The Garland Landmark Society, Inc.
Industry & Utilities
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Bluebonnet Ice Cream and Bluebonnet Sweet Cream Butter were produced at the Garland Creamery, pictured here in ca. 1940 on the SE corner of State and Fifth Streets. Affiliated with adjoining Zero Locker Storage plant, the creamery produced and delivered products in trucks like this one to grocery outlets within the region.
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Paper Drives, such as
this one ca. 1942,
among employees at the Southern Aircraft plant, now IMCO, gave civilians an extra opportunity to support the American effort in WWII. Other collections to address wartime shortages focused on rubber, textiles, fountain pens, various metals and blood.
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Lifeboats for WWII use are crated for shipment from Southern Aircraft, now General Dynamics, Garland, ca. 1945. Framed with glued 2x4’s and covered with canvas, the boats were painted in “international”orange. SAC also manufactured aircraft component parts.
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Two models of Intercontinental Tractors appeared in the post-war product mix of Intercontinental Manufacturing Co., successor to Southern Aircraft Corporation. While most operated on gasoline, diesel and kerosene versions were also available. Production halted in 1955.
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The Silvaire, an all medal "personal plane,"
was manufactured by Luscombe Airplane Corporation, which moved its facilities from Trenton, NJ to a 500-acre tract west of Garland in 1945. Shown on a Silvaire's wing in the late 1940's are 28 plant employees weighing a combined weight of 3,500 pounds. The Luscombe installation formed the genesis of the current Raytheon,E-Systems plant here.
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This Luscombe Silvaire was manufactured the firm’s Garland plant ca. 1947 and bears fuselage markings for overseas ownership, likely British. W. T. Wisener, Sr., Luscombe’s Personnel
Director, is pictured at right unidentified
buyer’s representative.
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The Flying Car, seen around the Southern
Aircraft Plant in Garland immediately after WWII, was a prototype called the Southern Roadable. With attached wings, tail and propeller, the 1800-pound vehicle could fly at up to 128 mph. The rudder control activated its clutch and brakes for highway driving. SAC was unable to meet development schedules, and the unit was returned to its designer in California.
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Charles E. Newman, who headed Garland Power and Light from 1923 to 1963, stands beside the the last expansion of the old Diesel plant on Avenue A. Said to be powered by the largest internal combustion engine in Texas at the time, its operation sometimes rattled glass in business houses around the town square. The unit could also operate on natural gas.
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Christmas
decorations like this banner from the 50's graced the front of the black buildings at 404 Forest Lane, home of U.S. Steel's Oilwell Supply division. This plant originally produced drilling equipment and pumps, but was subsequently acquired by Marmon Motor Company for truck manufacturing. Now, remodeled, it has become the International Garland Assembly Plant.
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A monorail demonstration track once stood north of the Varo Inc. building on Walnut St. Pictured here ca. 1970, the track carried "monocab" units marketed by Varo as the Stratoline. The site is now partially occupied by the east parking lot of Baylor Hospital.
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Varo, Inc.’s Stratoline ran on a single
overhead track and was billed as a “horizontal elevator.” In 1971, DFW Airport officials rejected Varo’s monocab proposal in favor of automated surface trains serving its terminals. Plagued by a lifetime of complaints, those trains were scheduled for removal in 2005.
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