Western Stove Co./San Bernardino Chemical War Services Plant (Mt. Vernon and 27th Street, San Bernardino)

During the War

In 1942 the San Francisco Chemical warfare Procurement district contracted Western Stove Co., which used to be a loading plant, to start manufacturing military weapons. On March 9, 1942, the new Chemical plant opened but it would not be operated very long.¹  The contract would expire in 1944 and a new company would take over manufacturing.

In 1943 the Western Stove chemical warfare service plant in San Bernardino was presented an “E” award by the Army and Navy of the United States for its “outstanding Production of war materials.” ² Major General William N. Porter, who was the Chief of the U.S. Army chemical warfare service presented the award to the officials and employees of the plant.³ General Porter praised the women and men who worked in the plant, referring to them as being “equally enrolled in the Production of Freedom.”⁴ As a sign of appreciation the plant received a red, white, and blue flag with a capital “E” in the center that was raised high in the front entrance of the plant.

The Western Stove Chemical Plant employed twice as many women as it did men and during the ceremony, General Porter did not fail to recognize them. He called them “Heroes in Slack!”⁵ Both men and women workers were given pins as an award for their hard work. The “E” pins were presented by Col. J.W. Lyon the Commanding officer of the San Francisco chemical war procurement district.⁶ The ceremony was no small gathering the San Bernardino Sun estimated that there might have been almost 600 persons in attendance, it was well advertised in the local newspapers a month before and the ceremony was also broadcast live on KFXM.⁷

New Management at the Eve of the War

By the end of the year, in 1943, the San Bernardino chemical plant had been bought by the Monrovia Concern.⁸ According to the article the plant had only been in operation for more than two years and it had just received the “E” award earlier that year. The Western Stove Co. plant became the Day and Night Manufacturing Co. of Monrovia on January 1, 1944. Later in 1944, the new company put out an advertisement for new employees, it needed 30 men who could work at “stock handling, assembling, janitors, and 2 colored cafeteria attendants”⁹ According to address the plant did not move to Monrovia it stay at 3196 Mt. Vernon Ave in San Bernardino.

Footnotes