[MassHistPres] Civilian Quonset Hut

[cvwtc at aol.com]

 Dueto the severe housing shortage right after World War II, veterans andtheir families were often placed in make-shift veteran villagesthat were constructed out of nothing but Quonset huts.  Beverly, MA had three of these temporary veteran villages.

All of the civilian Quonsethuts were thought to have been lost but in 2009, local historian Richard Symmes, found a well-preserved former Beverly Quonset hut that had been moved to the nearby town of Hamilton in the 1950s.  The story was featured on thefront page of the Nov. 10th edition of The Salem News.

http://salemnews.com/punews/local_story_313204809.html/resources_etp_mobile_story

As stated in the article, this structure is probably the finest and thelastexample of a civilian Quonset hut since this "temporary" structurecontinued to be lived in for over 50 years.  The Seabee Museum inDavisville, RI would like to add it to their collection of militaryhuts but they do not have the funds (about $15,000 by one estimate) to move the structure.  Sadly, the land the hut is sitting onhas be sold for redevelopment and if swift action isn't taken, thisvery historic structure will be demolished and thrown in a dumpsterlike yesterday's trash.

The building tells thestory of not just our local World War II veterans but the country'sveterans in general since these Quonset hut villages were once part of ourcountry's post-war landscape.  While efforts to raise awareness were very successful, itdid not translate into the necessary financial support to save this building.  The rescue of such a rare and historic structure would be a highly visibleendeavor and the PR value alone would be huge but morethan a few potential local corporate sponsors have stated they did not seethe value of donating money just to have the hut moved out of state. This attitude is very short-sighted because the Seabee Museum isprobably the best place this Quonset hut could go since thesestructures were designed and built at Quonset Point.

Assistance or advice regarding this preservation dilemma is both urgently needed and greatly appreciated.

Matt Pujo  978-927-3017

Richard Symmes  978-927-2701

cvwtc at aol.com
 


 
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