Wartime industry · Chatsworth
Gathering sphagnum moss for aircraft
Contemporary source summarized
In February 1942, Chatsworth moss gatherers learned that large quantities of local sphagnum might be converted into plastic for aircraft production.
A traditional trade redirected
Engineers surveying the moss belt for a production quota reportedly said sphagnum’s cellulose content made it suitable for aircraft plastics. Chatsworth buyer Francis Est—his surname is incomplete in the surviving text—welcomed a defense use for the material.
Pine-region residents had gathered moss each spring for more than a century, chiefly supplying florists and gardeners with plant mulch. The newspaper placed the occupation alongside charcoal burning, blueberry picking, and wood cutting. The principal obstacle was labor: many experienced gatherers had already taken jobs in New Jersey defense plants.
Source note
The surviving newspaper crop does not show a reliable masthead, complete issue date, or page number. Names and damaged words are identified as uncertain in the text; researchers should verify them against a full newspaper image before citation.