From Cabinets to Radios to Televisions

From Cabinets to Radios to Televisions. . , The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) developed and responded to consumer demand and new technologies to become a major Bloomington industry., Showers Kitchen Cabinet Plant showing rail spurs., In 1919, the Showers Brothers Furniture Company built Plant 4 one block west of the switchyard. The new plant focused on kitchen cabinets, specifically the popular Hoosier Cabinet, which contained shelves, counter space, a flour sifter and glass storage containers. Two rail spurs were built to connect the factory to the switchyard. At its peak, the Showers Plant produced 300 Hoosier Cabinets per day., Hoosier cabinet image adapted from a photo by Terra Ambridge, During the 1920s, the plant responded to the demand for a new technology – radio cabinets. Early radios were enclosed in large pieces of cabinetry. In 1926, Showers produced 25,000 radio cabinets., RCA purchased the Showers Plant in 1939, and set up a radio assembly line. Men and women were hired to meet production demands. Within six months, more than 300,000 "Nipper" model radios had rolled off the assembly line., By the 1950s, technology had again advanced with the production of color televisions. In 1954, the first color television was manufactured at the plant. The RCA plant in Bloomington would become the largest manufacturing site for RCA color televisions. Bloomington was known as the "Color Television Capital of the World"., For decades, a large percentage of the nation's televisions were shipped by rail from the McDoel Switchyard., Images from the Monroe County History Center Collection unless otherwise noted.