SOUTH AMBOY – The Historical Society of South Amboy commemorated the 100th anniversary of the T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion that severely damaged South Amboy and Sayreville.
The event, held at the South Amboy Senior Center on Oct. 4, featured a presentation from the Historical Society with a display of memorabilia from World War I, photos from the explosion and a loading shell from the explosion.
The T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant produced and shipped ammunition for overseas military action during World War I. It was one of the largest facilities at the time.
Master of Ceremonies Jerry Pizzillo said the explosion killed about 100 people, and 325 of the property’s 700 buildings were destroyed, causing roughly $18 million ($300 million today) in damages. A series of explosions continued for two days, estimated at 12 million pounds of explosions that were destroyed.
The explosion is widely believed to be the cause of workman error; however, a handful of people at the time speculated it was German sabotage.
“The devastation caused reconstruction of Perth Amboy, South Amboy and Sayreville,” Pizzillo said. “A government report from 1919 said the explosion destroyed enough ammunition to supply the western front for six months. The totality of the event ranked as one of the largest man-made non-nuclear explosions in history. The strongest individual blast broke windows as far away as Manhattan and Asbury Park, which is 25 miles away.”
At the time of the explosion, the company was three months into production. The war would end the next month.
It was reported that about 62,000 people were displaced from the explosion, left with little protection against the elements. Reports said that hundreds more died from exposure, stress and the Spanish flu. An exact death has not been confirmed.
Information from the Historical Society said that residents have found more than 5,000 grenades, shells and chunks of ammunition from the blast over several decades.
A memorial of the victims of the explosion is at the Ernston Road cemetery.
“Memorials are important because they act as a historic touchstone,” Pizzillo said. “They link the past to the present and enable people to remember and respect the sacrifice of those who died, who were injured and who were affected by the event. We can’t move forward without knowing the past.”
The Historical Society of South Amboy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and management of historical and cultural resources of South Amboy, and to provide educational opportunities for both its membership and the general public.
“I’d like to thank the Historical Society for putting this event together,” City Councilman Tom Reilly said. “I don’t know if they get enough credit for what they do. I see people come out to their events and how well it’s supported. The city is 100 percent committed to the historical society, they really put on great programs.”
Contact Peter Elacqua at [email protected].