New marker honors history of Eddystone Rifle Factory
EDDYSTONE » The borough recently unveiled a Pennsylvania historical marker on the site of the Eddystone Rifle Plant, the largest factory in the United Stated during World War I, producing more than a million rifles, accounting for 47 percent of total U.S. wartime production. The marker stands on Simpson Street, across from 13th Street.
The marker is the result of several years of effort by the borough Historical Committee and council. “This site is one of the greatest achievement of World War I,” historian Kurt Sellers told the crowd at the unveiling. “It is fitting on this Veterans Day weekend that we have this dedication.”
Sellers said the factory site encompassed Simpson Street, Chester Pike to where the Shop Rite Supermarket now stands, back to Amtrak’s northeast corridor tracks.
“The original building where the rifles were stored still stands behind WalMart,” he said, adding that unused rifles were put in storage and used in World War II. The statistics Sellers recounted on the number of rifles produced at the factory were staggering. Monthly production at one period in 1918 was
100,000 rifles, there was a work force of 15,000, with women accounting for 20 percent of the peak work force, and more than half of the Model 1917 rifles issued to U.S. soldiers were made at the Eddystone plant.
William Lewis, chairman of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, spoke of the process needed to be eligible for a historical marker.
“They are essentially a master’s thesis,” he said of the amount of research that goes into the application for consideration of the placement of a marker.
“This will be here forever,” he said of the borough marker. “Congratulations on this great day.” Although no mention of it was made at the dedication, the rifle factory experienced a tragedy on April 10, 1917, when an explosion occurred in one of the buildings, killing 133 people.
Historical Society of Eddystone chairperson Beth Gross welcomed those at the dedication and the Rev. Charlie Thomas, pastor of the Eddystone United Methodist Church, gave the invocation. Council president Karen Reeves thanked everyone who made the marker dedication a reality.
While all the speakers took their turn at the lectern,
Barry Johnson of Blue Bell, stood at attention dressed as a World War I soldier with an Eddystone rifle at his side. He is a volunteer with the Pennsylvania World War I Centennial
Committee. Barbara Selletti of Chester, in a World War I Army nurse uniform, a member of the Centennial Committee, was also on hand for the ceremony.