Mississippi’s Flagship City was one of 18 new cities designated by the National Park Service.
The City of Pascagoula has been designated as an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service .
The announcement was made today as 18 new communities across the United States received the designation.
The National Park Service says World War II permeated every aspect of American life and resulted in a large migration of people within the United States.
Individuals and families relocated to industrial centers for good-paying war jobs and out of a sense of patriotic duty.
Many industrial centers became “boom towns,” growing at phenomenal rates. Workers from around the nation had to intermingle with each other and overcome differences in order to meet war demands, forever changing the cultural landscape of the United States.
Pascagoula certainly is one of those vital industrial centers as it is the home of Ingalls Shipbuilding, one of the largest private employers in Mississippi since World War II that has produced U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships for nearly 85 years.
The National Park Service says the contributions by the designated cities to the World War II home front war effort include defense manufacturing, such as ships, aircraft, uniforms, and equipment; production of food and consumer items for Armed Forces and home consumption; volunteer participation; and civil defense preparedness.
The full list of 18 newly designated communities are:
- East Hartford, Connecticut
- Pensacola and Escambia counties, Florida
- Savannah and Chatham counties, Georgia
- Evansville, Indiana
- Wichita, Kansas
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Springfield, Massachusetts
- Pascagoula, Mississippi
- Lewistown, Montana
- Paterson, New Jersey
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico
- Montgomery County (City of Dayton), Ohio
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- South Texas Bend area and Corpus Christi, Texas
- Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland), Washington
- Manitowoc, Wisconsin
- Casper and Natrona counties, Wyoming
The World War II Heritage Cities program was established by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 to recognize the historic importance of the United States domestic involvement in World War II and ensure the continued preservation of defining period in American history.
Frank Corder
