Shelby
County
In
Wartime
1940-1944
BULLETIN
ALABAMA COLLEGE, The State College for Women
MONTEVALLO
Shelby County In Wartime
1940 - 1944
By the Faculty of
The School of Home Economics
Alabama College
Bulletin Published Quarterly by
ALABAMA COLLEGE
Montevallo, Alabama
Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1 . July, 1945 Total No. 155
Entered as second-class matter at the post office,
Montevallo, Alabama
I
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Acknowledgments
PART I — Winning the War on the Home Front by Laura B.
Hadley
Chapter 1. The People of Shelby County Work to Win
the War
Chapter 2. Alabama College in the War Effort
PART II — Studies of Shelby County Homes in Wartime
Introduction
Chapter 1. A Study of Home Improvement by Olivia
Smenner
Chapter 2. A Study of House Furnishings by Nellie Mae
Touchstone
Chapter 3. A Study of Small Kitchen Equipment by Lois
A. Acker ley
FOREWORD
The School of Home Economics of Alabama College has pre-
pared this bulletin to show some of the ways in which families of
Shelby County are participating in and have been affected by the
war. An attempt has been made in Part I to give a kind of over-
view of the total participation of Shelby County in the war. It is in
this setting that Shelby County families live and work. In order to
understand the forces which influence their activities, to know some-
thing of the total situation in which their planning and building and
living are done, one needs to know what is going on in the commun-
ity in which they live. Chapter 2, which is a report of the participa-
tion of Alabama College in the war effort, is included because Ala-
bama College is an important part of Shelby County and in many
ways takes part in and influences what goes on in the county. Be-
cause the work had to be done within the limits of modest resources,
important facts have no doubt been omitted.
Early in the fall of 1943, the faculty of the School of Home Ec-
onomics of the College met to agree upon a general plan and to set
up a tentative outline for the bulletin. The studies here reported
were undertaken by different members of the faculty, each o^ whom
had some special interest she wished to pursue. No effort has been
made to study all the problems which might be considered, or to
make the study comprehensive. Each of the contributors selected
her own subject, carried out her own research, and presented her
materials in her own way.
Part I, "Winning the War on the Home Front," written by Miss
Laura B. Hadley, Associate Professor of Home Economics, includes
Chapter 1, "The People of Shelby County Work to Win the War,"
and Chapter 2, "Alabama College in the War Effort." Part II in-
cludes Chapter 1, "A Study of Home Improvement," by Miss Olivia
Smenner, Assistant Professor of Home Economics; Chapter 2, "A
Study of House Furnishings," by Miss, Nellie Mae Touchstone, As-
sistant Professor of Home Economics; and Chapter 3, "A Study of
Small Kitchen Equipment," by Dr. Lois A. Ackeriey, Director of
the School of Home Economics.
Such a study as this is useful as a basis for courses of study in
Home Economics and for other subjects in schools, for family plan-
ning, or for the historical interest that such a record of the exper-
iences of a community in time of war may have for the future.
This bulletin has been prepared and will be distributed in the
belief that it constitutes a service to education according to the larg-
er and better concept of what education really is.
Arthur Fort Harman, President
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are indebted to and wish to express their thanks to many per-
sons for assistance in the collection of data for these studies.
Dr. T. H. Napier supplied the information on War Bond Sales. Mrs. Mel-
ville Harlin, Executive Secretary, and Mr. Richard McGraw, chairman of
the Shelby County Chapter, American Red Cross; Mr. Yeager Horn, Chief
Clerk, Shelby County War Price and Ration Board; Mrs. E. R. Young and
Mrs. Bessie R. Elliott, Clerks of the two selective service boards of the
county^ Mr. A. A. Lauderdale, County Agriculture Agent, gave information
concerning the work of their respective agencies. Mr. John Hardy, owner of
Newala Lime Mill, Mr. Henry Johnson of the Buck Creek Cotton Mills, Inc.,
and Mr. G. L. Chamberlin, former manager of the Boothton Coal Mining
Company, were helpful in giving information concerning products of the
county's industry going into the war effort. Mr. P. B. Shaw gave informa-
tion about the participation of the public schools. Dr. E. F. Sloan, County
Health Officer, and Dr. C. T. Acker of Montevallo, Reverend W. M. Fuller,
pastor of the Baptist Church, Montevallo, and Mrs. Florence Lyman, sec-
retary to the President of Alabama College, supplied information about pro-
fessional persons in the armed services and other wTar-related work. Mr. L. C.
Walker, Judge of the Probate Court, supplied the figures en juvenile delin-
quency in Shelby County.
Miss Marion Cotney, Shelby County Home Demonstration Agent, was
generous with her time in securing data in regard to the homes in the county.
Miss Mary Elizabeth Davis, Farm Security Supervisor, collected data from
her clients concerning small kitchen equipment, home furnishing items, and
improvements in housing.
Mrs. R. E. Bowden, Jr., gave of her time in helping to get data on housing.
To Mrs. J. P. Kelly, Mrs. Paul Rogan of Montevallo, and Miss Myrtle Old,
Mrs. W. B. White, and Mrs. F. E. Williams of Columbiana thanks are due
for help in locating persons in different parts of the county who were will-
ing to answer the questionnaires.
Thanks also are due to Mr. F. H. Frost for assistance in verifying figures
on cost of improvements and to Dr. George A. Douglas, who assisted in
making the occupational classifications of families included in the study on
housing.
To colleagues on the faculty grateful acknowledgement is made for re-
ports on the special work of the various departments, student club projects,
and the activities of faculty members reported in Chapter 2, "Alabama College
in the War Effort."
The authors desire to express their thanks especially to Dr. A. F. Harman,
President of Alabama College, and Dr. T. H. Napier, Dean of the College,
for suggestions and encouragement in the preparation of this bulletin.
LOIS A. ACKERLEY
LAURA B. HADLEY
OLIVIA SMENNER
NELLIE MAE TOUCHSTONE
PART I
Winning The War On The
Home Front
By Laura B. Hadley
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/alabamacollegebun155alab
CHAPTER 1
THE PEOPLE OF SHELBY COUNTY WORK
TO WIN THE WAR
A few miles east of Montevallo on the Calera highway a small
stone marker, almost hidden by the trees on a shady hillside, indi-
cates the geographic center of Alabama. This spot is very nearly the
center of Shelby County from east to west and marks off roughly
a line between the agricultural and the mineral-producing areas of
the county. To the north are lumber and lime and the textile mills
at Siluria. Some example of almost every kind of life within the
State may be found in this county that is literally "in the heart of
Alabama." People live in modest wealth and in great poverty. They
operate large farms and they are tenants on tiny patches of soil.
They mine coal and limestone, work in lumber camps, factories,
and stores. They operate almost every kind of small business. They
teach in the schools and they make homes for their families. In no
small sense the experiences of Shelby County are typical of those
of the State, perhaps of the nation.
Manpower, Raw Materials, and Products from the Farms
Contribute to the War Effort
The population of Shelby County according to the census of 1940
was 28,962. However, when the Bureau of the Census released its
estimates of Alabama's population, November 1, 1943, this county
had only 26,765 persons — a loss of 7.6 per cent. In addition to the
actual population loss due to people moving out of the county, many
workers have been lost to the armed forces. Still others have found
work in nearby wartime projects. While the county itself has no
new war plants it is just next door to some of the largest industrial
areas in Alabama. The citizens of Shelby County, responding to the
call for workers, have taken jobs in the munitions plant at Childers-
burg, in the steel mills, manufacturing plants, and in the airplane
modification center at Birmingham. Since these industries are within
driving distance of Shelby County, men and women of the county
have made the long drives to and from their work each day in order
to carry on in these essential war jobs.
Industry Contributes
In spite of the loss of workers to other parts of the State and to
the rest of the country, Shelby County industry — coal mining, manu-
facturing of agricultural and construction lime, lumbering and saw
milling, ginning, textile, bag and ice manufacturing — has been able
10 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
to do its part for the war effort. The Buck Creek Cotton Mills, Inc.,
at Siluria have operated under government orders requiring that a
minimum of ten per cent of their production shall go for lend lease
and other export trade. Cotton cloth for Russian relief and "gun
patches" used for cleaning gun barrels are among the products of
these mills going directly to war uses.
Shelby County is the largest lime-producing area in the State. As
much as 95 per cent of the output of tha 5 lime mills has gone into
the war effort. The biggest users are aluminum, steel, and paper
manufacturers, and chemical warfare. There are 200 different uses
for lime, including water purification, most of which are important
in the war economy. The demand for agricultural lime has been
greatly increased by the wartime food program.
By far the greatest percentage of the output of the three large
coal mining companies of Shelby County goes directly or indirectly
into the war effort. In addition to army camps, the , essential indus-*
tries using Shelby County coal include coke plants for the steel
mills, powder plants, cotton mills, the generating plants for electric
power companies and steamship companies.
Agricultm e Contributes
Although the county does not produce a surplus of agricultural
products, by increasing the food supply to meet her own needs she
has reduced the necessity to draw on the food resources of other
areas. Farmers have somehow managed in spite of labor shortages
and difficulties in securing new machinery to increase production
along many lines. They have continued in work already begun to
build up the soil,, to stop erosion, to harvest the lumber in an econ-
omic manner and plant trees for future use, and to increase their
livestock production. The dairymen have managed to keep a reason-
ably adequate milk supply and the north end of the county supplies
a great deal of milk for Birmingham.
Mr. A. A. Lauderdale, County Agricultural Agent for Shelby
County, puts it this way:
Shelby County farm labor has been heavily drawn upon by the
war industries of Childersburg, Talladega and Birmingham. Even un-
der this handicap the county has adjusted its agriculture in a very
surprising manner, producing many dairy and poultry products, beef
cattle and hogs. Feed crops, principally of summer pastures, winter
grazing, small grain and hays, are being produced on the farm to feed
the livestock and poultry. At present we are selling daily two truck
loads of milk to the Thorsby Plant and one to the plant in Sylacauga,
in addition to the milk going to the Birmingham market. Truck crops
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 11
are being produced in increased quantities for the local and Bir-
mingham markets. This production is made possible by the greater
use of farm machinery and farm people working longer hours.
Farmers are also helping the war effort by cutting pulp wood and
saw timber during the lay-by season. They yre making their contri-
bution by buying war bonds and helping in all salvage campaigns.
To accomplish all this production more workers weie employed in
Shelby County in 1943 than in 1940. Men who for one reason or
another had not been employed for some time have gone to work.
Women have stepped in to fill the gap with the result that more
women are employed now than ever before, thus helping to enlarge
the county's work force not only for the present but for the post-
war years as well. In this connection it is interesting to note that
Shelby County is making preparations to keep this large work force
usefully employed in the post-war period. Information released by
Mr. Milton H. Fies, Chairman of District No. 2, of the Alabama
Committee on Economic Development, which appeared in the Bir-
mingham Age-Herald (January 26, 1944), shows this clearly:
A post-war employment planning survey [has been completed] in
Shelby County by a committee headed by George Scott, Jr., of Si-
luria. Shelby County is the first county in the State to complete such
a survey. Tabulations covering practically all the county's business
firms showed an estimated post-war employment of ten per cent over
1940, the best peace-time year ever experienced in the United States.
Shelby County businesses and industries reported 374 former em-
ployees now serving in the armed forces. All Shelby County enter-
prises participating in the survey reported post-war plans in such
form that they could proceed promptly after the war ends. Of the
businesses reporting, forty-three per cent declared they are plan-
ning extensions or expect to remodel their plants immediately^ after
the war, while ten per cent advised that they expected to be in the
market with new products.1
Women Fill the Gap
It is especially interesting to note the many ways in which women
have stepped in to take the places of men who have been called to
the armed forces. In addition to the large number who have taken
jobs in .the factories referred to above, wives whose husbands have
been called to the armed forces have carried on in the trades and
businesses and on the farms of the county. Interesting illustrations^
include managing a soft-drink distributing agency, an insurance
agency, a gasoline service station, a retail dry-goods store and sl
grocery store, and a plumbing business (the wife doing the work
xThe C. E. D. is making detailed studies of industrial employment needs in
the post-war years. These studies are to be turned over to the State Cham-
ber of Commerce to be used in planning for the State's future industrial
expansion.
12 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
herself) . Farm women have operated tractors, driven produce trucks
to town and done many other kinds of work on the farm which the
men folks do when they are at home. Nine of the 22 farm women in
Miss Smenner's study (see page 38) were found to be operating the
farms while the husbands were working in some war plant. There
is a woman mail carrier out of Calera and a woman clerk in the post
office at Montevallo. For the first time a woman is town clerk at
Wilton.2
Many other married women have continued in or gone back to
work in order to help out in the emergency. They are teaching in
the kindergarten, in the elementary and high school, and in the col-
lege; doing secretarial and stenographic work; clerking in stores;
operating beauty parlors; and working in the whole gamut of occu-
pations in which women have usually worked. There are more mar-
ried students in Alabama College than in any previous time. Most
of these are undergraduates who have married while the boys are in
the services and have continued in school as a matter of course.
There are, however, a number of older women who have returned
to fit themselves better for some particular work. They plan to work
while their husbands are gone and to be prepared to carry on in
whatever circumstances the future has in store for them.
