Sign 1 - Introduction

Begun in the spring of 1918, the sprawling facility originally contained 199 buildings erected in less than seven months at a cost of 12 million dollars. Buildings were finished at a break-neck pace by carpenters who arrived at the site by train or truck. By the fall, three almost-complete shell loading plants, numerous support buildings, a power plant, bridges, and rail lines had been constructed.

A company town named Belcoville—short for the “be” in Bethlehem, the “l” in Loading, and the “co” in Company—was created one mile north of the plant. Barracks, apartment buildings, duplexes, and single family homes were built to accommodate 8,000 workers. Other structures included a post office, stores, movie theatre, barber shop, and school. A moving picture theater seating 500, to relieve the monotony of life in the construction camps, was erected in thirty working hours, and a show was given in the building the fourth day after it was started. One of the biggest problems was the securing of labor, and after securing it, to keep them contented and “on the job” all the time. In addition to the moving pictures which were furnished for the laborers, a theatre was placed in the village; dances were held three times a week; there were baseball games, football, basketball, boxing and wrestling shows, occasional entertainments and smokers. A notable feature of the work and one showing the spirit, was that the first thing done at the beginning of new work was the raising of the American flag.

At the height of the war, over 2,000 people worked at the plant loading more than 134,000 shells in 75-millimeter, 155-millimeter, and 8-inch diameter sizes. The plant was one of fourteen shell loading plants nationwide and one of several loading plants in New Jersey. Of the 14, the Mays Landing Plant and one other were the third highest ordnance producers.

The complex was only 70% complete when the war ended in November 1918. The buildings were then sold for salvage, leaving only foundations, some brick partition walls, concrete floors, and scattered ruins. In 2005, the site was listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a nationally-significant historic district.