1930 - 1936 Horace E Dodge Boat & Plane- Newport News VA
Photos from 1929 to 2009
Dodge Plant by Philip F. Spahn
As a long time Dodge boat owner and enthusiast, I was always interested in the history of Horace Dodge Jr. and his massive Newport News “Works”, which at the time was built as the largest and most modern boat building factory in the world. I had previously visited the East Lycaste Street factory in Detroit and after years of research and hearing rumors of the Newport News factory, I needed to find out for myself if it still existed. I knew that Dodge had ceased boat production around 1935 and resumed during the war. The factory later was taken over by Garwood after the war and was used it to build the small Garwood “ensign” models for a short period of time. After Garwood ceased boat building in the factory it was used by Chase Packaging until the early 2000's.
I had planned to visit relatives in Richmond, VA during the Thanksgiving holiday of 2005 and scheduled a side trip to Newport News. I contacted the local chamber of commerce and the Mariners Museum to see if they had any information about the former factory and whether or not it still existed. Both told me that it had long since been torn down, however I was not convinced. I wanted to see the site and any possible reminisce of the former boat building factory. Upon my arrival in Newport News (at the address listed in 30’s motor boating ads) I encountered a locked fence far away from the shoreline and a road on the other side running into oblivion (but towards the water). I continued around the perimeter road to try to achieve a better view and ended up in public housing tower parking lot. In my mind I pictured a beautiful industrial area however, I quickly realized that I was actually in one of the poorest and most crime ridden areas of Newport News. As I drove over broken glass - past dilapidated and abandoned cars I kept looking through the meadow and trees towards the direction of the fenced road and finally I saw something. I could barely make it out, however what I saw was a large factory building. Yes!! The former Dodge factory was still there!!
I parked my car and walked through the playground of the housing project amidst taunts from the occupants. I climbed over boulders and break walls, walked down the beach and through over grown brambles to which was once was the waterfront boat loading dock. Amazing enough the factory remained almost identical to the 1930's photographs found in Anthony Mollica Jr’s Dodge Book which I had with me. The factory sat in a huge abandoned field on the Chesapeake Bay. The former exterior staging and launch area, railroad car loading platform, the steel beams used for hoisting, all the original windows and the tall accordion doors were identical to the books photographs. I walked around the factory perimeter, however finding no entry point.
The next Thanksgiving I went back and the main gate was open. I drove in and met a caretaker who was patrolling the property. As it turned out he was also a former employee of the paper and packaging factory. He knew very well that Dodge Boats were made there and even remembered that numerous pictures and other Dodge artifacts were taken by employees when it was announced that the paper factory was closing. He let me walk around the property and the inside of the factory and let me take photographs. Like the outside, the inside was also amazingly unchanged. The steel beams used for lifting the boats and large folding partition to separate the work areas were all still there. Even the lights appeared to be original and the wide open floors all resembled the photos in the book. It certainly was thrilling to stand in the place where some of the most famous boats of the era were produced. The photographs enclosed are from the 2005 and 2006 visits described above; I went back one more time in 2009 when they were sadly beginning to tear down the factory.
Read MoreDodge Plant by Philip F. Spahn
As a long time Dodge boat owner and enthusiast, I was always interested in the history of Horace Dodge Jr. and his massive Newport News “Works”, which at the time was built as the largest and most modern boat building factory in the world. I had previously visited the East Lycaste Street factory in Detroit and after years of research and hearing rumors of the Newport News factory, I needed to find out for myself if it still existed. I knew that Dodge had ceased boat production around 1935 and resumed during the war. The factory later was taken over by Garwood after the war and was used it to build the small Garwood “ensign” models for a short period of time. After Garwood ceased boat building in the factory it was used by Chase Packaging until the early 2000's.
I had planned to visit relatives in Richmond, VA during the Thanksgiving holiday of 2005 and scheduled a side trip to Newport News. I contacted the local chamber of commerce and the Mariners Museum to see if they had any information about the former factory and whether or not it still existed. Both told me that it had long since been torn down, however I was not convinced. I wanted to see the site and any possible reminisce of the former boat building factory. Upon my arrival in Newport News (at the address listed in 30’s motor boating ads) I encountered a locked fence far away from the shoreline and a road on the other side running into oblivion (but towards the water). I continued around the perimeter road to try to achieve a better view and ended up in public housing tower parking lot. In my mind I pictured a beautiful industrial area however, I quickly realized that I was actually in one of the poorest and most crime ridden areas of Newport News. As I drove over broken glass - past dilapidated and abandoned cars I kept looking through the meadow and trees towards the direction of the fenced road and finally I saw something. I could barely make it out, however what I saw was a large factory building. Yes!! The former Dodge factory was still there!!
I parked my car and walked through the playground of the housing project amidst taunts from the occupants. I climbed over boulders and break walls, walked down the beach and through over grown brambles to which was once was the waterfront boat loading dock. Amazing enough the factory remained almost identical to the 1930's photographs found in Anthony Mollica Jr’s Dodge Book which I had with me. The factory sat in a huge abandoned field on the Chesapeake Bay. The former exterior staging and launch area, railroad car loading platform, the steel beams used for hoisting, all the original windows and the tall accordion doors were identical to the books photographs. I walked around the factory perimeter, however finding no entry point.
The next Thanksgiving I went back and the main gate was open. I drove in and met a caretaker who was patrolling the property. As it turned out he was also a former employee of the paper and packaging factory. He knew very well that Dodge Boats were made there and even remembered that numerous pictures and other Dodge artifacts were taken by employees when it was announced that the paper factory was closing. He let me walk around the property and the inside of the factory and let me take photographs. Like the outside, the inside was also amazingly unchanged. The steel beams used for lifting the boats and large folding partition to separate the work areas were all still there. Even the lights appeared to be original and the wide open floors all resembled the photos in the book. It certainly was thrilling to stand in the place where some of the most famous boats of the era were produced. The photographs enclosed are from the 2005 and 2006 visits described above; I went back one more time in 2009 when they were sadly beginning to tear down the factory.