Serving in the Armed Forces
A community feels the impact of war first and with the greatest
sense of personal loss when its sons and daughters are called up to
fight. From the time of its organization to August, 1944, the Selec-
tive Service System (Local Board No. 1 at Columbiana and Local
Board No. 2 at Montevallo) has registered 9,054 men between ages
18 and 65. Of this number 2,136 were inducted into some branch of
the armed forces. The 6,918 men who were not inducted inductee,
of course, men over military age, men deferred for family reasons
and those deferred for essential war-related work, as well as those
rejected as unfit for military service. Definite figures are 'not avail-
able for the county as a whole on the numbers of men in these dif-
ferent categories. However, from such samplings as are available it
is safe to estimate that the number who were classified as unfit for
military service is about half as great as the total number inducted.
Close to 10 per cent of the number taken into the military services
had, as of August, 1944, been discharged for one reason or another.
2Montevallo has had a woman member of the town council for several years.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 13
Many young women have enlisted in the WAC, WAVE, SPAR,
and Marines, but no records are available for the exact numbers.
Professional Workers in Armed Forces
The professional workers of Shelby County have responded to
the call of the armed forces. As of August, 1944, there were serv-
ing in some branch of the military service 2 of the county's doctors,
1 a lieutenant (j. g.) in the navy and 1 a lieutenant in the army;
2 of the county's dentists, 1 a captain and 1 a major in the army;
and 3 nurses, 1 in the army, 1 in the navy, and 1 in the Veterans'
Hospital at Tuscaloosa. One of the county's lawyers is serving in
the navy. The Methodist minister at Wilton and both Baptist and
Methodist ministers at Montevallo have joined the Chaplains Corps.
Mr. P. B. Shaw, County Superintendent of Education, reported that
as of August, 1944, 9 teachers of the county, 6 men and 3 women,
were serving in the armed forces. This does not include the teachers
in Alabama College Laboratory School.
Alabama College, including the laboratory school, has lost 13
men and women to the army, navy and merchant marine — 8 men
and 5 women. Of this number 5 are on leave while the others have
resigned.
Education Does Its Part
The County Schools have carried on with the handicaps of un-
usual teacher turnover and, teacher shortages, scarcity of paper and
office supplies and of janitor services, delay in the delivery of school
books, and postponement of needed building and repairs. Children
have had to ride to school in over-crowded school buses and some
have walked who once could come in the buses. In spite of all this
the quality of work has been maintained and many extra services to
boys and girls have been provided. The high schools have added
pre-induction courses and modified work in all areas where such
changes could make a contribution to the war effort. Victory Corps
have been organized in the high schools and through these student
organizations much community service has been done — gathering
scrap, sale of War Stamps and Bonds, promotion of victory gardens,
and recreation programs for young people. High school students
have been recruited for farm labor on Saturdays and during the
summer and some have spent vacations working in the factories.
Schools have been closed on special days so that the school children
and the teachers could go to the fields to help pick cotton.
14 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
Seven schools (Chelsea, Columbiana, Maylene, Montevallo, Pel-
ham, Thompson, and Vincent) have provided government-aided
school lunches. Nutrition education has been emphasized from the
first grade through the high schools. The county teachers' organi-
zation has maintained an active committee on nutrition. Two ele-
mentary school teachers represented the Montevallo community at
the National Conference on Nutrition in the Elementary Grades
held at Terre Haute, Indiana, in July, 1944, under the auspices of
the U. S. Office of Education.
The three vocational home economics departments in the county,
the county home demonstration service, and the home supervisor for
the Farm Security Agency have worked individually with home-
makers and conducted classes all over the county in food preserva-
tion, gardening, poultry raising, meal planning, child care, family
nutrition, care and repair of home furnishings and clothing, and
home care of the sick. They have helped women to understand ra-
tioning regulations and to budget their points in meal planning, and
have aided in securing the homemakers' cooperation in the price-
control program. Two slogans, familiar to all the homemakers of
the county, have furnished the keynote for much of this work —
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without," and the O. P. A.
homemaker's pledge, "I pay no more than top legal prices; I accept
no rationed goods without giving up ration stamps." Plans are un-
der way for setting up a community canning center under auspices
of the vocational home economics and agriculture departments at
Columbiana.
Volunteer Wartime Services
Citizens of Shelby County have been generous, indeed, with time
devoted to the many volunteer services so necessary in time of war:
Red Cross work, gathering scrap and saving kitchen fats; promoting
and carrying out the sale of War Bonds and Stamps, volunteer work
on Selective Service Boards and Price and Rationing Boards, distri-
bution of ration books, community recreation, and service on com-
mittees of many kinds such as local defense, Russian Relief, China
Relief, and the Camp and Hospital Committee, which raised funds
to furnish a sun room at Northington General Hospital for veterans
of the war. Funds were raised in the community for the purchase of
a piano for Camp Sibert, and almost everyone who had them has
given books and magazines for camp and hospital libraries.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 15
War Bond Sales
Shelby County has met and surpassed its bond sales quota from
the beginning of the bond sales campaigns through the Fifth War
Loan Drive which ended in July, 1944. It has not always met the
quota from month to month but the special drives have gone over
the quota sufficiently to more than make up the difference. Dr.
T. H. Napier, Executive Chairman of the War Finance Board of
Shelby County,4 has this to say:
The success of these drives has been due largely to the number of
people who have been willing to give their time to solicit sales. The
number of individuals who have worked in the war loan drives has
been very large and every organization in the county has participated.
They have every right to feel proud, of the job they have done. For
the Fifth War Loan Drive Shelby County had a quota of $183,000.00
in E Bonds and the people of the county invested $226,631.00 in E
Bonds. The total quota for the Fifth War Loan Drive was $386,000.00
and the total sales in Shelby County were $608,314.00. It should be
remembered that the sales are given in issue value and not in ma-
turity value. All the people who have canvassed in Shelby County
have contributed their time. Each beat had a chairman and was re-
sponsible for the other members of the committee in that beat. In
some beats there were twenty-five or thirty people at work but in
smaller beats they were not so many. No one is able to give an ac-
curate statement of the number of people who have cooperated in
these sales.
Red Cross Work
The Red Cross, always first to respond to any call of suffering or
need, has been well managed and well supported in Shelby County.
In 1943, 2,100 different contributors gave $3,563.66 to the Red
Cross. Volunteer workers have given their services in sewing rooms
where garments have been produced for war-stricken countries, es-
pecially Russia. An inventory of work done up to August 1, 1944,
reported by the county chairman, gives some idea of the extent of
these services:
Garments made include 61 women's blouses, 41 girls' blouses, 32 wom-
en's petticoats, 30 women's slips, 37 men's pajamas, 31 men's night
shirts, 31 women's gowns, 2 cotton quilts, and 210 bed pan covers;
while 75 bed socks, 20 pairs of army socks, 8 army sleeveless sweat-
ers, 28 navy watch caps, 1 turtle neck sweater, 15 pairs of army gloves,
1 army muffler, and lpair of navy socks have been knitted for the
army and navy. Besides these, 200 bedside kits and 300 Christmas
packages for men in the services have been prepared and given to
the Red Cross for distribution.
Much of this work has been possible because of the efforts of the
women's clubs in the county. Red Cross educational work has in-
4Dr. Napier resigned as of August, 1944.
16 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
eluded 2 first aid classes, enrolling 28 students, 27 of whom received
certificates; and 15 classes in water safety, in which 191 of the 228
students enrolled received certificates.
Civilian Defense
In the early months of the war, when invasion of the country
seemed possible, the County Civilian Defense Committee was or-
ganized as a part of the state and national defense program. Fire
wardens and airplane spotters planned their organization and prac-
ticed their duties. Citizens attended meetings to learn how to pro-
tect themselves and how to act in case of bombings — how to prepare
their houses so that the fire hazards would be as low as possible,
how to put out incendiary bombs, how to wear gas masks. All this
appears a bit preposterous now but in those days it seemed very im-
portant and necessary.
Plans were worked out in several towns of the county to take care
of women and children if it should become necessary to evacuate
families from the industrial area at Birmingham. The Montevallo
Branch of the American Association of University Women, with as-
sistance of other groups, worked out plans for taking care of child-
ren evacuated from England but the British Government cancelled
the plans for sending children to this country before any children
were sent to Montevallo.
Service on Boards and Committees
It would be difficult to estimate the value or the amount of time
given to the community by citizens who have served on the many
boards and committees required to carry on the work of administer-
ing wartime regulations and programs. Thirty-one citizens in this
county, including the examining physicians, have given uncompen-
sated time to the successful operation of the two local draft boards.5
These men have performed a difficult and extremely important ser-
vice requiring judgment, infinite patience, and untiring effort.
Rationing and Price Control has claimed the services of 56 per-
sons since the organization of Shelby County War Price and Ration-
ing Board No. 126, in December, 1941. Thirty-nine persons were
giving volunteer service as of August 1, 1944 — as general adminis-
trator of the board and as panel members and price assistants. The
community is indebted to these people for maintaining good rela-
5As of August, 1944.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 17
tions between merchants and consumers in the delicate situations
that develop in the administration of price and rationing laws.
Twenty-four persons have served as members of the price panel, or
as price assistants in Columbiana, Montevallo, Calera, Siluria, Wil-
sonville, Sterrett, Underwood, and Shelby. They check prices in lo-
cal stores, distribute information, hear and adjust complaints and
make sure that the regulations on price control are observed. With-
out the support of these volunteer workers the machinery of price
control could scarcely have functioned to prevent disastrous price
inflation. Ten members are serving on the various rationing panels.
They pass on applications for special allotments of all rationed
goods, revoke privileges when necessary, refer violators to the prop-
er legal authorities and make sure that food, shoes, automobiles,
tires, gasoline, bicycles and stoves are distributed to the best inter-
ests of the community and according to the law. The four members
of the information panel plan and carry out programs to keep the
public informed and cooperative.
No report of freely given service to the rationing program would
be complete without mentioning the hundreds of persons who as-
sisted in distributing the ration books in the early days of the pro-
gram. Teachers in the public schools bore the major part of this
load. In like manner it is important to give credit to the merchants
of the county for the patriotic and uncomplaining manner in which
they have done the enormous amount of extra work required of
them by rationing and price control.
The Whole Community Has Cooperated
The whole community has shared in the tasks of conserving rub-
ber, sharing rides and helping in salvage collection, and has entered
into the spirit of sharing which rationing, price control, and all the
plans for conserving and caring for our resources have demanded.
To call the roll of all the many ways in which citizens of the coun-
ty have given volunteer service to the war effort would be a large
task indeed. No doubt important instances have been overlooked.
Certainly mention should be made of the time and effort contribut-
ed by motion picture theatre operators in selling War Bonds and
stamps, taking up collections in all the many campaigns for special
funds, and exhibiting documentary films, especially from the Office
of War Information. Editors of the county and local papers have
given time to committee work and space (news, editorial and ad-
vertising) for the promotion of all kinds of projects related to the
18 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
war effort. The social workers of the county, working with the E.ed
Cross, have assisted many service men and their families with their
special problems, relating to furloughs, illness, pay and the like.
Merchants have displayed posters, and have given many hours of
time to explaining rationing regulations to the public. The county
has met its full quota in every drive for contributions to the War
Chest Fund. Shelby County may well be proud of the voluntary con-
tributions of her citizens in their efforts to mitigate privations and
hardships and to share in all the necessary work of preserving our
economy through the war years.
Like most other communities in Alabama and in the country, Shel-
by County has mobilized her industry and agriculture, her business
and her manpower and has dedicated her resources to the winning
of the war. The schools, the churches and families have worked to-
gether to maintain family morale and wholesome community life.
In the light of the fact' that increased juvenile delinquency has be-
come a problem of serious proportions in the State and the Nation,
it is of special interest that only 2 cases of juvenile delinquency came
before the county courts in 1943, and 5 up to August 1, in 1944.
There were 16 such cases in 1940.
Perhaps no more heartening note could be found on which to
close.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 19
CHAPTER 2
ALABAMA COLLEGE IN THE WAR EFFORT
Alabama College, which is located in Shelby County, has made
numerous adjustments and has expanded its facilities in order to
carry out its part in the war effort. In times of great distress and
mental and emotional strain people need experiences to release
nervous tensions and preserve emotional balance. Many experiences
of college life are of great value in this way — reading great litera-
ture, playing or listening to good music, participating in drama,
athletic games, debate, craft work or creative art, or creative work
in the field of home economics. Regular courses in applied psychol-
ogy contribute to understanding human behavior and learning how
to live effectively with people. Courses in abnormal psychology,
mental hygiene, family relationships and child development prepare
students for living in a world in v/hich war experiences have caused
many people to suffer from neurotic disorders. Courses in nutrition,
foods, health and physical education contribute to the health of the
students.
Regular Work Modified and New Work Set Up
To Meet Demands of Wartime
Regularly offered college courses in the social sciences have been
adapted to wartime needs and have been valuable in developing un-
derstanding of the present world situation — the social and economic
problems in which the war had its origins and which must be under-
stood as a basis for permanent peace. In addition to those offered
especially for majors, many courses have been adapted to meet the
needs of the whole college community. Among those specially val-
uable to persons wishing to gain an intelligent understanding of the
present world situation are Modern History of Europe, The British
Empire and Commonwealth, Contemporary History, International
Relationships, and the Geography of South America.
The college is also developing an especially worthwhile program
for Alabama teachers in the study of the human and natural re-
sources of the State. The course offered in the summer of 1944,;
which is only a beginning, included definite concrete facts — what
the resources are, how they have been handled — and problems need-
ing study and action. The course helps teachers not only to gain the
knowledge they require for teaching if the schools are to participate
20 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
effectively in building Alabama, but also to see the place of such
materials in the school program. This work may be developed in the
future to include preparation of reading materials for the schools.
