the Administration Building remained vacant. Following the closure of the depot, Brown Engineering Company established the East Camden Industrial Park on the former Navy Depot site. Only a few years later, Brown Engineering Company donated the buildings and grounds for the creation of a manufacturing school, which would be known as the Southwest Vocational-Technical Institute. This new vocational school would use the surrounding manufacturing companies to help further their students’ experience in the field. The school was opened in 1968 and continued to further its mission, under a new name: Southern Arkansas University–Tech (SAU-Tech). [59] SAU-Tech partially still uses the laundry building, though the name of the building has been changed to the Manufacturing Building, to house technical classrooms and work space, physical plant administrative offices and career academy classroom space.
Therefore, theShumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Laundry Building, in East Camden, Arkansas, is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A for its significance in the area of Military History. The Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Laundry Building is a well-preserved example of a laundry building builtat the beginning of the Cold War era and that continued to thrive during these though geo-political times between 1951 and 1961.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“1000 to Lose Jobs At U.S. Naval Depot,” The Camden News, June 5, 1957, 1.
“$32,600,000 To Enlarge Camden Plant,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 6.
“36,000,000 NAD Construction Phase Nears Completion,” The Camden News, December 29, 1951, 6.
$60,000,000 Navy Ordnance Plant Goes to Camden,” The Arkansas Gazette, September 24, 1944, 1.
“68,000 Acres Taken for Navy Plant,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 8, 1944, 2.
“Booklet On NAD Published,” The Camden News, June 5, 1957, 1.
“Buildings, Structures, Utilities, and Miscellaneous Facilities- Schedule A Supplement To Report of Excess Real Property,” Page 1 of 50, National Archives- Fort Worth, RG269 Gen Records of GSA Real Prop. Cases ARkCamden S- NAD HM 1994 Box AR2 E269-1\F4 S- NAD NARk 436C 269-64A519 FRC 222452.
“Camden Plant Will Be Huge, Admiral Says,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 1.
“Change in Naval Command,” The Camden News, June 6, 1946, 1.
“Citizens Endorse Aviation School,” The Camden News, March 27, 1942, 1.
“City Purchased Site For Flying School Here Today,” The Camden News, April 2, 1942, 1.
“Civilian Barracks, Building #18,” National Archives- Fort Worth, RG269 Gen Records of GSA Real Prop. Cases ARkCamden S- NAD HM 1994 Box AR2 E269-1\F4 S- NAD NARk 436C 269-64A519 FRC 222452.
“Contract Given for NAD Project,” The Camden News, January 24, 1921, 5.
Fine, Lenore, and Jesse A. Remington. The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States. Washington D.C.: Center for Military History, U.S. Army, 2003.
Floete, Franklin to Senator Fulbright, 9 December 1960. National Archives- Fort Worth, RG291 Fed Prop Resources Services- GSA Real Prop. Cases ARk S- NAD HM 1994 Box AR3, Folder Camden 1 S- NAD 291-63A16 FRC94050.
“In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
Lasiter, J.O. to President Dwight Eisenhower, 15 November 1960. National Archives- Fort Worth, RG291 Fed Prop Resources Services- GSA Real Prop. Cases ARk S- NAD HM 1994 Box AR3, Folder Camden 1 S- NAD 291-63A16 FRC94050.
Lynch, Jeremy. “Fort Smith National Historic Site,” The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History& Culture. http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=4522. (accessed September 1, 2010).
“Many Visitors Awed at Huge Naval Plant Here,” The Camden News, October 28, 1946, 1.
“NAD Bids to Be Opened At 11 AMFriday,” The Camden News, January 7, 1948, 1.
“NAD Groups Move Into New Offices,” The Camden News, December 15, 1950, 1.
“NAD To Put On Additional Worker Shift,” The Camden News, September 8, 1950, 1.
“Naval Officer At Rotary Club,” The Camden News, April 2, 1942, 1.
“Navy Officers Study Camden Plant Site,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 5, 1944, 2.
“Navy Takes Over NOP Nov. 5,” The Camden News, November 3, 1945, 1.
“Navy To Build 1500 Houses,” The Camden News, November 3, 1945, 1.
“New Camden Airport Cost $3,000,000,” The Arkansas Democrat, September 6, 1942, 10C.
