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    Schenectady: a City Transformed by War
    Schenectady: a City Transformed by War
    Schenectady: a City Transformed by War
    Ebook 150 pages 1 hour

    Schenectady: a City Transformed by War

    By William Pelotte

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    About this ebook

    World War II and its impact on communities across the country were far-reaching. Schenectady, with major industries and a growing population, was positioned well to handle the escalating war overseas. The following is an examination of how the city of Schenectady, its corporate partners, and its citizens were able to adapt to the challenges and demands placed upon them during these years.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris US
    Release dateSep 18, 2018
    ISBN9781984549884
    Schenectady: a City Transformed by War
    Author

    William Pelotte

    William (Bill) Pelotte was born and raised in and around the Mohawk Valley of Upstate New York where he attended Perth Central School and Union College. He would later pursue a Graduate Degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fl. Bill's interest in World War II was cultivated at an early age. The grandson of WWII Purple Heart recipient and the son of Korean War Vet, sparked his interest in this period of American history. Bill currently resides on the South Shore of Massachusetts with his wife Wendy. Bill Has three children, Kristopher, Lindsay and Bailey.

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      Book preview

      Schenectady - William Pelotte

      Copyright © 2018 by William Pelotte.

      Library of Congress Control Number:   2018910186

      ISBN:            Hardcover                            978-1-9845-4986-0

                            Softcover                              978-1-9845-4987-7

                            eBook                                   978-1-9845-4988-4

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

      The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Rev. date: 09/17/2018

      Xlibris

      1-888-795-4274

      www.Xlibris.com

      782047

      To the men and women who served the United States of America during World War II both overseas and at home.

      CONTENTS

      1.     INTRODUCTION

      2.     THE AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY

      GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

      3.     GENERAL ELECTRIC

      THE SLEEPING GIANT AWAKENS

      4.     WOMEN

      WINNING THE WAR AT HOME

      5.     HOUSING:

      A CURE FOR THE CONDITION?

      6.     TRANSPORTATION

      CROWDS AND CONGESTION

      7.     POLITICS

      CONSISTENCY WITH ASSISTANCE

      8.     RATIONING

      THE COMMUNITY TIGHTENS ITS BELT

      9.     POPULATION

      THE END OF AN ERA

      10.   CONCLUSION

      11.   ENDNOTES AND CITATIONS

      12.   BIBLIOGRAPHY

      TABLES

      1.   AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE EMPLOYMENT

      2.   GENERAL ELECTRIC EMPLOYMENT RECORD

      3.   PUBLIC HOUSING IN SCHENECTADY

      4.   RESIDENTIAL BUILDING TRENDS BY

      TYPE AND NUMBER

      5.   EXISTING HOUSING FACILITIES

      6.   POPULATION TRENDS

      7.   POPULATION INCREASES

      8.   DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION

      9.   ENROLLMENT OF SCHOOLS

      10. DEATH AND BIRTH RATES

      11. SCHENECTADIANS IN WORLD WAR II

      GRAPHS

      1.   ALCO EMPLOYMENT (1933-1944)

      2.   GENERAL ELECTRIC EMPLOYMENT (1937-1946)

      3.   AVG. DAILY LISTINGS OF HOUSING RENTALS

      4.   TOTAL EXPENDITURES-REVENUES (1936-1945)

      5.   GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES (1936-1945)

      6.   GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES (1936-1945)

      7.   BONDED DEBT AS OF JAN. 1 (1936-1945)

      8.   POPULATION (1938-1947)

      9.   BIRTHS & MARRIAGES (1938-1947)

      10. DEATHS (1938-1947)

      FIGURES

      1.   JOHN SMITH AND HIS JOB

      2.   TRANSPORTATION DATA CARD

      3.   TRANSPORTATION QUESTIONNAIRE

      4.   GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION CHART

      5.   SCHENECTADY WAR COUNCIL

      6.   WEEKLY GROCERY LIST

      7.   RATION POINTS TABLE

      8.   RATION POINTS TABLE

      PLATES

      1.   STATE STREET ON A TYPICAL DAY.

      2.   GENERAL ELECTRIC TRAFFIC ON ERIE BOULEVARD.

      3.   GENERAL ELECTRIC PARKING LOTS.

      4.   CROSSWALK AT STATE AND JAY STREETS.

      5.   ALCO’s M-7 TANK KILLER

      6.   M-7 TANK-DAY PARADE ON ERIE BOULEVARD BETWEEN

      STATE AND LIBERTY STREETS

      7.   ALCO TANK BODIES STORED ON UNION COLLEGE’S

      WEST PASTURE ALONG SEWARD PLACE

      8.   ALCO TANKS AWAITING SHIPMENT AT THE TESTING

      GROUNDS LOCATED AT THE OLD IROQOUIS GOLF COURSE, NISKAYUANA.