Special attention and guidance is given in the Foreign Language
department to students who are interested in foreign language train-
ing for war service. With such training they may serve as censors,
translators, interpreters and the like.
The School of Home Economics and the Department of Educa-
tion, cooperating with the State Department of Education, have pro-
vided special courses for training emergency teachers for the nurs-
ery schools in war work areas. Clothing, house furnishings and home
management courses have emphasized conservation and intelligent
utilization of materials.
A minor in Recreational Leadership has recently been added to
the curriculum by the departments of Art, Music, Physical Education,
and Speech. Students taking this minor have provided field work in
community recreation in neighboring communities, including de-
fense areas. These students have met with committees of the local
communities to plan and conduct programs and have given a real
service in war congested areas, in addition to developing much-
needed leadership in this important field. First-aid, life-saving and
water-safety, and home-nursing courses leading to standard and ad-
vanced Red Cross certificates have been given to literally hundreds
of persons, including townspeople as well as college students. The
Biology Department offers courses which are designed especially to
prepare students as public health and medical technicians. These
students are prepared to assist doctors and dentists and to become
technicians in hospital and state laboratories. The departments of
Political Science, Sociology and Secretarial Science offer a minor in
Public Administration which fits students for important public ser-
vice.
In addition to regularly offered work new courses have been add-
ed or new programs worked out to prepare students for special re-
sponsibilities in a society at war. Two one-hour courses are offered
in the History Department designed to keep students and faculty
members informed concerning the war in Europe and the war in the
Pacific, respectively. For students looking forward to enlistment in
the military services courses are available in introductory meteor-
ology, map reading, and world geography. In the School of Home
Economics courses in gardening, poultry and food preservation have
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 21
been added to prepare students for more effective leadership in food
conservation and production.
The College radio has carried programs on nutrition, conserva-
tion, and consumer information, and has broadcast round-table dis-
cussions of problems of special concern in wartime. The Home
Study Service has prepared special outlines and programs for clubs
and Parent-Teacher Associations on subjects relating to the war
effort.
Services Offered to Members of the Armed Forces
and to Wartime Community Enterprises
There are no military camps in Shelby County but the College
has provided for the entertainment of service men from camps
throughout the State, who have been invited to college dances, con-
certs, lectures and College Night programs. Men and women in the
uniform of any of the armed forces of the Allied Nations are guests
of the College while they are on the campus, and meals and admis-
sion to all campus events are free to them.
The Glee Club, small groups of music students, and the Dance
Group have given concerts ; and groups from the College have given
plays at the different military establishments and U. S. O. centers.
Faculty members and students have traveled to industrial areas to
give entertainments, conduct discussion groups, provide recreation
programs and to assist with creative art centers.
Faculty Serving in the Armed Forces
The Alabama College faculty has lost thirteen members to the
armed forces. Two men are serving in the navy: one a communica-
tions officer with the rank of lieutenant (j. g.) in the Pacific thea-
tre of war; another, also a lieutenant (j. g.) in the U. S. N. R. Am-
munition Depot in California. One young woman is an ensign in
the WAVE. Others include an army sergeant in the European thea-
tre of war, a signal corps captain in the WAC serving in France.
Three are army dietitians with rank of lieutenant, one in the Euro-
pean theatre and two with the Army Nurse Corps. One member of
the faculty enlisted in the merchant marine. Besides these there are
four young men from whom information about military status is
not available.
Alabama College Students in Military Service
The alumnae secretary has records of 119 graduates and former
students who (as of August, 1944) were serving in some branch of
22 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
the armed forces or other government service directly connected with
the war effort. These services include the WAC, WAVE., SPAR,
WASP, Marine Corps, army staff dietitian, AUS Medical Detach-
ments, American Red Cross, and munitions inspectors; while one
graduate of Alabama College is with the French Woman's Auxiliary.
Faculty Civilian Services
Besides the men and women serving in the armed forces other
members of the College faculty have been granted leaves of absence
for special civilian war service. An economist has been serving as
regional officer for the Office of Price Administration since the
early days of that organization. A home economist was on leave
eight months in 1941 as specialist in the U. S. Office of Education
to assist in organizing the Emergency Education Program. A mem-
ber of the music faculty and a member of the physical education
faculty are with the Red Cross in the European theatre of war. Oth-
ers of the College staff who have resigned for war-related work in-
clude the alumnae secretary (to do secretarial work at the Mobile
shipyards) , a member of the psychology staff, a member of the Eng-
lish staff, the executive secretary of the College (to do civilian per-
sonnel work for the army), and a member of the library staff (to
become a librarian at Maxwell Field) . Two members of the faculty
of the laboratory schools resigned to become instructors in the Emer-
gency Education Program at Mobile.
Members of the College faculty have served on important boards
and committees and have given service to much war-created work.
The Dean of the College served as Executive Chairman of the War
Finance Board of Shelby County from the time of its organization
to the end of the Fifth War Loan Drive. The Business Manager
served as chairman of Selective Service Local Board No. 2 for 12
months. Three different members of the faculty have served on the
Shelby County War Price and Rationing Board. The head of the
School of Home Economics is a member of the State Nutrition
Council, and another member of the home economics staff has been
county nutrition chairman. A member of the history faculty is serv-
ing on the Shelby County Committee on Economic Development.
The head of the History Department edited for the Bureau of Pub-
lic Administration, University of Alabama, the publication, War
Comes to Alabama, an attempt to interpret what was happening to
Alabama as a result of the impact of the war. She was author of the
final chapter, "Post- War Prospects," and another member of the
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 23
History Department faculty wrote the first chapter, "Population."
The head of the Art Department is Crafts Consultant for the South-
eastern Region, U. S. O.
The College has also felt keenly the loss of many workmen from
the campus. The college plumber was lost to the navy as a civilian
worker at Key West. It has been much more difficult to keep up
the lawns and the buildings, and the dietitian and her staff have
been sorely taxed by the shortage of help.
Vocational Guidance and Recruitment for Jobs
The College has extended its facilities for helping students find
jobs by cooperating with recruitment agencies for important war
work. A representative of U. S. Civil Service was on the campus
each week during the spring of 1944 for interviews with students,
giving tests and signing up students (mainly seniors) for civil ser-
vice jobs. Representatives of the Cadet Nurse Corps, WAC, WAVE,
and Signal Corps, as well as of some important war industries, have
come to the campus; and arrangements have been made for them to
confer with interested students.
In order that students might have as much guidance as possible in
selecting the kind of work they could do in the war effort and to
keep before them, also, their responsibilities for making contribu-
tions the Convocation Committee has brought speakers to the cam-
pus, the library has displayed books and pamphlets on war work,
the Vocational Advisory service, the Vocational Guidance Commit-
tee as well as department heads and other faculty members have
provided for individual and group discussion of wartime job op-
portunities and requirements.
Recent graduates of the College, because of their special training,
have been able to fill many inportant wartime jobs— chemical an-
alysts and laboratory technicians for the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company, the Eastman Kodak Company, and the Childersburg mun-
itions plant; draftsmen in the shipbuilding yards; personnel work-
ers, occupational analysts and secretarial workers in war industries.
They have gone into military services and the U. S. Employment Ser-
vice; case work, recreational and administrative work with the Red
Cross; civil service work of many kinds, especially as dietitians and
secretaries. Four Alabama College students were selected for the
Curtiss-Wright Training program which sent selected college wom-
en graduates to engineering schools where they received special
training for work in the aircraft industry. Two recent graduates
24 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
went to the Bureau of Scientific Research in Washington, D. C. In
the meantime, college graduates have continued to do the impor-
tant work of teaching, social work, dietitians, secretarial work, and
homemaking, as always.
College Organizations
Through the work of College organizations students have been
able to take part in important war work.
Each year since 1941, the Young Women's Christian Association
has sponsored the World Student Service Fund drive on the Ala-
bama College campus. This drive is for the relief of college students
in war-torn countries and for the assistance of anyone who wishes to
continue studying while in prison camps, no matter what country
he may be in. The fund is given by college students to aid their
fellow students. The money is distributed by the World Young
Men's Christian Association with international headquarters in Ge-
neva, Switzerland. For the three-year period of 1941 through 1943,
the organization raised $807 and collected over 90 textbooks to be
used by American student prisoners. The Y. W. C. A. also sponsor-
ed the Red Cross work on the campus, making themselves respon-
sible for a workroom where sewing and packing was done. In 1941-
42, they made 30 layettes and knitted around 40 sweaters, scarfs,
and caps. In 1942-43, they made 65 nightshirts; and in 1943-44, 50
blouses for women and girls. Members of the Ivol Spafford Club,
the home economics club on the campus, took the leadership in this
work, organizing and directing the sewing.
The Ivol Spafford Club has cooperated with other war activities
on the campus and kept the pledge for bettering their nutritional
habits, saving, and buying more carefully. They have also sponsored
the scrap metal and scrap paper drives on the campus. The Retail-
ing Club sponsored the sale of war stamps on the campus. Omicron
Nu, honorary home economics society, made a study of the food
habits of students in the College dining rooms in 1941-42, and in
1942-43 made a survey of the vocational plans of Alabama College
students. During 1943-44 they undertook to promote interest among
the students in contributing to the blood plasma bank and to make
arrangements with the hospital in Birmingham for students and
faculty who volunteered. In 1944-45 they plan to carry forward the
projects begun in the previous two years.
The International Relations Club, which is organized under the
Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, has for its purpose
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 25
discussion of world affairs. This club sponsored discussions each
week during 1942-43, at which a member of the faculty reviewed the
war news and talked on any phase of the war in which he was par-
ticularly interested. In 1943-44, in addition to the discussions, some
new books having special bearing on the war were reviewed. The
club receives a shipment of new books from the Carnegie Endow-
ment each year and anyone in the College is privileged to read them.
In 1943 an essay, 'The Next Decade in American Foreign Poli-
cy," was prepared by students in the history department and pub-
lished as a college bulletin. This had wide circulation and attracted
comment from State newspapers. The History Department has been
able to send to the Institute of Foreign Affairs, Stanford, Connecti-
cut, two students who have taken training under Sir Norman Angell
and have come back to do campus work relating to foreign affairs.
Lambda Sigma Pi, national senior honorary society, has plans for
sponsoring an all-college student career conference early in the
1944.45 year. At this time, under the general supervision of the Di-
rector of the Vocational Advisory Service, students will have an op-
portunity to take vocational aptitude tests, attend round-table discus-
sions and interview specialists in lines of work of interest to them,
and to attend meetings at which an outstanding woman specially in-
terested in women's work will be the speaker. This assistance in
choosing the right occupation will be valuable to students in pre-
paring themselves for their part in building the post-war world.
Special contributions of other groups (Glee Club, Dance Group,
Physical Education Club) have been mentioned in earlier sections.1
In addition to special services already described, the College has
placed its facilities at the disposal of the community for war-related
enterprises. Rooms in the College have been used for the Monte-
vallo Red Cross Sewing Chapter. College auditoriums have been
used for public meetings. In the early days of the war the College
cooperated with the local Civilian Defense Committee in holding a
series of meetings for the purpose of educating citizens in defense
procedures — airplane spotting, fire fighting, protection from chem-
ical warfare, and the like. Practically all college students have parti-
cipated in one way or another in the many programs contributing to
the war effort; and the administration, faculty and staff have at-
tempted to make college programs sufficiently flexible and sensi-
tive to new needs to be of maximum service in the country's time
of special need.
!See p. 11
PART II
Studies of Shelby County Homes
In Wartime
By
Olivia Smenner
Nellie Mae Touchstone
Lois A. Ackerley
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 29
INTRODUCTION
General Statement and Need for the Study
Economic and social changes in Shelby County since 1940, as de-
scribed in Part I of this pamphlet, have influenced in many ways
the lives of individuals and of families living in the county. The to-
tal income of the county, along with that of the rest of the State,
has increased greatly between 1940 and 1944. This fact suggested
the hypothesis that families have had more to spend on their living.
However, it seemed clear that all families have not had the same
amount of change. It seemed probable that some families have suf-
fered a decrease in income because the main wage earner has been
drawn into the armed forces, while the amount of increase in other
instances may have been small. Still others, doubtless, have had
greatly increased incomes because family members have been em-
ployed in war work at high wages, because business conditions have
improved, or because better prices have been received for farm
products. In some known instances dependency allotments from
service men have provided better living for their families than they
had ever known before.
Important changes of a psychological nature have been exper-
ienced. The security normally gained from wholesome family living
has been threatened, possibly lost altogether in some instances,
through the separation of family members and the postponement of
family plans. Children have been growing up in homes without the
fathers who are away at war. Normal affectional experiences have
been denied.
Home economists are concerned with what is happening to fam-
ilies. They need to know what new problems are produced by the
war and how families are meeting them.
Along with others who care about the welfare of the people in
the community, home economists have long been concerned with
housing conditions in Shelby County. It has required no formal
studies to reveal that many families live in homes that are below
standards required for health, comfort and wholesome family life.
Such investigations as have been made in recent years bear out
this fact. A survey of Shelby County, made by the school authorities
a few years ago, revealed unusually crowded living conditions, poor
arrangements for sanitation, houses badly in need of repair, and
30 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
poor home furnishings in many homes in the county.1 Home econ-
omics teachers, who visit all the homes of their high school home
economics students for the purpose of supervising home project
work, have for many years recognized the need for home improve-
ment as one of their most important concerns.
