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1917–1918 The United States Joins the Fight

Doing Their Bit—Industrial Support

Connecticut workers were well known for their production of material even before the United States joined the battle. Ironworkers in Groton, Noank and Stonington built ships. Mystic residents constructed vessels and worked at textile mills. People from Bridgeport and environs labored at Remington Arms to produce guns and bullets. In Greenwich, employees of Mianus Woolen Mill and American Felt Company produced fabric for military blankets, clothing and equipment. Many of the factory workers in Greenwich and elsewhere were newcomers from central and southern Europe. As the War effort geared up, opportunities expanded for them when factories such as the Mianus Woolen Mill put on additional shifts.

Greenwich was part of a corridor where munitions and other hazardous materials were made and transported. For example it was Greenwich resident Leonard Clark's dangerous job to drive a truck full of munitions from Stamford to piers in New York and New Jersey. He did so at night under a police escort and under restrictions designed to lessen the chances of an explosion. His perilous wartime service was never formally recognized nor was he eligible for military benefits.

Mills of the American Felt Company at Glenville, 1899-1968. Original in collection of Greenwich Historical Society, William E. Finch, Jr. Archives, Photograph Collection.

Mianus Woolen Mill, 1899-1938. Greenwich Historical Society, William E. Finch, Jr. Archives, Photograph Collection.

Women Assembling Cartridges, 1914-1918. Remington Arms Union Metallic Cartridge Co., Bridgeport, Conn. Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-11141.