Yonkers, New York

Bumpers for Victory! During World War II scrap drives were a popular way for the residents of Yonkers to contribute to the war effort.

Mary Hoar Collection

American World War II Heritage City

Yonkers, New York, located on the Hudson River just north of New York City, had a diverse manufacturing base during World War II that produced multiple types of goods for the U.S. war effort. Companies and organizations in Yonkers received dozens of contracts to produce items needed to fight the war. Many of them converted from manufacturing regular products to war production. Almost 75 Yonkers companies, big and small, worked to meet the needs of the war effort.

Alexander Smith &. Sons Carpet Company, the largest carpet manufacturer in the country, took on the challenge of making duck cloth (duck canvas) and blankets for the U.S. military. They also produced a weekly paper, Yonkers Home News, sent to all Yonkers citizens fighting in the war. Habirsihaw Cable & Wire Company produced most of the flexible cable needed for Operation Pluto, an effort to construct submarine oil pipelines under the English Channel for Operation Overlord. Other companies in the city manufactured diverse products such as gloves, parachute, gun turrets, canal locks, lubricants, torpedoes and pillowcases were made by residents at the New York Guild for the Jewish Blind (The Lighthouse Guild). In addition, Yonkers had one of the few deep-water ports on the Hudson River, an asset for war work done by Arthur Blair Shipyards, the U.S. Shipbuilding Corporation, and Refined Syrups and Sugars.