Sylvania Electric Products
Emporium, Cameron County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
During WWII, produced critical electrical components including vacuum tubes for proximity fuzes, a key military device that improved the precision of artillery shells. Founded in 1907, the workforce was composed of primarily women, prompting Colliers to call Emporium "Girls Town USA.” The former Sylvania Club here was the home of one of the company’s original investors, lumber baron Henry Auchu. The factory operated on Poplar St. until 1990.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Founded in 1907 in the small mountain town of Emporium, Sylvania Electric grew into a national name in vacuum tubes and electronics. During World War II its workers—largely women—produced vacuum tubes for the proximity fuze, a device that let artillery shells detonate near their targets and dramatically improved accuracy. The reliance on a female workforce led Collier's to dub Emporium "Girls Town USA," and the Poplar Street plant ran until 1990.
Why it matters
The plant shows how even remote rural towns became vital nodes in the wartime arsenal, and how women's labor powered the precision technology that helped decide battles.
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Related people
- · Henry Auchu
Themes & tags
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