Common observation reveals that many new houses have been
built in Shelby County during the past few years, and that old
houses have been painted, re-roofed, and repaired. To what extent
are families taking advantage of such increases in income as they
have to make needed home improvements?
The Problems Selected for Study
Three members of the faculty of the School of Home Economics
have undertaken, in the investigations reported here, to throw some
light on the question raised above. Limited resources for investiga-
tions have led to the selection of this aspect of family living for
study because it is tangible and lends itself to reasonably objective
consideration. The house, its equipment, and its furnishings can
readily be observed. An investigation concerned with the house has
the further advantage that it reflects quickly any changes in econ-
omic status. In turn, the house they live in, with its furnishings, af-
fects the individuals of the family in so far as it provides adequately
not only for comfort and shelter but for rest, relaxation and feelings
of security. The home, that is, the physical setting for the family,
may go even further in affording opportunities for self-expression
and in making possible satisfying social contacts between the fam-
ily and the community. Answers to the following questions are
sought:
To what extent do families have more money to spend ?
How much, and in what ways, have they spent their money on
home improvements?
What kinds of improvements have they made?
In what ways, and to what extent have scarcities in materials and
equipment usually available for the upkeep of homes affected their
plans and how have wartime priorities hindered them in their ef-
forts?
To what extent and in what ways have these scarcities of ma-
terials affected the comfort and convenience of families?
lA Survey of Shelby County. Faculty Alabama College Laboratory School.
Unpublished study. Department of Education, Alabama College, 1935.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 31
Method of Securing Data
Each of the three investigators used a questionnaire for securing
data and certain questions were common to each study: (1) What
is the occupation of the main wage earner? (2) What is the size and
composition of the family? (3) In which of four groups does the
past year's income belong — Group I, $999 or less; Group II, $1000-
1999; Group III, $2000-2999; Group IV, $3000 or more? (4)
Has there been a change in income since the war began and if so,
what is the approximate amount of income increase or decrease?
Answers to the questionnaire were secured, for the most part, by
the interview method, either in the home or at a group meeting of
some kind; but a small number were obtained by mail. In each case
the information was secured from the mother of the family.
Brief Summary of Data Common to All Three Studies
( 1 ) Occupation and family size
Data were secured from a total of 342 families — 111 in Miss
Smenner's study, 106 in Miss Touchstone's, and 123 in Miss Ack-
erley's. In an effort to get a varied sampling of the population of
the county, inquiries were made of families whose main wage earn-
ers were employed in industrial plants and textile mills, in mining,
on farms — both as owners and as tenants, including a few clients of
the Farm Security Administration — in business both large and small,
in the professions, and as city and town officials and employees of
the federal government.
These families range in size from 1 to 14, the most usual being
a family of four or five members.
(2) Income status and income change since 1940
Incomes ranged from those of a few families who received public
assistance to very comfortable ones, but the most usual income was
found to be between $1000 and $2000.
No family reported an income for the past year that was less than
that of the year just before the war. About half of these families had
had increased incomes and about half believed their incomes to be
the same as before. There were some increased incomes and some
that remained the same in each occupational group. Workers in the
skilled trades and farmers reported increased income more frequent-
ly than any of the other occupational groups; semi-skilled and cleri-
cal groups the next most frequently; while those engaged in the pro-
32 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
fessions and in businesses most frequently reported no increase in
income. However, in each occupational group there was wide varia-
tion in the amount of increase in the income for those whose in-
comes were greater.
Three Studies
Miss Olivia Smenner has attempted to find out how much and
what kinds of improvements have been made in housing and who
has made them; whether increased income or some other influence
has led to the improvements that have been made; and what kinds
of satisfactions the families have experienced in making these im-
provements.
Miss Nellie Mae Touchstone, in her investigation, has sought
answers to similar questions regarding improvements in house fur-
nishings, while Dr. Lois Ackerley has inquired into the effects of
wartime conditions on the kinds of small kitchen equipment home-
makers have been able to secure and the kinds of service they have
had from articles made from the substitute materials made neces-
sary by the war priorities. The data of the study were collected dur-
ing the summer of 1944.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 33
CHAPTER 1
A STUDY OF HOUSING IN SHELBY COUNTY, 1941-1944
Shelter is a fundamental need for everyone. The house protects
the family members from outside influences and contributes to their
inner needs as well. It has been said that any man's worth depends
upon the state of mind which his home and family nurture in him.
The home is of inestimable value to the child also. This idea is best
stated in the White House Conference Report on The Home and
The Child: "The house in which a child spends the early years of
his life is intimately associated with all the first impressions which
shape his later attitudes and affect in many ways his development.
It should express the highest standard which the income can pro-
vide." The home furnishes a basis of security and happiness for the
family.
It was with values such as these in mind that this study of housing
in Shelby County was undertaken.
The Problem
Thinking that the increased amount of war work in Shelby Coun-
ty might have resulted in an increase of family income, we wanted
to find out if any of it was being used for improved housing and
for care of grounds around the home. We wanted to determine the
extent and kind of such improvements as were being made, as well
as the improvements families had planned but had not been able to
make because of the war. We also wanted to know what kinds of
satisfactions families sought and secured from the improvements
they had made on their homes.
Method of Collecting Materials
Women's organizations of the various churches in Calera, Colum-
biana, Montevallo, and Siluria assisted in locating families and se-
curing their cooperation in the study. The County Home Demonstra-
tion Agent and the Home Supervisor for the Farm Security Admin-
istration assisted in reaching rural groups, and home economics
teachers at Montevallo and Columbiana helped locate other families.
The questionnaires were presented to 150 women in different
parts of the county. Of that number 111, or 74 per cent, filled out
and returned them. One-half of the questionnaires (56) were filled
out in personal interviews; one-third (37) were secured at group
34 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
meetings with someone to assist the women in filling them out;
while the remaining 17 per cent (18) were filled out independently
and returned by mail. An explanation of the study was made to each
person who was willing to fill out the questionnaire. General ques-
tions pertaining to the family background were asked before speci-
fic questions on housing were presented.
The Questionnaire
The general questions called for information on the following:
(l) the occupation of the head of the family, (2) the size and com-
position of the family, (3) status of the home, whether owned or
rented, (4) income bracket for the previous year, and (5) changes
in income since the war began.
The questions on housing asked for: (1) the kinds of improve-
ments that had been made since 1940, (2) the cost of improvements
made, (3) method of securing labor and materials, (4) the diffi-
culties that had prevented making desired improvements, (5) the
improvements to be accomplished when the war is over and mater-
ials and labor are again available, and (6) ways in which the home-
maker believed the family had benefitted by such home improve-
ments as had been made.
The various types of improvements inquired about in the ques-
tionnaire were organized under four headings: (l) Remodeling,
including the addition of rooms to the house, partitioning space off
for extra rooms or closets, making additions or changes in the kit-
chen or other rooms, or adding porches and screening house or
porch; (2) Modernizing, including the installation of electricity for
lights or cooking, installation of a central heating system, the addi-
tion of a new well or pump for the well, running water added to
the bathroom or kitchen, provision of outdoor sanitary facilities
where no sewage systems were available, insulation of the house or
part of it, and screening the house if it had never been screened;
(3) Repairing, under which were included such items as adding a
new roof or repairing an old one, painting the outside of the house,
repairing stairways, refinishing floors, walls and woodwork in the
interior of the house, repairing porches, chimneys, windows, siding,
or foundations of the house, and repairing or replacing screens; and
(4) Improvement of the home grounds, under which were included
such items as planting shrubs, grass, flowers, fruit or shade trees,
terracing the yard, putting in a drainage system, putting down walks
or driveways, and making a service area or outdoor living room.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 35
The questionnaire was set up so that specific items of improve-
ment made in each of the four large areas could be checked. For
each item space was provided for checking the cost of each improve-
ment. Where improvements had not been made or were not exten-
sive, the women were asked to check under a general heading, "Rea-
sons for not making other desired improvements," any of three sub-
points, "inability to get labor," "inability to get materials," and
"lack of money." In a third column, with the heading, "Things you
intend to do when peace returns," they were asked to indicate im-
provements which they considered necessary to their homes and
which they hoped to make after the war.
They were asked also to say who did the work — whether a hired
laborer, the husband or some combination of family members; which
of the materials used in these improvements were available at home
without cost, such as homemade lumber and shingles, stone, sand
or gravel.
Writing was required for answering the last two questions, which
were "What personal benefits did you and your family get from im-
proving the home?" and "Please give some interesting reactions."
Findings on the General Questions About the Families
Families Studied
The 111 families represent all occupational groups in the county.
However, since most of the unskilled laborers and miners had to be
reached entirely by personal interviews in their homes, and means
of getting to homes too far away to reach by walking were limited,
the sampling from these occupational groups is smaller than their
numbers in the total population makes desirable. The findings of
this study apply more particularly to those elements in the popula-
tion represented in the cooperating groups, namely, church groups,
clients of the Extension Service and Farm Security Agency, and fam-
ilies whose children take home economics in high school.
Occupational and Income Groups
For purposes of comparison the replies were organized on the ba-
sis of the occupation of the head of the family into the following
eight groups: I. Professional and executive, II. Semi-professional
and managerial, III. Clerical, retail business and skilled laborers,
IV. Farmers, V. Semi-skilled laborers, minor clerical and business
workers, VI. Unskilled laborers. Two other groups included: VII.
Homemakers who were widows and did not work outside their
36
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
homes, and VIII. A miscellaneous group consisting of servicemen,
retired businessmen, and an unclassified railroad man.2 These last
two groups are too small for significant comparison. In order to
make further comparisons, the replies were tabulated again on the
basis of family income, irrespective of occupational status. Since 6
women of the 111 studied did not supply information about income,
the 103 families who did state the income are represented in this
grouping. Table I shows the distribution of these 111 families in
the several occupational and income groups.
Tables I. Distribution of 111 Families in Four Different Income Groups
and According to Occupational Classification
No. of families Income Groups
__ _ ^ ^ ^ ^ $3000 and
Occupa- in giving ^ ^$1999 *
tional study income >T z — ^ ~J=
Groups data No. Per No. Per No. Per No. Per
Cent Cent Cent Cent
All groups. 111 103 23 22.5 35 34 19 18.5 26 25
I. Professional
& Executive.. 17 16 2 12.5 4 25 1 6.2 9 56.3
II. Managerial
& Semi-Prof.. 9 9 1 11 3 33 5 56
III. Retail
Business
Skilled
Trades 21 20 1 5 8 40 7 35 4 20
IV. Farmers- 22 20 11 55 7 35 2 10
V. Minor Busi-
ness or Cleri-
cal Jobs 20 17 3 18 9 53 4 23 16
VI. Unskilled
Labor 5 5 3 60 2 40
VII. House-
wives 5 4 2 50 1 25 1 25
VIII. Misc.— 12 12 1 8.3 3 25 3 25 5 41.7
TOTAL —lU 103 23~~ 35 19 26
Note: Percentages are figured on basis of the number of 103 families who
supplied income data.
2Group I — Lawyers, doctors, druggists, ministers, teachers and morticians ;
Group II — Bankers, post office officials, contractors, Alabama Power Com-
pany manager, solid fuels administrator, cotton brokers, owner of a lumber
and building materials business ; Group III — Post office clerks, sales man-
agers, surveyor, automobile dealers, merchants, airplane inspectors, factory
foremen, carpenters, and railroad clerks; Group IV — Farmers, seven of
whom also have war jobs such as firemen, tractor drivers, outside worker at
a mine, and powder plant employees ; Group V — A. saw mill contractor, ga-
rage owners, sales tax examiners, miners, defense workers, store clerks,
stenographers, and barbers ; Group VI — Textile workers, heading sawyers,
sawmill workers, and haulers ; Group VII is made up of the homemakers,
who do not work outside the home ; and Group VIII includes a miscellaneous
group composed of service men's families, retired business or professional
men, and an unclassified railroad man.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 37
Family Size and Composition
Family sizes ranged from 1 to 12, but most of the families, 97
out of the 111, had between 2 and 5 members. (See table II.) There
were 13 widows, 2 having no one living with them, and 7 families
who had other relatives living with them: 1 grandfather, 2 grand-
mothers, 2 grandsons, 1 elderly aunt, and 1 daughter-in-law.
Of these families, 23 had sons and daughters in some branch of
the armed forces; 17 families had 1 son each; 4 families had 2 sons
each; and there was 1 daughter each in 2 other families — 25 boys
and 2 girls in all. The families altogether have 54 boys and 44 girls
of school age (6 to 17 years) ; 16 boys and 17 girls of pre-school
age; and 49 boys and 47 girls over 17 years of age. It is interesting
to note that the number of boys and girls in these 111 families is
almost equal at each age group, but more girls are at home now be-
cause military service has called the boys away.
Table II. Family Size and Composition
Number of Families of Each Size
Number of members
in family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Whole families 98 17 26 22 21 5 2 1 2 1 1
Mothers only 13 2 4 1 2 4
Having relatives
in the home 7 114 1
TOTALS 111 2 21 27 24 25 5 2 1 2 1 0 1
Size of Houses in Relation to Family Size
The size of the house was checked because of the possible rela-
tionship between that and the amount of improvements made. These
houses ranged in size from 2 to 11 rooms. Professional and manag-
erial groups lived in houses with an average of slightly over 7 rooms.
Houses of all other groups, except that of unskilled labor, averaged
5.5 rooms, while this last named group lived in houses which had,
on the average, only 4.9 rooms.
Of the 111 houses 63, or 57 per cent, had bathrooms, 10 families
had 2 bathrooms, and 1 had 3.
