ODN Item of the Week: Taylorcraft wing construction with women

We’ve talked about Alliance, Ohio’s industrial past before, and this week we are taking a look at the drafting room of Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation. Located in Alliance from 1936-46, the company has taken on many names and forms since its original inception in 1926 as the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation.

Here we see a photograph of the Taylorcraft factory floor, taken in the 1940s when there was an increase in hiring of women in industrial and manufacturing positions while many men were away at war.

Courtesy Rodman Public Library

A fire in the factory caused the company to halt production there and contributed to its bankruptcy. After reorganization of assets a few years later, it became Taylorcraft Inc.

Thanks to Rodman Public Library, there are hundreds more photographs of the factory and planes in production, test flights, and many social events held for the employees that you can browse on DPLA.