The "The Journal: Part I - 'Red Rose Riveter'" Story

Cover of "The Journal" featuring "The Red Rose Riveter"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading one of my latest Lancaster County Historical Society's "The Journal" and came across an interesting story I thought I would share with you.  Story is titled: Eleanor "Ellie" Marie Flora, The "Red Rose Riveter".  The story in "The Journal" was written by André J. Dominguez who is a Library Assistant at LancasterHistory.org.  Many of you have probably heard of "Rosie the Riveter" who is a cultural icon of World War II.  She represented the many women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II who produced munitions and war supplies.  They replaced male workers who had joined the military to defend our country.  

"Rosie The Riveter" as seen as a United States Postal stamp.

"Rosie the Riveter"was a symbol of American feminism and woman's economic power.  Images very similar to those in the United States appeared in other countries such as Britain and Australia.  Images of women were in magazines, newspapers and posters as our government encouraged women to participate in wartime service in factories.  In 1942 J. Howard Miller, a Pittsburgh, PA artist was hired by the Westinghouse Company's War Department Production Coordinating Committee to create a series of posters for the war effort.  

Norman Rockwell's "Rosie The Riveter"

One of those posters was the famous "We Can Do It! poster which became known as the "Rosie the Riveter" poster, thought it wasn't called that until after the war.  "Rosie the Riveter" was even the title of a song and a Hollywood movie during WWII.  As for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the Armstrong Cork Company's Lancaster floor plant had it's own poster of a young woman installing rivets on a Corsair airplane's fuselage.  Woman worked for Armstrong as the company re-tooled their production lines for the War effort and signed contracts to produce ammunition shells for the armed forces.  They even found a way to convert their world famous linoleum production lines to make such things as Army duck (canvas) for use in tents, tarpaulins, gun covers, truck tops as well as various forms of clothing.  

Lancaster's JP McCaskey yearbook photo of Miss Flora

They also helped in the production of parts for military aircraft like wingtips, rudders and fuselages for some planes.  Lancaster's Riveter was a young woman by the name of Elanor whose picture was taken in 1943 when she was nineteen years old.  The following year she left her job at Armstrong to join the Nave as a WAVE and served as an aviation metal smith mate.  She was one of many Armstrong women who did the same thing by entering the service.  The photo of Eleanor was used as a "Help Wanted" advertisement for the Armstrong Floor Plant on Liberty Street and read "You Can Do It Too."  After joining the service she worked at a variety of jobs since she was skilled in many mechanical jobs.  

A more recent photograph of Eleanor Marie Flora.
Lancaster's "Red Rose Riveter"

She ended up working on PBY Catalinas which were patrol bombers that patrolled the east coast  coastline.  These planes were painted black for night patrol and were known as the "Black Cats".  It seems that there were very few facts known about Lancaster's own riveter except for her age and her joining the service and what she did in the service.  So, the author of the story in "The Journal" did some research and found Eleanor Marie Flora was born on June 29, 1924 in Harrisburg, PA.  She had the nickname of "Lynn" in high school and had graduated from Lancaster's J.P. McCaskey High School in 1942.  She was later known as "Ellie" and lived at 624 East King Street until moving from her childhood home and living on her own at 112 South Prince Street.  She entered the Navy on December 29, 1944 and was released in 1946.  She then married Donald Hall Bridges with her grandfather, the Rev. Bausman performing the ceremony.  They eventually divorced and she changed her name back to her maiden name.  She loved traveling and did so extensively throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, Central and South America as well as many Caribbean Islands.  She became an award-winning amateur photographer.  She died on July 7, 2008.  She lived an interesting life, but will be best known as "The Red Rose Riveter".  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.