The size of the house is related to the, occupational status of the
family head. The semi-skilled trade group has the smallest size
house ; however, in relation to the size of the family, it is more ade-
quate than the houses of some of the higher income groups. The
professional, managerial, housewife, and miscellaneous groups av-
38
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
erage 7.5 rooms for each house, while the retail or skilled trade, the
farmers, and small business groups average 5.5 rooms. The number
of homes with or without bathrooms seems to bear some relation to
occupational status, the managerial group having the most.
Table III shows that 26 families live in six-room houses and 22
of that number have 5 or less members per family; 18 families live
in five-room houses, but 15 of them have four or less members. Of
the 19 families living in seven-room houses, 16 have 5 or fewer
members. In general, the size of the family is in inverse ratio to the
size of the houses. In 14 families the home has less than 1 room per
person. The most unsatisfactory housing arrangements are found in
the family of 9 living in a four-room house, a family of 10 in a six-
room house, and a family of 12 in an eight-room house.
Table III. Comparison of Family Size and Number of Rooms in House
Number
Livir
g in
Each Size
House
No. in
family
Number
of rooms
in h
ouse
Total
2
3
4
5
6
7 8
9
10
11
1__
2
2
2__
1
2
4
8
1 2
1
19
3__
1
4
5
5
4 2
4
1
26
4__
4
2
6
5
2
3
1
23
5_.
3
2
4
7 4
2
1
23
6_.
1
2
1
1
5
7__
1
1
2
8__
1
1
9_.
1
1
2
10-
1
1
11..
12_.
>TAL___
1
1
TC
1
5
12
18
26
19 10
10
3
1
105
105 families — six did not give number of rooms in house.
Home Ownership
Of the 89 non-farm families, 67, or 73 per cent, own their homes.
As might be expected, the largest number of renters, 40 per cent in
each group, is in the semi-skilled and unskilled labor groups, while
only 15 per cent of the 26 families in the professional and business
groups rent their homes.
Farm Families
Only 3 of the 22 farm families were tenant farmers; however, 5
of them were purchasing their farms through the Farm Security
Agency. The farms ranged in size from 25 to 290 acres, the average
size being 89.75 acres, and the size most often stated 75 acres. In 7
cases the fathers worked at other jobs in addition to farming. In
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 39
these instances it was usual for the mothers to manage the farms
with such help as the husbands were able to give during their off
hours.
Income Changes During the War Period
Of the 103 families who supplied income data, 47, or 45 per cent,
(See Table I), reported having increased incomes since the war be-
gan; 58, or 55 per cent, reported no change in income during the
period studied; while none claimed to have a smaller income than
they had before the beginning of the war.
A comparison of income changes according to the occupations of
family heads revealed greater and more numerous increases for
families in the lower occupational groups, 70 per cent of the farm-
ers, 55 per cent of the skilled trades and business group, and 50 per
cent of the minor clerical and semi-skilled trades group having larg-
er incomes than they had before the war. On the other hand, 70 per
cent of the professional and executive group and 78 per cent of the
managerial and semi-professional group reported no increase in in-
come at all. In the miscellaneous classification, 83 per cent reported
no change, and 17 per cent had had an increase in earnings.
When income change was studied according to different income
groups a still different picture was disclosed. Only one group — that
between $1000 and $1999 — reported "increased income" as fre-
quently as "no change in income." To enlarge, of the 25 families in
the group earning less than $1000, 9 families earn more and 15 have
had no change in income since the war began. Of the 35 families in
the group earning between $1000 and $1999, 18 have had an in-
crease of income and 17 have the same income. Of the 20 families
whose incomes are in the group between $2000 and $2999, 8 have
more money and 11 have the same amount to spend. Of the 25 fam-
ilies in the group earning over $3000, 11 earn more and 14 have
the same incomes they had before the war.
Extent and Kind of Home Improvements Made
From these data, supplied by 111 families of Shelby County, an
interesting story of their efforts to improve their homes takes form.
The data, though not extensive, reveal an over-all picture of what
these people are doing now and planning for the future. They show
that 93 families, 84 per cent of the total group, have made some im-
provements in their homes since the beginning of the war. Two-
thirds of this number spent something on repairs, one-third made
40
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
some effort to beautify the grounds, over one-fourth remodeled
their houses in some way, and one-fifth modernized their houses.3
The total amount spent for all improvements was $14,099.78, an
average of $151.61 per family.
Table IV shows the distribution of this $14,099.78 among the
different types of improvements and the average expenditure per
family on each.
Table IV. Expenditures for Four Different Types of Housing
Improvements Made by 93 Families
lTt ^— -"H e^Les Spf: oW&
ment made . & r u * per family spent on
type for each type F . . J l .
_ JJ_ on each type type
Remodeling 31 $ 3,319.85 $107.09 23.5
Modernizing 23 1,908.50 82.98 13.5
Repairing 76 8,072.33 106.21 57.3
Beautifying
grounds 47 799.10 17.00 57.3
TOTALS 177 $14,099.78 $151.61 100.0
Note : The total njumber here is greater than 93, the number of families, be-
cause some families made more than one type of improvement.
Remodeling
Remodeling was done by 31 families or 27.9 per cent of the total
group studied. These families spent $3319-85 or an average of
$107.09 per family. Of these families 8 built new porches at a cost
of $641; 8 screened their porches, spending $209; 7 added cabinets
or built-in furniture at a cost of $152, 6 changed partitions in the
house to make new space or made a room out of a hall, spending
$531 for the improvement; 6 built storage closets and a pantry,
costing $94; and 6 others remodeled kitchens at a cost of $173.85;
3 families built new rooms at a cost of $585; two added new bath-
rooms which cost $425. Miscellaneous items for one family each
included de-termiting the house, re-working a basement into a play
room, and adding table-top cabinets to the kitchen, at a total cost
of $485. The amount spent per family on remodeling the houses
ranged from $5 to $425.
Modernizing
Only 23 or one-fifth of the homes were modernized. The total
amount spent was $1908.50, the average cost being $82.98. At a
cost of $208, 7 families (6 of them farmers) built new sanitary
3For explanation of terms, see pages 34 and 35.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 4l
out-door toilets; 5 new wells, with pumps added to three of them,
cost $306; 3 families spent $430 for bathroom and kitchen fixtures;
2 spent $125 for running water in the bathrooms; 4 screened houses
for the first time at a cost of $68. Three families (all farmers) spent
$130 to install electricity in their homes; 2 families insulated part
of the house at a cost of $110. An attic fan, stoker and miscel-
laneous items cost one family $531.50. The cost per family of these
improvements ranged from $14.50 to $247.
Repairing
Some repairs were made on their homes by 76 families, 68.5 per
cent of the number studied. The total cost was $8072.33 with an
average cost per family of $106.21.
The largest outlay of all money spent for repairing was spent on
painting the exterior of the house. Thirty-seven per cent of the fam-
ilies spent $2713.50 on painting frame houses or on the wood trim
of the exterior of brick homes. Slightly over one-half (41 families)
refinished the walls of their houses, using paint, Kemtone, wall
paper, or plaster at a total cost of $1539. Painting woodwork in the
house was done by 50 per cent of them at a cost of $1350; varnish-
ing floors was done by 24 per cent at a cost of $3~'3.05: screens
were mended or replaced by 21 per cent of the families at a cost of
$193.48; a new roof was put on the house or the roof repaired at a
cost of $1071 by 20 per cent of them; and another 20 per cent re-
paired porches at a cost of $150.74. Smaller numbers spent $168.50
repairing windows, $115.51 repairing foundations of the house,
$108.50 repairing floors, $79-50 making outside stairways safe, and
$30 repairing chimneys. Replacing old sewage pipes with steel ones
and many odd jobs account for $179-35.
The cost per family for repairing ranged from $5 to $550. Of all
occupational groups, Group VII, the housewives, spent most, av-
eraging $197 each. The next highest amount was spent by Group
III, the retail business and skilled trades, their average being $129-25
per family. The lowest expenditure per family, $30, was in Group
VI, the unskilled laborers. The farmers averaged $76.73 per family.
Improvements Made to Yards
Since good housing includes an interesting setting for the home,
some questions were asked about the yard. Forty-seven families, or
42 per cent, had improved the home grounds since the war. As one
might expect, much less was spent on the yard than on the improve-
42 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
merits of the house. The total cost was $799.10, or an average of
$17 per family. The range in cost was $1 to $100, but most of the
families spent less than $25.
Of these 47 families, 30 spent $41.90 for flowers; 21 families
spent $92.50 for shrubs; 12 planted grass at a cost of $21.80. Plant-
ing trees was no small item in the cost of yard improvements made
by 24 families. Of this number, 16 families spent $213.50 for fruit
trees. The largest single amount spent for fruit trees by one person
was $80, but the cost ranged from $3 to $80. Pecan trees which cost
$13 were planted by 4 families, and shade trees which cost from
nothing to $20 were planted by four (one planting a cork tree given
by the government as an expeirment). In all, $248.50 was spent for
new trees either for home improvement, to furnish food for the
family or to bring in an income later. Trees were planted by 9
farmers, 5 families in the retail business group, 4 families in the
clerical and semi-skilled group, 3 families in the professional group,
and 1 family in the unskilled group.
Of the total number improving the grounds, 6 families put down
concrete walks at a, cost of $78 ; 5 made an outdoor living room at
a cost of $5S, and 4 made a service area at a cost of $7; 3 families
terraced the yard at a cost of $69, and 2 put in a drainage system at
a cost of $100; 1 family built a barbecue pit at a cost of $12.50; and
another put up two spotlights which amounted to $30, so that the
family might play games at night.
In response to the question, "Did you attempt to landscape the
yard?" 57 per cent answered "yes" and 43 per cent answered "no."
Less landscaping was done by the low income groups than by those
of the higher brackets ; however, in no group did all of the members
attempt some organized method of planting the home grounds.
Who Did the Work on Home Improvements?
Although hired help was employed in many instances, particular-
ly for the more highly skilled kinds of work, family members did a
great deal of the work required to make these home improvements.
Nearly three- fourths of the 31 families who remodeled their homes
employed hired labor; but in 3 families the husband and wife did
all the work; in another the husband did all the work; and in still
another, all of the work was done by a combination of the family
members. Of the 76 families who repaired their homes, 43 hired
all the work done. In 10 of the homes most of the work was done
by the combined efforts of the husband, wife and children with a
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 43
small amount of hired labor where special skills were needed. The
work in 8 of the homes was done as a cooperative job by the hus-
band and wife; the husband did all the work in 8 of the families;
and in 5 homes the mother and children did the work. Of the 47
families, 39 used hired help for a great part in the work done on
the yards, even though some members of the family helped in ev-
ery case. In 8 families no hired help of any kind was used.
Home-Produced Building Material
From their own property 15 families were able to furnish part of
the materials needed for the improvement of their homes. Of these,
4 used homemade lumber; 4 had stone; 3 each had sand and gravel;
and 1 supplied homemade shingles. All of these people, except a
teacher who lived on a farm, were farmers.
Relation of Income and Occupational Status to Amount
Spent on Home Improvements
Examining the data in another way reveals interesting relation-
ships between family income and the amount of improvements
made. Table V shows the amounts spent by each of the different
occupational groups on four different types of housing, and Table
VI shows how these expenditures were made according to the size
of annual income. Tables V and VI should be studied together.
Table VI shows a gradual increase in average expenditure per
family for home improvement as income increases, being respective-
ly $121.37, $122.34, ?131.24, and $152.59 for the four income
classifications. While the largest total outlay, $4281.90, was made
by the middle income groups, $1000 to $1999, more families in this
group improved their homes, making for a smaller average expendi-
ture. It is interesting to note, however, that the families in the high-
est occupational groups have not spent most on home improvements.
The largest average expenditure per farnily made in any occupa-
tional group, except for the one family in the unskilled labor group
and the "homemakers" group, was in the semi-skilled labor group,
being $199.31. One may, therefore, conclude that the amount of ex-
penditures was not greatly influenced by the size of the income.
Difficulties That Prevented Families From Making
Desired lmpro vem ents
Almost three- fourths of the group (80 families) did no remod-
eling. Most of the families who had wished to do so gave more than
one reason. Of this number, 46 mentioned the scarcity of required
44
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
< <
3 3
re <-+
^2
C CD
B g
O
SB
c/> O
£3
CD cd
S3- P
o
< a
£J H .M >
gL r+ 3 ^ o S
o
3 3
ro S3-
o
CL.
o
»
o
O
Si: n>
P 55
Cn h-»
tg
Oo
o
i — <
SO
Cn
VJ
vo
Cn
O
©
CO
8
o
O
CXI
o
vj On
4^ Cn
8 8 8
en
3.
>d
o
Cn
Co
CO
to
CN
3
88
4^
VJ
Co
On
00
On
o
o
8
8
8
Cn
VJ
8
O
f3
On
to
O
Co
o
tO
ON
0o
O
VI
8
00
VI
4i.
4^
to
ho
Co
4^
00
8
8
bo
Cn
Ln
O
Cn
O
Cn
O
Cn
O
Cn
VJ
VJ
8
8
00
Cn
to
Cn
to
to
Cn
ON
VJ
VJ
8
©
§
©
8
s
2
o
Cn
O
8
©
O
v©
VI
§8
Co
Cn
to
8
Co
Co
4^
Co
to
Oo
VI
Cn
to '
Cn
Co
Co
§
to
ft
Co
8
VI
oo
GO
8
8
s
bo
o
s
Cn
O
£
S
to
tO
VI
tO
8
$
Co
Cn
00
Co
■m
4^
Cn
On
8
8
Co
4^
On
Co
Cn
VI
to
to
►_»
i__i
(__»
Ln
0O
to
4*.
