Download
[Page]
[Document]mcc-ns1-054
Farming For A Better Future, page 28
as Metal's Terrace. A total of 32 acres was set aside and construction begun on August 24, 1943. Within a year, 48 buildings were completed, 36 of which were residential units. The housing units were accompanied by stores, barbers, and a community center - resembling a settlement. Metal's Terrace is said to have been located adjacent to Reynolds Metal Co. Plant, however, the housing project could not be positively located on historical maps and aerials.
The Reynolds Metal Plant was one of the private industrial plants that manufactured materials for the war effort during World War II. The nearby shoals and their potential for hydroelectric power had brought the U.S. government to Colbert County during World War I. The federal government built Wilson Dam to control the river and generate power. The dam powered the nitrate plants in Sheffield and Muscle Shoals but were left idle after WWI concluded. The TVA took control of the dam and Nitrate Plant No. 2 in 1933 for the production of fertilizer. With the onset of WWII, the nitrate plant resumed munitions manufacturing and Reynolds Metal joined in to produce aluminum. While not TVA controlled, the metal factory shared many similarities with the government-funded plants
(Below) Aerial Photograph of Reynolds Metal in 1949 (University of Alabama, Historical Map Collection, Online)
* Indicates a Historical - Non-Extant Resource
Photographs by Jack Delano, Reynolds Alloys Company, Sheffield, Colbert County, Alabama, August 1942 (Library of Congress) (1) Change of Shift (2) Workmen Entering Gate During Change of Shifts (3) Pouring Aluminum into Pig Molds at the Cast House (4) Pouring Liquid Aluminum into Pig Molds from a Ladle at the Cast House (5) Workman in Reduction Plant. The White Powder on His Face is Alumina (6) Workman in the Cast House stops for a Drink of Water (7-9) Workmen who are Employed in one of the Pot Rooms - (4556)