“New Plant May Cost 100 Million,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 2.
“New Owner Is Moving In At Shumaker,” The Arkansas Gazette, July 8, 1961, 2A.
“NOP Work to Suspend,” The Camden News, August 21, 1945, 1.
“Progress Made on Building For NAD Group,” The Camden News, November 7, 1950, 1.
“Rockets For U.S. Produced Here,” The Camden News, April 26, 1945, 1.
“Says Camden Plant Will Be Permanent,” The Arkansas Gazette, January 3, 1945, 1.
“Sealed Bids for NAD Barracks,” The Camden News, October 18, 1951, 1.
“Site of WWII Naval Ammunition Depot NAD Hastings, Nebraska: Arming America’s Navy from the Nebraska prairie during WWII.” Adams County Convention and Visitor Bureau. https://www.visithastingsnebraska.com/assets/site/web/documents/Final%20NAD%20Brochure.pdf
“State Moves to Halt Camden Plant’s Sale For Junk Purposes,” The Arkansas Democrat, April 17, 1961, 1.
“Top Defense Officials To Inspect Shumaker, Check for Future Uses,” The Arkansas Gazette, May 22, 1956, 1.
United States. Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Volume 1. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1947.
US Army Joint Munitions Command. History of the Ammunition Industrial Base. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2010.
“U.S. Designation Camden Area Vital To Defense,” The Camden News, November 8, 1951, 1.
“Would Speed Up Plant At Camden,” The Arkansas Gazette, January 6, 1945, 2.
[1] Jeremy Lynch, “Fort Smith National Historic Site,” The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History& Culture. http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=4522. (accessed September 1, 2010).
[2] US Army Joint Munitions Command, History of the Ammunition Industrial Base (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2010), 8.
[3] Ibid, 9.
[4] Ibid, 10.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Lenore Fine and Jesse A. Remington, The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States (Washington D.C.: Center for Military History, U.S. Army, 2003), 108.
[7] United States. Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Volume 1 (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1947), 325.
[8] “Citizens Endorse Aviation School,” The Camden News, March 27, 1942, 1.
[9] “City Purchased Site For Flying School Here Today,” The Camden News, April 2, 1942, 1.
[10] “New Camden Airport Cost $3,000,000,” The Arkansas Democrat, September 6, 1942, 10C.
[11] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[12] “Camden Plant Will Be Huge, Admiral Says,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 1.
[13] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[14] The comment about the sites being inferior for farming is questionable at this point and will be brought up gain in a later footnote. (Ibid.)
[15] $60,000,000 Navy Ordnance Plant Goes to Camden,” The Arkansas Gazette, September 24, 1944, 1.
[16] “New Plant May Cost 100 Million,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 2.
[17] $60,000,000 Navy Ordnance Plant Goes to Camden,” The Arkansas Gazette, September 24, 1944, 1.
[18] Benjamin Laney would eventually be elected Governor in 1945 and then again in 1947.
[19] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[20] “Navy Officers Study Camden Plant Site,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 5, 1944, 2.
[21] Ibid.
[22] US Army Joint Munitions Command, 11.
[23] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[24] In order to meet the demand of production and assembly, National Fireworks set up training courses at it Cordova, Tennessee, plant, which is near Memphis. (Ibid.)
[25] “68,000 Acres Taken for Navy Plant,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 8, 1944, 2.
[26] “Camden Plant Will Be Huge, Admiral Says,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 1.
[27] It is also during this statement that the Rear Admiral states that nearly half of the 4,000 workers needed would be female.
[28] “Camden Plant Will Be Huge, Admiral Says,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 1.
[29] Ibid.
[30] This number was later increase to nearly 17,000 workmen. (“Naval Officer At Rotary Club,” The Camden News, April 2, 1942, 1.)
[31] The newspaper article misspelled Samuel R. Shumaker’s name and includes it as “Samuel R. Schumacher.” It is note that the Samuel Shumaker was a “Navy Hero” in the Pacific when he died in March 1944, having served 33 years in the Navy working with ordnance. (“Camden Plant Will Be Huge, Admiral Says,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 1.) In a later article Captain J. M. Lewis states that the plant would be named for Captain Bob Shumaker, who was a Navy hero in the south pacific. (“Naval Officer At Rotary Club,” The Camden News, April 2, 1942, 1.)
