Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Michigan Kalamazoo The Old Gibson Guitar Factory

The Old Gibson Guitar Factory

The Kalamazoo factory has 100 years of instrument-making, and one big wartime secret.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Added By
Daniel Kastner
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Kalamazoo Gals.   Scan of original June 1944 print courtesy of John Thomas
The old Gibson, now Heritage, factory in 2000.   Frank Schulz
Heritage Guitars   Kalamazoo Public Library
The old Gibson factory is slated to be remodeled and turned into a destination for music lovers.   Kalamazoo Public Library
The factory in 1936.   Kalamazoo Public Library
Gibson factory 1941.   Kalamazoo Public Library
  jordantpalmer / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Pre-restoration.   Ken Shuster / Atlas Obscura User
Pre-restoration.   Ken Shuster / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Although the classic Gibson guitar, used by such greats as Prince, Keith Richards, Johnny Cash, and B.B. King, might bring to mind its current Nashville home, the guitar's roots are actually in the Michigan city of Kalamazoo. Built in 1917, the Gibson Factory there created some of the most iconic guitars ever made. But beyond the instruments, the factory was also home to the "Kalamazoo Gals," a group of over 200 women who kept the guitar manufacturer going during World War II.

Started by local mandolin designer Orville Gibson in 1902, the Gibson company was the place for discerning mandolin players to get their instruments. The only thing that slowed the company down during its first decade was World War I. As men were being shipped off to battlefields, the demand for the instrument began to diminish. And although it had been popular with both men and women, the country's attentions were decidedly not focused on the mandolin anymore.

It also didn't help that upon returning home, the sweet, soft sounds of the mandolin were not what these soldiers wanted to hear. They'd moved on to jazz, and the mandolin just wasn't going to keep up with that energy. The company tried to redesign the instrument, make it hip again, but no success. The company knew that to hang on to their customers, it needed to give them something else. This began the new era of guitar making. Unfortunately, World War II happened soon after.

With the ongoing war, many of Gibson's competitors had switched from instrument-making to munition-making in their effort to support the war at home. Gibson joined suit, well, sort of. With the men gone, the factory began hiring women to make munitions. In fact, between 1942 and 1946, it hired more women than any other guitar-turned-munitions manufacturer.

But secretly, these women weren't just making bullets. They were making guitars. The Kalamazoo Gals made Gibson's Banner line of guitars, "acoustic guitars had a gold banner on the headstock with the slogan, 'Only a Gibson is Good Enough'." These guitars were made until the end of the war, and used by musicians like Buddy Holly and Woody Guthrie.

But the existence of the Kalamazoo Gals stayed a secret long after the war ended, only coming to light in recent years through a little deep digging from writer John Thomas who discovered “almost 25,000 instruments shipped during the war.” When the men returned from the war, everything at the Gibson factory went back to business as usual, leaving the women of Gibson an (almost) forgotten piece of music history.

Ultimately, in 1985 the Gibson factory left Kalamazoo and headed for Nashville. However, a few Gibson employees stayed behind and created Heritage Guitar on the site of the old Gibson factory, so Kalamazoo's rich history of instrument-making lives on. Today, the site is open for tours, and an upcoming renovation and partnership with Rolling Stone plans to make it a destination for music lovers.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world’s strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about the Kalamazoo Gals of the Old Gibson Guitar Factory.

Related Tags

Music Music History Guitar Women War History Industrial Gender Military

Know Before You Go

Free public tours operate most Wednesdays and Fridays at 1:30PM. Tours are limited to 15 people and reservations are required. Register at the Heritage Guitars website.

Community Contributors

Added By

dankastner

Edited By

CDVV86, Ashawnta, Collector of Experiences, Ken Shuster...

  • CDVV86
  • Ashawnta
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Ken Shuster
  • jordantpalmer

Published

November 7, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://kalamazoogals.com/
  • http://wmuk.org/post/three-years-later-mysteries-behind-kalamazoo-gals-keep-getting-stranger
  • http://sheshredsmag.com/the-kalamazoo-gals/
The Old Gibson Guitar Factory
225 Parsons St
Kalamazoo, Michigan
United States
42.301756, -85.580846
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Gilmore Car Museum

Hickory Corners, Michigan

miles away

Midwest Miniatures Museum

Hickory Corners, Michigan

miles away

Fantasy Forest in Leila Arboretum

Battle Creek, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 28

Nearby Places

Gilmore Car Museum

Hickory Corners, Michigan

miles away

Midwest Miniatures Museum

Hickory Corners, Michigan

miles away

Fantasy Forest in Leila Arboretum

Battle Creek, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 28

Related Stories and Lists

The Kalamazoo Gals of the Old Gibson Guitar Factory

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

The Kalamazoo Gals of the Old Gibson Guitar Factory

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • Women of Steel.

    Sheffield, England

    Women of Steel

    A tribute to the women who quietly kept the local steelworks alive during both world wars.

  • Meridian, Mississippi

    Jimmie Rodgers Museum

    This small museum showcases the Singing Brakeman's yodeling prowess, railroad roots, and country music stardom.

  • Kragujevac, Serbia

    Knežev Arsenal

    The ruins of a military-industrial complex now host concerts and more.

  • “La Pasionaria.”

    Glasgow, Scotland

    'La Pasionaria'

    Glasgow's memorial to the International Brigade volunteers from Great Britain who fought and died in the Spanish Civil War.

  • Gravestone of Deborah Sampson Gannett.

    Sharon, Massachusetts

    Deborah Sampson's Gravestone

    She become one of the first women to serve in the United States military by secretly dressing like a man.

  • The Tower of Joan of Arc rising over Rouen.

    Rouen, France

    Tower of Joan of Arc

    This medieval tower is all that remains of the castle where Joan of Arc was held before being burned at the stake.

  • Glenn Miller Memorial

    Northamptonshire, England

    Glenn Miller Memorial at King's Cliffe

    This World War II airfield is the last place the bandleader performed before he disappeared.

  • Clinton, South Carolina

    Horseshoe Falls at Musgrove Mill State Historic Site

    Legend has it the mill owner's daughter, Mary Musgrove, helped a Patriot soldier hide behind these falls.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.