World War II at Carolina Beach, N.C.-- Part 1: Sharing the Cottage

Carolina Beach is located near Wilmington, North Carolina, and on the Atlantic Ocean.

I have been writing about the service of Claude R. Pfaff during World War I, in my Cooter's History Thing Blog.  After the war he returned to Winston-Salem, N.C., but started going to Carolina Beach for fishing and eventually built a cottage there in the 1930s.

During World War II, the Pfaffs often ended up sharing their small cottage with a family of strangers.  Because of the shortage of housing in the Wilmington area (with all of its war industry, the huge North Carolina Shipbuilding Company and military posts in the area), property owners were required to rent to families of soldiers scheduled to ship out overseas.

They would get a one week vacation at the beach before they had to separate.

Only office space was exempt from this requirement, so Mrs. Pfaff designated one room as an office.

A Little Privacy, Please.  --GreGen