Hercules
Published on 2. May 2011
66 pages
978-1-4396-2425-8 (ISBN)
Description
The history of explosives manufacturing in Hercules began in 1879, when the California Powder Works acquired a site on San Pablo Bay, 20 miles northeast of San Francisco. The powder works, subsequently owned by Dupont and the Hercules Powder Company, produced one of the first internationally branded products: Hercules dynamite. It became the world¿s leading producer of TNT during World War I. The town of Hercules was incorporated in 1900, and for nearly 75 years its population remained under 300. The company-owned village had no retail district, but its employee clubhouse was the anchor for the city¿s social life. After the explosives plant closed, buildings comprising a small historic district were restored, while a diverse residential suburb grew rapidly around it. Hercules chronicles the city¿s industrial past and a vanishing way of life.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Jennifer Dowling Posedel | Steve Lawton
Hercules
Book
05/2011
Arcadia Publishing (SC)
€24.00
No shipping information available
Person
Jennifer Posedel¿s (n¿e Dowling) previous books include Rodeo and Theatres of Oakland. Stephen Lawton is a past board member of the Contra Costa County Historical Society and is chair of the Contra Costa County Historical Landmarks Advisory Committee. They collaborated with the Hercules Historical Society, using images from corporate archives and the family albums of former company personnel. The authors¿ royalties from the sale of each book will benefit the Hercules Historical Society.