On
Co
oo
VI
On
b
b
b
00
b
Co
Oj
no
5"g
o
s
5
3
o
<
?r
g
3
p
crq
3
3
re"
OQ
re
o
p
OQ
3 B
5 5 '"I
i-h ft
P M
crq T3
I 2
S3 W S-
5. x vj
N..X
rt o » «
I ?o
Q g
d
<
CD
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME
45
pj o
►Tj
2 T3 r+
O fD P
O 3 oq
CT*o
0*>
• orq
||
5 3 < < < F s
i— ' to oo
Oo
£ po
^
)0
00
©
to
4^
00
©
OO
8
©
o
8
8
-
IO
On
On
tsj
©
K
4*.
l—l
Oo
to
^i
to
Oo
Oo
to
^i
Oo
5
4>
vj
"Si
*o
00
On
Oo
On
©
oo
00
©
8
8
*s
to
©
VO
K>
VO
t\J
p
On
to
Ol
to
o
4^
ON
"VI
to
Oo
4^
bo
bo
O
o
8
8
8
o
8
©
©
O
-fA
-60
4^
t\J
to
0o
On
On
Cri
to
£
to
On
s
to
O
©
to
4^
I—1
©
Oo
bo
4^
§
8
O
©
©
B
o
8
4^
©
-69
On
to
,_»
8
£
4*.
to
©
o
©
8
1£
to
8 S fe
no
c/i Li
~->5
~ : pj
O r+
ff.5'
o po
2
o
-m
cn
©
©
>
o
-In
c
rt
£
p
<&
g
>
~w
5
vO
o
*o
^O
p+
£
p
-e/>
to
o
8
>
•^
3
o
v£>
vo
*"*
3
m
o
Oo
P
>
3
o
3
o
<;
3
>-t
^
2
C/l
o
r+
^O
O) >-•
CL
>
3
u
o
3
ft
3
p*
2
p
H
o
>
£L
3
Ml
o
3
""*
3<
8 i
0 0
r;
8 9?
3 c
2 o
46 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
materials; 33 could not get the necessary labor; 19 stated that they
did not have the money or preferred to buy war bonds; 16 said they
were doing the necessities only, while 8 felt there were no pressing
needs at present. One interesting reason was given by the home-
maker who was waiting to see what new materials will be on the
market after the war. She is interested in plastics and glass brick.
Although the modernizing improvements were not extensive, the
families gave logical reasons for not accomplishing more. In 31
cases, the families felt that their homes were up-to-date for the
present, while in another 31 cases they said they did not have the
money, 12 of these feeling that other needs were greater. Twenty-
five said they could not get materials, and 20 could not get labor; 5
felt that they should not spend their money in this way in wartime;
and 10 did not answer the question.
Of the 100 women who replied to the question about repairing,
44 said they were unable to get labor; 40 could not get the mater-
ials; 37 did not have the money, or did not want to spend it that
way in wartime; 13 said that they had spent just enough to keep the
property up during the emergency; and 9 said their homes were al-
ready in good repair.
When asked why they did not do more to the yards, 52, or 47 per
cent, said they had neither the time to do the work themselves nor
the money to pay the high wages to have it done. Even though they
were willing to pay for it, 35 could not get the labor. A smaller
number, 11, said they could not get materials; 7 felt they had done
enough as they wanted the grounds simple.
Effect of Renting on Home Improvement
The 19 families who are renters gave this fact as a reason for not
modernizing or making needed repairs to their homes. Ten other
families have plans to build new homes when the war is over and
so are doing a minimum of work on their old houses now.
After the War Plans
Remodeling Plans
Since people now are living busy lives and often only the essen-
tials can be looked after, the women were asked what they plan to
do to their homes after the war. Following are some of their hous-
ing plans for the future as revealed by their answers to the question.
Of the 65 families who plan to remodel their homes, 16 plan to
remodel the kitchen and another 16 plan to build a new home; 14
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 47
want to add a new bathroom; 11 want to screen their porches; 8
want to build storage or linen closets; 6 in each case want to build
and screen a new porch, or to build other rooms onto their houses;
1 family each plans to build a guest house over the garage or to
make a playroom in the attic or to excavate and build a cement base-
ment, or build a child's play house and workshop, or a garage and
a car porte, or ceil the attic so that it can be used for storage. In 2
cases the family plans to make over one-half of the house into an
apartment for rent.
Modernizing Plans
Modernizing plans for after the war are much like the plans that
have already been stated. They mention 34 items as being greatly
desired: 9 families want to equip bathrooms which are not now us-
able (this includes installing running water and fixtures in 5 cases,
adding running water only in 2 others and installing fixtures in 2
others) ; 6 families want running water in the kitchen; 3 each want
to put in a central heating system, to put in electricity, or to build
new outdoor sanitary facilities; 2 families each expect to insulate
the house, add another bathroom, or buy a new furnace; 1 each ex-
pects to finish up a basement and plaster the walls, to rewire the
whole house and put in a sufficient number of floor plugs, or to dig
a new well and have a pump. These improvements should contrib-
ute a great deal to family comfort and health.
Repairing Plans
When asked about repairing, more families were sure about what
they wanted to do when normal times return than they were about
any other kind of improvement. Suggesting some 166 items, 21
families want something done to the exterior of the house, either
painting the house, painting the wood trim or pointing a brick
house (renew cement between bricks), improvements which they
think the cost of labor prohibits now; 52 want to re-decorate the in-
tenor of the house, 44 wanting to decorate walls, woodwork or
floors, and 8 wanting the entire house fixed over; 10 want new
screens, and 6 need a new roof. Other things such as the replace-
ment of casement windows, Venetian blinds, repairing gutters and
leaks, new outside stairs, and repairing the foundation of the house
were mentioned 3 or 4 times each. Of the 25 families who rent
their houses, 19 have no plans in mind to suggest to the landlord.
Yard Improvement
The plans for the improvement of the yard were not as extensive
as the ones for the house. One-fifth of the total group (22) want
48 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
to improve the yard either by re-landscaping the neglected back
yard or reorganizing the whole setting. About the same number
were not quite as ambitious in plans, but they wish to add to the
yard each year until it pleases them. Of those who plan improve-
ments, 7 families want new walks and driveways, 6 wish to replace
shrubs they have with more desirable ones, and 4 intend to have an
outdoor living room. Others want to fence the back yard, put in a
drainage system, build a trellis for flowers, plant flowers other than
perennials, and build a barbecue pit.
The Value to the Family of Improvements Made or Planned
Value of Improving the Yard
There were over 100 different items mentioned in response to the
question about the value to the family of having a beautiful yard.
These responses were tabulated under three headings: value to the
small child, value to youth, and value to the parents. People par-
ticularly wanted a yard as a playground for little children.
A well-planned yard is especially appreciated for its part in keep-
ing older children at home and as a source of home interest for the
boys. The following remarks were made time and again: "A well-
planned yard will keep the older and teen-age children satisfied at
home so that they can enjoy the family." "Yard furniture and cro-
quet sets induce young people to stay at home." "Barbecue pits and
outdoor living rooms suggest parties and cooking supper in the open,
activities which appeal to young folks." "A place with facilities for
games like badminton, basketball, croquet and baseball, and with
a spotlight for night playing draws the young people and our child-
ren and their friends find fun at home." "When the family can plan
together how to beautify the yard, they give the boys a chance to
contribute to the upkeep of the home and to develop a feeling that
it belongs to them."
The parents feel that the yard gives them a restful retreat in
which to spend summer evenings together. Some in learning to root
shrubbery and grow flowers have developed a pleasant avocation.
Many of the older people have a feeling of civic responsibility as
shown in such expressions as the following made in one way or an-
other by one-third of the group: "A beautiful lawn, shrubs and
flowers build morale, give personal satisfaction, add attractiveness
to the home and furnish a beauty spot for the community to enjoy
and be proud of."
When asked for a human interest story, there were many inter-
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 49
esting responses. One parent said of her yard: "It is a gathering
place for my teen-age sons and their friends and they love to have
parties and cook out, even in the winter. But the pleasure of our
yard does not stop here. My married daughter borrows the yard for
her parties and we enjoy seeing the young married group have fun.
I entertain my church circle and club out here. My husband enjoys
the cool restfulness in the evenings." This parent feels that the work
done to her yard has opened up to her more avenues for family and
community satisfactions than any one thing she has ever done.
Satisfactions Gamed From Improvement Made in the House
About four-fifths of the women made some kind of reply to the
question about the effect of the improvements made to the house
on the family members. The satisfactions mentioned include easier
housekeeping, greater sense of economic security, aesthetic satisfac-
tions, improved family relationships, and pride in an attractive
house, as illustrated in such remarks as these: "Housekeeping is
easier and the home more comfortable," "We all enjoy a clean
house," "It gives the spirit a lift."
Of these 111 homemakers, 44 per cent made some comment about
family relationships, with such remarks as: adding a new screened
porch eased some social problems ; all the family love the house and
help take care of it; the children enjoy having their friends visit
them, for they have pride in the home; it is not such a problem now
to keep the family together; each child decided on the color scheme
and work to be done in his room, and now each feels the pride of
ownership in the home. The sheer pleasure of living in a well-kept
home was expressed by 19 per cent with such remarks as: it is very
vitally stimulating; we are delighted over every improvement we
make; it is an achievement we all enjoy; even the grandchildren
enjoy everything we do; the personal satisfaction far exceeds the
money spent on the improvements.
Summary and Conclusions
From this study of 111 Shelby County families, the following
general conclusions may be drawn:
1. Families range in size from 1 to 12, but the most usual size is
4 — husband, wife and 2 children.
2. Houses range in size from 2 to 11 rooms, but more than half
of these families live in six-room houses.
3. Though 91 families live in homes large enough to provide one
or more rooms per person, 14 families live in homes which do not
50 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
have adequate space. In general the large families are not as ade-
quately housed as the families of fewer members.
4. Three- fourths of these families own their own homes. There
seems to be little relation between economic status and home own-
ership. In no economic group do less than two-thirds of the families
own their homes.
5. Three-fourths of the family heads in the different groups earn
less than $3000 per year. The largest number of families are in the
$1000 to $1999 income group.
6. No family earns less than it did before the war; 55 per cent of
the families have the same income in 1944 that they had in 1940,
and 45 per cent have had increases in income in this period. Income
increases, on the whole, have not been great, averaging about 15
per cent for all except the farm families, whose incomes have in-
creased much more. The increased income for the farm group is due
both to increases in farm prices and to the fact that many farmers
have taken war jobs in addition to their farming.
7. Increase in income does not seem to lead to a greater amount
of home improvement; while 84 per cent of the whole group (ill
families) made some kind of home improvement, only 38 per cent
of the group reporting increased income spent anything extra on
housing. While nearly one-half of these families have more money
to spend than they had before the war, only one-fourth of them
have spent more than formerly on housing.
8. The average expenditure per family for home improvements
in the different income levels shows a gradual but small rise to-
ward the larger income groups, but the difference between the av-
erage amount spent in the lowest and that in the highest income
group is only $30.
9. The total outlay of money for improvements to the home, in-
cluding remodeling, modernizing, repairing and beautifying the
yard, was $14,099.78. The largest amount was spent for repairing,
57 per cent of the total amount being used for this purpose. Re-
modeling cost 23.6 per cent of the total amount spent; moderniz-
ing accounted for 13.5 per cent, and yard improvement 5.7 per cent.
The largest amount spent by any one family was $767; 8 families
spent over $300 each, but more often the cost per family was around
$100. The average expenditure per family was $151.61.
10. The amount of income did affect the type of work done to
improve the home. The lower income groups have made, and wish
to make in the future, the types of improvements that give modern
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 51
conveniences and make living easier, while the higher income groups
already have these conveniences. Groups in the lower levels want to
put in electricity, add running water and necessary fixtures to the
bathroom and kitchen, have more storage space, more privacy for
the family members and better out-door toilet facilities. The higher
income groups want an extra bathroom, central heating system, in-
sulation for the house, rewiring the house to have more outlets, a
guest house built over the garage, a play room and hobby rooms. A
larger percentage of the lower income groups modernized and re-
modeled their homes and a larger percentage of the higher income
groups repaired the homes. While only 42 per cent spent money on
the improvement of the yard, 68 per cent specified that they did
necessary work to keep the grounds presentable. Only one-half of
the families attempted any organized plan of landscaping the yards.
11. The farm families did more modernizing of their homes than
any other group. Fifty per cent improved the sanitation and comfort
of their homes. They did not spend more money per family than
other groups, but more families made improvements. The minor
business and semi-skilled group made almost as many improvements
as the farm group, and they were similar types of improvements.
12. Only 6 families did all 4 types of improvement. Forty-one
per cent did 1 type; 36.5 per cent did 2 types; and 16 per cent did
3 types of improvements.
13. The work of home improvement was done by hired help and
by various combinations of family members. More family help was
used in home repairing and care of the yard, while more hired help
was required for remodeling and modernizing the home.
What these families seek to do is to raise their standards of living,
to give themselves a few comforts they have always wanted, and to
provide wholesome home life for their children.
The types of improvements they have made show the kinds of
things they hold worthwhile and their comments indicate that they
have secured, in large measure, the satisfactions that they sought.
