Bell Bomber Plant (B-29) 1943-1946
A plan to help lift rural Cobb County out of the Great Depression by building a commercial airport changed course when America entered WWII and Marietta was chosen as the location for a new aircraft assembly plant. Wartime necessity had rival companies collaborating as when Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, NY was awarded a contract to build B-29 Superfortresses designed by Boeing. Standing 29 feet tall with a wingspan of 141 feet, the four-engine plane had a 4,000-mile range, a ceiling above 30,000 feet and maximum speed exceeding 350 mph. In total 668 B-29s were produced here. Peak employment surpassed 28,000 people with both skilled and unskilled jobs commanding higher wages than were found elsewhere. At the end of the war the B-29 contract was cancelled, employees were laid off and Bell sold its assets. But the plant left an enduring legacy of prosperity in terms of increased wealth and workforce capabilities. Used primarily for storage until the onset of the Korean War, the plant was reopened in 1951 with a contract awarded to Lockheed.
Cobb County Historic Marker Project - 2009
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: David Seibert.