      9.   BUS STOP ON STATE STREET IN FRONT OF THE ELKS

      CLUB.

      10. SHOES BEING SORTED AND PACKED. PAPER DRIVE.

      CLOTHING DRIVE

      All photos courtesy of The City History Center

      wa1.png

      INTRODUCTION

      As war thickened across the Atlantic, the United States watched in uncertainty. Frightened by the events in Europe during 1940, Congress approved large sums of money for preparedness, increasing the defense budget from 2 billion dollars to 10 billion dollars. American industries began gearing up to supply the allied nations.

      On December 7, 1941, the uncertainty became reality and the whole country went into full swing to put down the Axis. Industrial centers across the nation began manufacturing war materials in record numbers. Schenectady, like the others, became a prosperous community within a relatively short time.

      From 1940 to 1945, Schenectady was a hotbed of activity. With the migration of thousands of people into the city and its surrounding areas, the city became what one writer for the Associated Press described as a city, straining at the seams of its economic pants. ¹ More people than ever were working in the city (Plate #1). Businesses and paychecks were expanding. This new found wealth was a welcome guest to the community. The causes for such an upswing are The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and General Electric.

      Together, these two companies placed Schenectady on the Global map as, The City that Lights and Hauls the World. These companies, expanding daily, doubled and tripled their size during this period. With machines operating around the clock and people coming and going at all hours, the city was constantly alive with movement.

      In the mornings and afternoons, the streets were packed with cars, buses, bicycles, and trolleys. Erie Boulevard, the main artery for traffic going to and from General Electric on the one end and American Locomotive on the other, was an endless line of cars (Plate #2). Commuters from 41 different counties of the state filled the General Electric parking lots while at ALCO, parking facilities were inadequate (Plate #3). ² The cars were accompanied by just as many people walking to either industry.

      During the day, the downtown streets were crowded with anxious shoppers walking from store to store (Plate #4). Bus stops were filled with endless potential passengers. Hawkers and their balloons, pitchmen and their gadgets, at times give a carnival air to the main street. ³

      With all this excitement, growth and abundance of people, the city would run head on into the scarcity of vital resources. Transportation and housing were severely strained due to it. Officials immediately set to work to try and make the necessary adjustments. Housing and Transportation officials created committees to review the situation and offer suggestions.

      Extensive transportation studies were done which offered brief and seemingly unproductive answers. Not knowing how long the war would go on, the best answer was to make minor adjustments, where needed, and wait it out.

      This may have been an answer for the Transportation Department but officials in Housing needed to do something immediately. Rental opportunities dropped rapidly throughout the city with no recovery in sight. Homeowners were asked to renovate and rent out unused rooms or convert unused property into dwelling space. Public Housing provided two new projects in 1943 to house some of the thousands of migrants while private enterprise assisted.

      This era saw women become an important group and vital resource in both the labor force and in organizations aiding the war effort. Many women moved from the house to the factory, replacing men who went off to serve their country. Others stayed at home and involved themselves with clubs, circles, and societies.

      This was the time for rationing. When people are asked what was rationed, they answer that almost everything was. That is not that far from the truth. The most essential items people used on a daily basis were subject to the program. Gasoline, tires, food, cigarettes, and bicycles were just a part of the list. For some, it seemed an inconvenience to stand in long hot lines for gasoline coupons or cigarettes, but for others that remembered the depression all to well, the waiting was tolerable. It did not matter how much money one made or what position one held at the office, everyone was essentially treated equally. Rationing affected everyone in the community.

      The politics of the time had to cope with the growing community. Only a few years old, the Council-Manager government met its first test. The government chugged along with no apparent difficulties. It maintained all the services in record numbers with surprising efficiency. When it found, however, that it did not have the resources to

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