Museum Looking For Real-Life ‘Rosie The Riveter’ From Evansville

Evansville, Indiana had a pivotal role in World War II with the production of LST’s and Thunderbolt planes. While most know about the LST’s history here, some may not know about the P-47 Thunderbolts built in a factory near where the current Evansville Wartime Museum sits. As an Indiana Historical marker says, a third of all P-47 Thunderbolts were built in Evansville, and most of them built by women. Recently, the American Heritage Museum in Massachusetts sent a P-47 Thunderbolt to Florida for restoration, a name was found in the guts of the plane.

A “Sue Thorp/Tharp” is behind the mysterious writing, and the museum would love to catch up with her relatives. If you know of anyone with family members that worked in the P-47 factory during late 1944, you are asked to email the museum at ahm@collingsfoundation.org.