Question: Where in Texas did the U.S. Army build a munitions plant that became the first in the nation to assemble bombs used on the battlefield during World War II?
Answer: McGregor. In February 1942, the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps acquired 18,000 acres of land southwest of the Central Texas town to build the Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant, which was mostly staffed by women due to the draft. The plant’s workforce reached 5,000 employees at the height of the war. When it ceased operations on Aug. 14, 1945, it had produced more than four million bombs along with almost nine million other ordnance items.
In the following years, the land and facilities were transferred multiple times, passing from the War Department to Texas A&M, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the city of McGregor. Today, Texas A&M operates an experimental agricultural research center on the grounds, and SpaceX leases a substantial portion of the site for rocket engine testing.