There seems to be no dearth of ideas for better living in Shelby
County.
The homes, we see, provide both tangible and emotional satisfac-
tions. Children's welfare seemed to be of prime importance in all
housing plans. Homes were improved more often for the sake of
family relationships than for the convenience of housework. Fellow-
ship in the home, which teaches its members how to live with others,
seemed to be an outstanding objective. Many women, referring to
52 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
the work done, said that the improvements give the children pride
in the home, that it is no trouble to keep the family at home, and
that the children enjoy keeping the home attractive. Even the grand-
children seemed to enjoy the improvements made. All of these re-
sults seem to show the close relationship between the home and the
personalities developing within it.
Ownership of the home gives the children security. Remodeling
the home gives more space and privacy for its members. Better hy-
gienic measures are a contribution to health. Repairing was done not
only to protect the house but to develop an appreciation for cleanli-
ness, beauty and order, all of which affect personality. The mothers
feel that a beautiful home makes the children happy and proud to
have their friends visit them.
The children enjoy helping in the home or caring for the ward
after improvements are made. Respect for work is built up in child-
ren who share in home jobs. They learn cooperation and develop
maturity of character which is essential to adult success and happi-
ness. A feeling of accomplishment and competency gives them great
satisfaction. Provisions for recreation, which loosens tension and
provides relief from strain, were mentioned numbers of times as one
means of enriching personality. Playing together helps to socialize
the children. Safety measures in the home, which will relieve anxiety
and prevent injury, were recognized by parents who made repairs to
steps, floors, chimneys, graded yards, and built fences. Sharing in
plans for home improvement teaches children to make choices and
helps them to discover what are the lasting pleasures and highest
values of life. In fact, nearly every item of improvement does in
some way affect the physical and emotional growth of the home
members.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 53
CHAPTER 2
HOUSE FURNISHINGS IMPROVEMENTS IN SHELBY
COUNTY HOMES
The Problem
This study was made to determine, if possible, the extent to which
Shelby County families, during the period from December 1941 to
August 1944 — a period in which many families in the county had
more money to spend than formerly — were spending money and ef-
fort on improvements in house furnishings. The investigator sought
to answer the following questions:
What kinds of improvements in house furnishings have been
made in this period ? Did families whose incomes had increased dur-
ing this period tend to make more or different kinds of improve-
ments from those without increases in their incomes ? What reasons
do these people give for the improvements they have made? Do the
reasons differ for families who have had increased incomes and
those who have not?
Collecting the Data
The population studied
Data were collected during the summer of 1944 from 108 fam-
ilies. Included in the study were families representing most of the
occupations of the county — doctors, lawyers, public school teachers,
college professors, merchants, bankers, cafe managers, lumbermen,
contractors, store clerks, bookkeepers, textile workers, barbers, in-
surance agents, farmers, federal, state, and county employees. There
were a few families of widows and of disabled veterans. The larg-
est groups were the farmers and the textile workers.
Families ranged in size from 1 to 14, the most usual being 3-
There were families in each of the main income classifications (up
to $500; $500-$1999; $2000-$2999; $3000 or over), but the ma-
jority of them had incomes around $2000. Sixty-seven (62 per cent)
of the 108 families in the study had had some increase in income
within the period; 41 (38 per cent) had had no change in income,
54 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
and no one in the group reported a decrease in earnings since the
war began.
The questionnaire
Data were secured by means of a check sheet which, in addition
to questions about occupation, size of family, income status, and in-
come change, had questions regarding the improvements in home
furnishings. A preliminary study of home furnishings determined
the items listed on the check sheet. Each room, living room, dining
room, bedroom, kitchen, bath, porch, and the lawn were considered
separately. All items listed received at least one check except tea
wagons, hollow silver, bathroom stools, and porch gliders. The pre-
liminary exploration led the investigator to believe that most home
furnishings were bought for one of four reasons, namely: (1) to
satisfy a long- felt desire; (2) merely to afford a welcome change;
(3) to replace worn-out items; (4) to increase the comfort of the
home. Frequently, homemakers improve the home through their
own ingenuity. This factor was allowed for on the check sheet
through questions on remodeling and repairing of old furniture
and making slip covers or curtains.
Presentation of the Data
Believing that an increase in money tends to influence people to
make purchases not essential to living, comparisons were made of
improvements made by families who had had increased income dur-
ing the period of the study and those who had not. These two
groups are referred to in the following discussion as the A — "in-
creased", and B — "non-increased" groups.
Tables I, II, III, IV, V at the end of this chapter, pp. 60 to 66,
show the results of the investigation and are organized so that com-
parisons may readily be observed.
New furniture purchased
Very little new furniture was bought by these 108 families in the
period between December 1941 and August 1944. (See Table I.)
Items most commonly purchased were chairs, davenports or studio
couches, tables, beds, mattresses and bed springs, and "suites" of
furniture for one or the other rooms of the house. More different
families provided extra "seating space" than any other item of fur-
niture— 41 in all purchased either dining room or living room chairs,
a davenport or studio couch, besides the 23 families who purchased
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 55
a living room, dining room, or bedroom "suite." Tables were next
in importance, 14 families having bought living room tables, and 5
families night tables for the bedroom. Twenty-eight different fam-
ilies bought either a mattress or set of springs or both.
Most of these purchases were made "because additional items
were needed." The next most important reason for making pur-
chases of new furniture was that of "a long- felt desire" or "being
tired of what we have"; whereas the fewest families gave as their
reason, "replacement of worn-out furniture."
By far the greatest number of purchases of new furniture were
made by group A — the group whose income had increased during
the period.
Improving backgrounds
The addition of such items as rugs, draperies, window curtains,
or Venetian blinds is referred to as "improving backgrounds." (See
Table II.) More families made this type of improvement than pur-
chased new furniture. Practically all families did something to the
windows, and almost half purchased a rug for one or more rooms
of the house.
The need for additional items and the replacement of worn-out
items were given in about the same number of cases as reasons for
purchases; while almost no one improved the background because
of "being tired of old things" or having "always wanted" something.
Just as in the case of new furniture purchased, more families
(almost five times as many, in fact) of the increased income group
than those of the non-increased income group made improvements.
Bedding, household linens, dishes and silver
More families purchased new household linens and bedding than
any other item of house furnishings. (See Table III.) New sheets
were purchased by 43 families; pillow cases by 29; blankets, 23;
spreads, 28; and "covers" by 8.
Twice a many families bought sheets and pillow cases to replace
worn-out items as did to add to the numbers they had on hand. All
of the homemakers bought sheets for one or the other of these two
reasons. More than twice as many families in group A, the increased
income group, bought sheets, as in group B, the non-increased in-
come group. The same is true for most bedding items.
As many as 39 families bought new table cloths, while only 16
bought new napkins. This greater demand for table cloths is a bit
56 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
surprising and suggests a number of possible explanations — that
table cloths may be used more and thus wear out more quickly;
that paper napkins, or possibly no napkins, are used to save the
linens and the laundry. The fact that 4 of the table cloths were made
of oilcloth, may account for some of the differences in numbers of
table cloths and napkins purchased. Most of these table cloths (in
25 cases) were bought to replace worn-out items, and 25 of the 39
families buying table cloths were in the increased income group.
Very few families purchased china, glass, or silver during this
period. The desire to add to the numbers already on hand accounted
for most of these purchases by the increased income group, while
the non-increased group bought chiefly for replacements.
Accessories
Purchases of accessories — lamps, pictures, mirrors, vases, and the
like (see Table IV) were made primarily because new items were
needed, although the "long-felt desire" or being "tired of what we
have" figured more conspicuously in this type of purchase than in
any other, accounting for purchases of new items by 10 families.
Of the 38 families who purchased new accessories, 31 were in the
increased income group.
Improvements through remodeling and repairing
In addition to the new furniture purchased, improvements were
made to 105 homes by repairing and remodeling (See Table V).
In 19 homes, slip covers had been made; 8 homes had had some
upholstery work done; 39 homes had painted furniture; 39
homes had made draperies or curtains. (This does not include
the ready-made curtains or draperies purchased. See page 63.) In
the non-increased group, 7 had made slip covers, 4 had furniture
re-upholstered, 14 had furniture painted, and 10 had made curtains
or draperies. In the increased income group, 12 had made new slip
covers; 4 had provided re-upholstery items; 25 had painted furni-
ture, and 29 had made curtains or draperies.
More families in the increased income group made slip covers
than did those in the non-increased group. However, re-upholstery
work was done more frequently by families in the non-increased
income group. More painting and making of curtains was done by
the increased income group than by the other.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 57
Other Interesting Points Revealed by the Study
Living rooms get most attention
A greater variety and larger number of purchases (24 different
items) were made for the living room than for any other room in
the house, although families in the non-increased income group did
much less than the others. New furniture and curtains figured most
in these improvements, the latter chiefly as replacements. This sug-
gests that families take most interest in their living rooms. Possibly
fewer items were needed to make the dining rooms comfortable and
efficient.
Conspicuous consumption is a motive
Why do individuals tire of home furnishings ? Because they were
not satisfied at the time of the purchase? Because their taste has
changed? Because they want what their neighbors own?
Women said new purchases were made because "they were need-
ed," but there was some evidence that the desire to have what their
neighbors owned influenced the kind of purchases made. This in-
fluence was more apparent in purchases for the living room than
for other rooms, perhaps because other people see the living room.
This explanation is suggested by remarks of local retail furniture
dealers who say that people in certain communities and of certain
occupational groups buy one type of furniture, while others select
an entirely different kind. This influence is found in homes where
a large modern bedroom suite and a heavy velour living room suite
are crowded into one room. Such arrangements might indicate that
individuals do not recognize the difference ii> their needs and their
desires. Do they unconsciously hope to advertise their improved fi-
nancial status by the ownership of furniture which gives the ap-
pearance of being costly? There is also the possibility that the
nouses are too small for the number, of people living in them, thus
requiring that living rooms be used also as bedrooms. The manager
of a furniture store whose customers come from the mining and
rural areas stated that he has had the same volume of business since
Pearl Harbor as before, although he cannot get wool rugs, washing
machines, radios, or stoves. He had had one 18th Century style
mahogany veneer bedroom suite on the floor for six months, which
he had not been able to sell, but he had sold ten suites of gum fur-
niture of modernistic design in that time. Both kinds of suites were
the same price. The suite most in demand was made in a large mod-
58 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
ernistic design with very ornate mirrors and pulls on the drawers.
It was popularly called "Bleached maple" and cost over twice as
much as the 18th Century mahogany veneer model. According to
one retail merchant, some of his customers who live in old, poorly-
built houses buy mattresses that are not tufted and without rolled
edges, because a mattress finished in that manner affords hiding
places for bed bugs.
Improvements for the sake of beauty
In improving the beauty of the home, housewives again gave
more attention to the living room. Pictures, mirrors, vases, what-
nots, Venetian blinds, draperies, and rugs were added to the living
room. Only pictures, Venetian blinds, and rugs were added to the
dining room. (See Tables II and IV.) Almost three times as many
pictures and twice as many rugs were added to the living room as
were added to the dining room.
Comfort and convenience
Some of the items purchased that contributed to the comfort and
convenience of the home were circulating heaters, electric refrigera-
tors, hot water tanks, and washing machines. Over 11 per cent of
the families were able to buy electric refrigerators; some reporting
buying second-hand ones, and others pre-Pearl Harbor models.
More families bought pictures, mirrors, and rugs than lamps, but
lamps were added to the living rooms in about 5 per cent of the
homes. They may have been added to improve the appearance of
the room, but they doubtless also improved lighting.
Large amount of improvement made
Some home management specialists in proposed family budgets
allow 2 per cent of the income for house furnishings. On this basis,
a family having a $2,000 income, which was the average for the
group studied, would have $40 a year to spend on house furnish-
ings. Though no attempt was made to determine the amount spent
for the improvements reported in this study, it is apparent, prices
being what they are, that improvements made in the homes have in
many instances cost more than that figure. For example, an accept-
able pair of curtains is likely to cost as least $5. The purchase of
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 59
curtains alone (See Table II) would account for a considerable out-
lay of money. It is rather gratifying to observe that, even during a
war period, when items are not available or are of inferior quality
and construction, people are interested in their homes and make
some attempt to improve them.
Post-War Needs
No attempt was made to determine the plans the families have
for additions to their homes in the post-war period, but a brief ob-
servation of the report shows quite a pent-up demand for linens of
all types. Only 37 per cent of the people purchased sheets; the range
in number of these bought was from 2 to 24. Only 25 per cent of
the homemakers purchased pillow cases; from 2 to 24 pairs were
bought by each of them. There were 38 per cent of the families who
bought towels; 24 per cent bought hand towels; 35 per cent bought
bath cloths. The homes may be sufficiently supplied with these to
last until the war is over, but as they are essentials for homemaking,
many of these will be needed after the war. It is also possible that
a great many sheets are made from feed sacks. One homemaker
said she never bought sheets or pillow cases, but used feed sacks.
She said, "They wear well for working men and growing children,
and if you get pretty spreads for your beds, the house looks nice."
Since only 12 per cent of the families bought mattresses, and 13
per cent bed springs, and such items as these also need occasional
replacements, there should be a demand for these after the war.