[32] “Camden Plant Will Be Huge, Admiral Says,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 1.
[33] Ibid.
[34] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[35] “Would Speed Up Plant At Camden,” The Arkansas Gazette, January 6, 1945, 2.
[36] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.; “Rockets For U.S. Produced Here,” The Camden News, April 26, 1945, 1.
[37] “$32,600,000 To Enlarge Camden Plant,” The Arkansas Gazette, October 10, 1944, 6.
[38] “NOP Work to Suspend,” The Camden News, August 21, 1945, 1.
[39] “Says Camden Plant Will Be Permanent,” The Arkansas Gazette, January 3, 1945, 1.; “Rockets For U.S. Produced Here,” The Camden News, April 26, 1945, 1.
[40] “Navy Takes Over NOP Nov. 5,” The Camden News, November 3, 1945, 1.
[41] “Progress Made on Building For NAD Group,” The Camden News, November 7, 1950, 1.
[42] Ibid.
[43] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[44] “NAD To Put On Additional Worker Shift,” The Camden News, September 8, 1950, 1.
[45] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[46] “Site of WWII Naval Ammunition Depot NAD Hastings, Nebraska: Arming America’s Navy from the Nebraska prairie during WWII.” Adams County Convention and Visitor Bureau. https://www.visithastingsnebraska.com/assets/site/web/documents/Final%20NAD%20Brochure.pdf
[47] “In the Interest of… Shumaker NAD,” Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) Administration Building File, National Register and Survey Files, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Department of Arkansas Heritage.
[48] “Top Defense Officials To Inspect Shumaker, Check for Future Uses,” The Arkansas Gazette, May 22, 1956, 1.
[49] “1000 to Lose Jobs At U.S. Naval Depot,” The Camden News, June 5, 1957, 1.
[50] It is interesting that the reason for closing the depot was the increase in new guided missiles, but the depot was going to slowly continue to produce and assemble the Sidewinder missile. (Ibid.)
[51] “Booklet On NAD Published,” The Camden News, June 5, 1957, 1.
[52]The Navy would sell the property, but retain the limited use of the bunkers where rockets were still being stored. The article advises that the Navy would continue to use these bunkers for no more than five years. (Ibid.)
[53] “State Moves to Halt Camden Plant’s Sale For Junk Purposes,” The Arkansas Democrat, April 17, 1961, 1.
[54] This would become an even bigger issue and cover-up by the GSA, when original property owners started to come back asking to buy their property back for the price they were paid for it, which was the original agreement.
[55] J.O. Lasiter, to President Dwight Eisenhower, 15 November 1960, National Archives- Fort Worth, RG291 Fed Prop Resources Services- GSA Real Prop. Cases ARk S- NAD HM 1994 Box AR3, Folder Camden 1 S- NAD 291-63A16 FRC94050.
[56] “Secton 23(d) of the Surplus Proerty Act of 1944 provided for the negotiated sale of certain classes of real propertyto former owners under a price preference formula. This provision was repealed by the Federal Property and Administration Services Act of 1949, as amended, which does not afford former owners either a priority or price preference in reacquiring surplus property. GSA has opposed legislation which has for its purpose the restoration of the above-mentioned priority and price preference provision of the 1944 Act.” (Franklin Floete, to Senator Fulbright, 9 December 1960, National Archives- Fort Worth, RG291 Fed Prop Resources Services- GSA Real Prop. Cases ARk S- NAD HM 1994 Box AR3, Folder Camden 1 S- NAD 291-63A16 FRC94050.
[57] “A further factor which infuenced our proposed method of disposal was that the Depot site contains the finest stand of prime timber in this section of Arkansas and could well be an important adjunct to our successful disposal of the installation. A subdivision of the timber area or the severance of component portions of production facilities so as to officer the property in 400 former ownership tracts would seriously depress the value of the entire installation.” (Ibid.)
[58] “New Owner Is Moving In At Shumaker,” The Arkansas Gazette, July 8, 1961, 2A.
[59] The name changed from the Southwest Vocational- Technical Institute to Southern Arkansas University- Tech, in 1975.