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June 1941. "Surveyors at work in Martin County, Indiana, where naval ammunition depot is being constructed on 42,000 acre tract. 160 families will be displaced." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
That birdhouse will be displaced.
The Crane Naval Depot still exists along with the town of Crane about 35 miles south of Bloomington, the home of Indiana University. Besides Martin County, parts of the property extends into two other counties.
If it has anything to do with electronic warfare, they do it at Crane.
We've seen several Vachon photos of workers who were building another large ammunition plant, in Radford, Virginia. This while the U.S. was still officially staying out of World War II. Despite strong opposition to involvement, the Roosevelt administration was taking increasingly specific steps, most visibly Lend Lease and Selective Service registration.
Photographing military preparedness was surely a stretch of the Farm Security Administration's remit, which likely explains the caption emphasizing displacement of rural families. Within a year things morphed into the Office of War Information and Vachon was working there.
The facility in Indiana is still operating. I spent several years in Bloomington and never realized that the world's third largest naval installation was 35 miles away and nowhere near an ocean.
That sledge he is holding weighs at least 10 pounds. If he has had this job for a while i would expect his forearms to be more Popeyesque.
Plumb that rod if you want an accurate reading. On MY crew, you wouldn't last a week!
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