Wingfoot Homes in Bridgeport
Soldiers returning from WWII faced a dismal housing shortage. To accommodate them, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co developed a completely prefabricated home called the Wingfoot home. Only 8 ft wide and priced at $2650, these “Wingfoot” homes could be transported by truck. Once on site the bedrooms pulled out like drawers.
To relieve the veterans housing bottleneck in Lawrence County, the local housing authority used a grant of $17,525 in 1947 to purchase five Wingfoot homes. The unpaid housing commissioners were J B Marshall and E A Albright of Lawrenceville, J R Snapp or Russellville, Byron R Lewis of Bridgeport and E H McKelfresh of St Francisville. In many ways Lawrence County led the state’s efforts at housing veterans. Previously used George Field barracks were rented but these new Wingfoot homes captured the imagination of the new generation. Consisting of three rooms and a bath, each compact house provided modern living facilities for four persons.
At the research library are the 46 original rental applications for the five homes. They consist of names, address, number in family, if the applicant is a veteran, employers, weekly salary, present living quarter, and three references. The reasons given for why the present living quarters were not adequate are interesting. In addition to those stating that they are living with family in crowded conditions, are ones such as Jack Bellinger “no heat”, James Cook, “no car to get to work”, and Arthur Stoltz, “house we live in now, is situated on a mud road which gets so bad in the winter time, you can’t get through to town.”
Louis Glasser, Howard Stout, Justice Groves, Howard Green, Joan Cox, Clarence Zane, O C Wilson, Richard D Jackson, Mrs. Ralph Murray, Mrs. Jack Anderson, Mrs. Louis Mungle, Lonnie Shoulders and Oma Morehead were among the residents in the early 1950s.
The researchers are counting on older residents of Bridgeport to help us discover where these houses were located and what happened to them. Of course, photos would be extremely helpful to place in our archives. If you can help us, or perhaps had a family member living in a Wingfoot home, please contact us at lawrencelore@gmail.com.
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