(1950) Quonset Huts

The Navy developed Quonset huts, those semi-circles of metal, in World War II. The roof and the walls are a series of connected curved metal sections. The corrugated structures were prefabricated, lightweight, easily shipped, and could be assembled “without skilled labor.”

The Quonset hut is named after the location it was first built, the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. This proved to be a valuable and strategic location for the Navy, with the Construction Battalion Center creating Quonset huts for the surrounding military camps, as well as creating them to be shipped around the world.

After the war, military surplus Quonset huts popped up all over the place. There were several in and around Wayne County. The old IGA on the east highway is perhaps the largest. The business has been closed for over 30 years, and yet the domed roof still stands. There is a small one that serves as a garage on Water and N.E. 2nd Street. At one time, there was a fairly large Quonset structure that stood between the Fairfield Farmer’s store and the railroad tracks just past West Main and Seventh streets.

Quonset buildings are unique in their domed shape and pre-fabricated construction. They are still used today for a variety of applications, from small garages to large, tent-like coverings. Still, something about the name and appearance takes us back to that post World War II era.

Don’t let local history be a mystery.