Cold War Dixie: Militarization and Modernization in the American South

239 Pages·2013·2.135 MB·English

by  Kari Frederickson

Cold War Dixie
SERIES EDITORS
Bryant Simon, Temple University
Jane Dailey, University of Chicago
ADVISORY BOARD
Lisa Dorr, University of Alabama
Grace Elizabeth Hale, University of Virginia
Randal Jelks, University of Kansas
Kevin Kruse, Princeton University
Robert Norrell, University of Tennessee
Bruce Schulman, Boston University
Marjorie Spruill, University of South Carolina
J. Mills Thornton, University of Michigan
Allen Tullos, Emory University
Brian Ward, University of Manchester
COLD WAR DIXIE
Militarization and Modernization
in the American South
KARI FREDERICKSON
The University of Georgia Press Athens and London
© 2013 by the University of Georgia Press
Athens, Georgia 30602
www .ugapress .org
All rights reserved
Set in Minion Pro by Graphic Composition, Inc., Bogart, Georgia
Manufactured by Thomson-Shore
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for
permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the
Council on Library Resources.
Printed in the United States of America
17 16 15 14 13 p 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Frederickson, Kari A.
Cold War Dixie : militarization and modernization in the American
South / Kari Frederickson.
pages cm. — (Politics and culture in the twentieth- century South)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn- 13: 978- 0- 8203- 4519- 2 (hardcover : alkaline paper)
isbn-1 0: 0-8 203-4 519-9 (hardcover : alkaline paper)
isbn- 13: 978- 0- 8203- 4520- 8 (paperback : alkaline paper)
isbn- 10: 0- 8203- 4520- 2 (paperback : alkaline paper)
1. Savannah River Valley (Ga. and S.C.)—History—20th century.
2. Savannah River Valley (Ga. and S.C.)—Social conditions—20th
century. 3. Savannah River Valley (Ga. and S.C.)—Economic
conditions—20th century. 4. Cold War—Social aspects—Savannah
River Valley (Ga. and S.C.) 5. Nuclear weapons industry—Social
aspects—Savannah River Valley (Ga. and S.C.)—History—20th
century. 6. Savannah River Plant (E.I. du Pont de Nemours &
Company)—History. 7. Militarism—Savannah River Valley (Ga. and
S.C.)—History—20th century. 8. Social change—Savannah River
Valley (Ga. and S.C.)—History—20th century. 9. Aiken (S.C.)—
Social conditions—20th century. 10. Aiken (S.C.)—Economic
conditions—20th century. I. Title.
f277.s3f74 2013
975'.043—dc23 2012048326
British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data available
ISBNfordigitaledition:978-0-8203-4566-6
FOR OLIVIA AND REBECCA
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
One. “This Most Essential Task”: The Decision to Build the Super 10
Two. A Varied Landscape: Geography and Culture in the Savannah
River Valley 30
Three. “A Land Doomed and Damned”: The Costs of Militarization 48
Four. “Bigger’n Any Lie”: Building the Bomb Plant 75
Five. Rejecting the Garrison State: National Priorities and
Local Limitations 107
Six. “Better Living”: Life in a Cold War Company Town 123
Seven. Shift ing Landscapes: Politics and Race in a Cold
War Community 147
Epilogue 170
Notes 177
Bibliography 205
Index 221
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ILLUSTRATIONS
Map 1. The Savannah River Plant, South Carolina 2
Map 2. The Savannah River Plant and surrounding area 3
Figure 1. Redcliff e 26
Figure 2. John Shaw Billings on the balcony of Redcliff e 27
Figure 3. Graniteville Mill 38
Figure 4. Louise Hitchcock 42
Figure 5. Banksia 43
Figure 6. Ellenton depot 54
Figure 7. Ellenton businesses 54
Figure 8. Cassels’s Long Store, Ellenton 55
Figure 9. Strom Thurmond 62
Figure 10. Construction administration area 76
Figure 11. Construction workers attending a mandatory safety meeting 82
Figure 12. Shift change during the construction phase 83
Figure 13. Savannah River Plant under construction 86
Figure 14. “Why We Eat Better” 129
Figure 15. Crawford H. Greenewalt 133
Figure 16. Aiken City Seal 145
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