Here is part of the survey done by Alan Mounier on the National Fireworks Company. I have omitted the structural remains section.
Renee
A Stage I Archaeological Survey of Block 688, Lot 1, Hamilton Township, Atlantic County identified structural remains relating to a World War II munitions plant on the outskirts of Mays Landing (Mounier 1989). Preliminary research indicated that the plant was operated between 1942 and 1945 by the National Fireworks Company, for the purpose of manufacturing incendiary bombs. With the cessation of hostilities in 1945, the plant was closed and dismantled. Concrete and block structures -- now in ruinous condition -- are all that survive of the bomb plant. The proposed construction would lead to the removal of the surviving structural remnants.
The works was the last of several facilities that produced munitions in the Pine Barrens. Shell-loading facilities were constructed at Belcoville and Amatol during the First World War, and Ordnance was produced at various iron furnaces in the Pines during the 18th and 19th centuries. Because munitions works have an important historical connection with the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, it was felt that recordation beyond that achieved at the Stage I level of survey should be undertaken.
Stage II Survey Procedures
A Stage II Survey was initiated in order to gather additional information on the World War II era Mays Landing bomb plant. The Stage II Survey involved numerous inquiries to state agencies as well as county and township libraries and historical organizations. An attempt was made to secure information from knowledgeable scholars and local residents. Despite concerted efforts, very little "new" information could be gathered.
This lack of available data is somewhat surprising considering the relative wealth of material printed about other major Pinelands wartime industries. However, unlike the World War I munitions works at Amatol and Belcoville-- which were more or less self contained communities in the Pines (Hammel 1918, Bethlehem Steel 1919)--, this plant lacked associated residential units, hospitals, and similar facilities. As the workers lived in the midst of the munitions works at the "town" plants, information about them may have made its way more easily into the public record. The Mays Landing site was constructed on a much smaller scale than Amatol and Belcoville, and, being of more recent age, may not have been considered to possess much historical value. In addition, the need for secrecy during the war years certainly limited the dissemination of operational information among the workers or the public. Difficulties in obtaining information are doubtless due in part to security measures invoked when the plant was in operation.
Aerial photographs of the project area were made just before the plant was erected, and after its dismantling and abandonment. The post-plant photograph, dated 1957, shows the remains essentially as they appear in the field at present. Inquiries at the Division of Coastal Resources (NJDEP) revealed that no flights had been made between 1942 and 1945, the period of the bomb plant's operation.
Numerous other inquiries were made at various potential sources of information, which include the following: New Jersey Department of State, Archives and Commercial Recordings; Atlantic County Library, Mays Landing; Atlantic County Historical Library, Somers Point; Hamilton Township Historical Commission. Among these, the sole source of obtainable information was the Atlantic County Library in Mays Landing. The available material consists of a cursory paragraph in two local history publications, and interviews with former bomb plant employees.
Historical Summary
While in operation the plant occupied a parcel of land 4.5 to 5 square miles, located along the railroad line, north of the intersection of Harding Highway and Bear's Head Road (Hamilton Township Committee 1960; Cain 1958; Mounier 1982, 1989). The works, which contained about twenty buildings, produced bombs for use in aerial, land, and sea combat (Cain 1958).
The plant and operations were designed with emphasis on safety and secrecy. These aims were accomplished in part through the selection of a remote site location, physical separation of individual buildings and workers, and thorough inspections. The isolation of the site in the open space of the Pine Barrens (and the diffuse spatial arrangement of the structures themselves) served to limit the potential for incidental damage in the event of fire or explosion at the plant. Site isolation probably also served security aims.
Buildings on site were deliberately separated to avoid chain reaction fires and explosions. The black powder storage houses were typically located half a block away from the filling and mixing "houses." Within these structures, individuals worked alone in small compartments. This procedure served two purposes: 1) it protected the personal safety of the work force; and 2) it impeded access to operational information about the plant as a whole.
No more than one large glass jar of black powder was allowed at one time in a compartment (Students of Oakcrest High School 1980). It is unclear exactly how much powder the jars contained, but the burden could not have been heavier than a woman could transport manually or with a handcart for a distance of half a block. While the overall safety efforts were effective, a former plant worker recalled that numerous fires broke out every day. The workers considered such incidents to be commonplace (Students of Oakcrest High School 1980).
Worker access to the plant was achieved in automobiles, which were parked in lots far removed from the plant buildings. Upon arriving for their shift, employees walked first to the "halfway house," a checkpoint located approximately halfway between the parking area and the plant site. There the workers would be searched for matches, lighters, and other items that were not allowed in the plant. Employees were also searched upon leaving the plant (Students of Oakcrest High School).
The bombs were assembled in stages, and (as noted above) efforts were made to insure that the civilians working at the plant would never be completely informed about the total bomb manufacturing process. Individual employees were knowledgeable of their particular jobs only. Most of the tasks performed at the Mays Landing plant involved bomb assembly, the ingredients arriving at the plant in ready-made condition. During the Stage I survey, machine anchors were observed imbedded in the surviving building floors, and most likely secured powder-mixing machines or similar devices. After filling and before shipping, the individual bombs were packed into large spindle-shaped containers (Students of Oakcrest High School 1980). Bombs were probably shipped out by rail.
Apparently concerned with maintaining employee morale and productivity, the company employed a mediator to reconcile disputes between the employee union and the management. The mediator, Mr. Ralph Sorrentino, gave instruction in a course entitled "Harmonious Relationships" at the Mays Landing site. It appears that morale was high in general, and as former plant worker Ella Tuthill explained, the workers felt proud to be doing their part for "our boys" in Europe (Students of Oakcrest High School 1980).
References
Bethlehem Steel
1919. Bethlehem Steel and Subsidiary Companies, Description of Plants, October 1, 1919. Supplied by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Public Relations Department.
Cain, Olive
1958 "The History of Mays Landing and Vicinity." Typescript on file at Atlantic County Library, Mays Landing, NJ.
Hamilton Township Committee
1960 "Mays Landing, New Jersey: 250th Anniversary Celebration, 1710-1960."
Hammel, Victor
1918 Construction and Operation of a Shell Loading Plant and the Town of Amatol, New Jersey. United States Government Ordnance Department, U.S. Army. Atlantic Loading Company, New York.
Mounier, R. Alan
1982 Survey of the Cultural Resources of the Historic Era in the Watersheds of the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers. With contributions by Heritage Studies Inc. Report to Green Acres Program, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection. Trenton, N.J.
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1989 An Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Subdivision Block 688, Lot 1, Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Report on file with author.
Students of Oakcrest High School
1980 "In Their Own Words: An Oral History of the Township of Hamilton." Interviews with Ella Tuthill and Ralph Sorrentino. Township of Hamilton: Environmental Commission
