Liberty Products Corporation

Liberty Products was originally established as the Kirkman Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation in 1932. In 1936, the plant operations were moved to the former Sperry plant on Motor Avenue in Farmingdale. The aircraft division was established in 1938. This division fabricated wings, control surfaces, pontoons, and strut assemblies for Grumman.

In 1940, the firm became Liberty Aircraft Products Corporation. Liberty became the prime subcontractor in the East making aircraft parts for Grumman, Republic, Martin, Curtiss, Fairchild, Brewster, Vought, Skirorsky, and others.

In 1941, Liberty acquired stock control of the Autocar Company of Philadelphia. After Pearl Harbor, Liberty produced the parts for the world famous Wildcats, Hellcats, Bearcats, and Avengers planes. During the war, they were the first plant in Nassau County to subscribe one hundred percent for payroll participation of war bond purchases. Once the war ended, Liberty acquired the Highway Trailer Company of Wisconsin and the Davisbilt Company of Cincinnati. The company designed the Phillips Starting Gate for the Roosevelt Raceway.

The company changed names once again, in 1947, becoming the Liberty Products Corporation. Liberty Aircraft had its last year of independent operation in 1954. Penn-Texas acquired Liberty in 1955 and sold “certain assets” in 1958. Metal plating and fiberglass product manufacturing were carried out from 1957 to 1984.

Sources:

Long Island: A History of Two Great Counties: Nassau and Suffolk. Volume III. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1949

“Penn-Texas Sells Liberty Aircraft.” New York Times. January 2, 1958