Summary
Of the total number of 108 families reporting, 93 families bought
new furnishings for 292 different rooms. Of these, 203 rooms were
improved by the group with increased income, an average of 3
rooms per family; 89 rooms were improved by the group with no
income increase, an average of about 2 rooms per family. In addi-
tion to room improvement, 4 of the 67 families in the increased in-
come group purchased furniture for lawns and 5 for porches, while
1 of the 41 families in the non-increased income group purchased
porch furniture. Many of the families who purchased new furnish-
ings also did remodeling; 3 families with increased income did
nothing but remodeling, while 12 of the 108 families made no im-
provements whatsoever, 11 of these being families with no income
increase.
60
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
>v
PC
PQ
e
*o
<L>
e
>
a
'5
<
en
en
G
O
en
3
03
O
0)
o
PQ
1-8
PQ
PQ
*
C
rt
O
'■+3
5
a
en
cii
<-w
o
(A;
Ph
"-£
rt
t/5
NiO^OrHfO
rHONOlO-Hr-
•-" PO -<1- fO (M CM «-h
CM CM «-h
t^ Tf 00 ON O «-< CM '— • ■"*■
lo tT lO —i CM
»-h t^ rr in ^i
«-» fOrf rr t*3 «— i h
tO N H ,-H _
fMrt^N VO OOrHfH
CO CO tO t-1
Tf ro rf •-1 «— i .-h ,-h
on~
ai.£.2.fa
<u
S.2 2«.«
rt S.JS rt c rt
^5 cu
-, <U C ■£
a! C'rj O
bo
bfl
> wDrtUP«^HfflSu
h .« .O *rt
,0
G
^ O u
•g Sc/imZ^Q
Ph
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME
61
O On NO CM u-> r^
i^OJOO'^ftN^O'-'OmfOO'-'
_ ^ ,-h <\j ro
^ "^ fO t\J (\J
i-H i-H eg cm fi
On OMO «— i ro o
CM On O <M 'O lt) 00 LO «-» t>. —i
fO^--H ^ eo
,_ _<_ CM
rt- ro CM r- 1 fO NO
rHfMrt^H ,-H ,-H CM «-• .-H
•— I «— < CM Tf »— < CM ro r^ CM «— I <r>
fHrtrHtV] ,-H
,-h ,-, ro i-H ,-h CM ^h CM <M
^^Tf
+* Ih -t-> •"•
-j-. .— .— ft
x x a a>
UU>U
i i
tor_
t- i
i rt i <u i i i i i i i
<U 1
i cl> u .£ i i i i i , i i
l-c
a;
rt 1
ibcox; i «« i i i o> «_
a
c
.2
1> 1
c
u o
e
refri
gerat
mac
irons
stove
e
3ve__
ve
stov
Mixe
i { u
' i "?3
ci
rt^^.^2 J So
S
o
o
u
X
>>
*0
c
X
y
Hot p
Electri
Ice re
Washi
Electri
Electri
Gas st
Wood
Coal s
Toaste
Kerose
Electri
as
rt
X
a
u
o
Table.
Swing-
Lawn
£
m
Ph
be
c
rt
bfl
c
^o
c
o
c
_o
m
-t->
a
o
4J
rt
u
Cfl
CA,
03
rt
Cfi
<U
,
>
rt
rt
C
bfi
O
tn
Cfl
V-
_«
<D
a
"a
rt
"-t-H
1>
-o
en
o
cu
(fl
3
5
U
U
.5
<u
co
-C
62 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
The 292 improved rooms were distributed among the families
as follows: in 15 homes, purchases were made for 5 different rooms;
in 24 homes, for 4 rooms each; 24 other homes, for 3 rooms each;
18 homes had made purchases for 2 rooms each; and 13 for 1 room
each.
There was no relation between the number of rooms improved in
a home and the number and value of purchases made.
More families bought household textiles than other items. Curtains
were bought for 68 rooms. As curtains and rugs may be used in
every room in the house, this is probably what one would expect
to find.
The data seem to warrant the conclusion that many families
were enabled by the increase in the family income to make needed
improvements in home furnishings.
The need for replacing worn-out items were the most usual rea-
sons for making improvements in house furnishings. The greatest
amount of interest was taken in making improvements to the living
room.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME
63
.2 °>
c T
£5
2 -a
Q S
I j
•a g
5 3
u
w
J*
u
3
a
bo
a
pq
-a
£ .
3
O
1-4
13.2
II
pq
pa
O i-H ^- fO If)
«0 <T) On »— i <*0
CM (M CM
CM r- 1 i'HfO »— t CM
ltjOvo ^ '— i CM Mh CM
00 00 f^CM
rOCM r-l rH t-h CO r-H
CM CM
bo bio
£ rt
>#
3
° ft'0 -2
PQ
g £ «-
l_ S- o
X £.£
PQ
64
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
h—
HCd
0
o PJ
<
S5
cow
g 5
tg4* -fc. SO 00
Ojoj vO to ►—
Oj 0>> ►—>•£■■ Oj
o si: zi*o ~ 3* q*
rt> o o
a
2 * £*rs - 3
on
S-a
t\)Oo -P> On On t\>
h- i-» ■-» t\) OJ •-- Oj tsi
►- ■»*■ 4^00
tSj(\}_>>-.
NOOOtJi
Oo t\j On vO i— '
C/3
>
5" 2
M-i ^
03 W
" 2
to
r+ 3
o'£L
3
3
>
3 2
rt. ^
re
cu«.
co
a|
V3
#
(I
>
H-
ST
o
O)
Cd
3
rt>
3
tf)
sj
>
0Q°
-5*2
<T> 2
w
-1 c/:
O
3
«© o
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME
65
3?'§!
0*3'
pQfQ
Ps
o -t £ 3 o
2 "» n P 3
n
p
q 3 T3 7T
1 1 i-» Zl w
p o s
3 8
S- 3
1— Oj -&>
oj •— ' ►—» ro Oi >-> oj en ^ m
i\> cxi Caj ►— ro
t\> ►-
Oj \Q •£>■ t\3 ■£> OimooOOnm
►— » OJ I— >
C\> -t^ K) <_n (jiMyo^vjh-
Cd
W
r-f T3
ST »
o"£L
>
< n
2 p
>'
P *..
O
CM
>
CK)
SU
<
rt
c-
3
Cd
3
p
?r
td
66
ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
Table V. Number of Families in Groups A and B Improving Homes by
Repairing and Remodeling Home Furnishings
Totals
Slip covers
Re-upholstery work
Furniture painted
Made drapes or curtains.
12
7
19
4
4
8
25
14
39
29
10
39
105
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 67
CHAPTER 3
SMALL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
Small kitchen equipment is important in the home because of its
evident relationship to the vital problem of food preparation. Prob-
ably no other tasks are performed with greater frequency in the
home than those associated with feeding the family. The success of
this undertaking helps to determine not only the health of the fam-
ily but also some of its subtle relationships which might be grouped
under the term "morale."
Small kitchen equipment has importance in the satisfaction it
gives its user. Individuals may achieve happiness through creative
activity. Even routine tasks have possibilities for creative expression
if emphasis is placed on the processes of doing, that is, the methods
and means of performing the job. Just as a craftsman derives pleas-
ure from the manipulation and care of his tools, so may a housewife
enjoy her cooking utensils. The importance of small kitchen equip-
ment has been further enhanced by many studies indicating that the
use of proper tools in meal preparation results in great savings of
time and energy.
While there have been numerous studies as to the kind of equip-
ment which would be desirable for the homemaker, there have been
few surveys to show the kind and amount of equipment actually
used by homemakers. We do not know to what extent recommenda-
tions of home economists are used nor do we know what practices
of the homemaker differ from laboratory findings. It appears that
kitchen utensils have failed to receive the attention which has been
accorded other labor-saving devices.
Purpose of Survey
It is evident that the war has affected our supply of small kitchen
equipment. One of the first indications of a decrease in civilian sup-
plies in Shelby County was the disappearance of aluminum and
other metal cooking utensils from the stores. Later a variety of
enamel, glass, plastic, and wooden utensils appeared. Many of these
were entirely new to the local homemakers, and their potentialities
were generally not known. The present survey was made in an at-
tempt to answer three questions: What equipment did homemakers
own at the time of the study? How satisfactory was recently pur-
chased equipment? What plans were housewives making for pur-
chasing equipment after the war?
68 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
Collecting information
One hundred and twenty-three housewives assisted in this survey.
Information was obtained from 56 farm families, 51 town families,
and 16 families who are clients of the Farm Security Administra-
tion. A check list of utensils was adapted from several lists of equip-
ment recommended for all types of homes. The equipment was
grouped according to use: utensils for top-of -stove cooking, those
used for oven cooking, those needed in the preparation of food,
and cutlery. Housewives were asked to list the materials from which
the utensils were made and to indicate whether they were purchased
before or since the war began. Spaces were provided for housewives
to register equipment which they owned but which was not listed.
The table found at the end of this chapter tabulates the total
number of utensils found in 123 homes. It does not show the wide
variation in the equipment of individual families. For the most part,
Farm Security clients had fewer pieces than the families in the town
and farm groups. The families in the town and farm groups were
strikingly alike in the number and kind of utensils found in their
homes. In the following descriptions of equipment found in these
groups, the term average refers to the arithmetical average for the
group.
Top-of-stove cooking
In many homes the largest portion of the cooking takes place on
top of the stove. The average number of pieces of top-of-the-stove
equipment in the farm homes was 13 with a range of 5 to 30. A
ten-inch iron skillet, a two-quart saucepan, usually of enamel, and
a coffeepot were found in every home.
With the town group, the range in the number of pieces for cook-
ing on top of the stove was from 2 to 26 with an average of 12
pieces per family. Two-thirds of the families had double boilers and
almost one-half had teapots. Iron skillets were again the most fre-
quently found pieces of equipment. One-quart and two-quart sauce-
pans were found in an equal number of homes. Aluminum pans
were more popular than enameled ones. The family which had only
two pieces of equipment owned a saucepan and a skillet.
The range of equipment for the Farm Security families was 3 to
14 pieces with an average of 7. They had more skillets than other
utensils. They owned 35 skillets. This was a sufficient number to
make an average of over 2 for each family, while the number of
saucepans, kettles, and double boilers averaged only 1 per family.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 69
Three-fourths of the families had coffeemakers, but only one fam-
ily had a teapot.
Oven cooking
Since the oven is used for many different purposes, there was a
wide variety of utensils included in this group, but the total number
was approximately the same as that found for top-of-the-stove
cooking., The range in the number of pieces of the farm group was
from 1 to 34 with an average of 11. The family which had only 1
utensil owned a bread pan. Tin pie pans were the utensils owned by
the largest group of people. About three-fourths of the families had
cake pans, baking pans, or bread pans. The most popular shape for
the cake pan was round with relatively few oblong or square shapes.
Two-thirds of the families had muffin pans, usually of tin. Three-
fifths had casseroles and roasters. The casseroles were most often
glass, and the roasters were most often made of enamel.
One family living in town had only 2 oven utensils; another fam-
ily had 33, but the average was 12 for the group. A few more cus-
tard cups and casseroles were found in this group than in the farm
group There were, however, a smaller number of bread and bak-
ing pans listed. Pie pans and cake pans averaged over one to a fam-
ily, but only 90 per cent of the families had pie tins and 85 per cent
had cake tins.
The number of oven cooking utensils for the Farm Security clients
ranged from 3 to 13 with an average of 8. Four- fifths of them had
pie tins, muffin pans, cake tins, and either* a baking pan or a bread
pan. One-third of the group had casseroles.
Utensils used in preparation
There were wider differences in the number of utensils used in
the preparation of food than in any other group. The range for the
farm group was 9 to 52 pieces with an average of 23. Ninety- five
per cent of these homes had mixing bowls. Two- and three-quart
earthen bowls were the most popular kind. All had salt and pepper
shakers, most of them having more than one set. Likewise can
openers and scissors were found in all of the homes. Ninety per cent
had flour sifters. Most of the equipment listed was found in 50 to
75 per cent of the homes. However, only one-sixth had blenders,
cooling racks, and sets of four measuring cups. One-tenth had ther-
mometers. One-fifth had ladles and only 2 homes had nut choppers
and tea balls.
70 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
Many tools on the market which have specialized functions in
food preparation were not included in the list. The town group lists
31 of these, such as cookie presses, egg slicers, etc. The number of
pieces found in town homes ranged from 2 to 75 with an average
of 29 pieces per family. Every home had a can opener, and some
homes had more than one. They usually were the hand kind, al-
though the wall variety was found in one-fourth of these homes.
The next most frequently found equipment were sifters, rolling
pins, and biscuit cutters. Most of the equipment listed was found in
one-half to three-fourths of the homes. However, pressure cookers,
ice cream freezers, and molds were found in only a third of the
homes. About one- sixth of the homes had blenders, rubber spatulas,
thermometers, nut crackers, and tea balls. About one-fifth or more
had cake coolers and sink strainers. Ten per cent had cream dippers
and butter cutters. All but the lowest income group had strainers;
the three-inch size was the most popular. Rotary beaters were found
twice as often as were wire whisks. The urban group had twice as
many molds as the farm group, while the farm group had more ice
cream freezers.
The range of equipment owned by the Farm Security clients for
meal preparation was from 3 to 24 pieces with an average of 14.
Mixing bowls and flour sifters were found in all homes. All but
one family had a pressure cooker. A combination grater and shred-
der was found in most homes. Fifty per cent of the families had ice
cream freezers, rolling pins, rotary beaters, tea kettles, and can
openers. Sink strainers, wall can openers, nut crackers, cream dip-
pers, cooling racks, molds, and blenders were not found in these
homes.
Cutlery
It has been estimated that a housewife uses a knife 130 times per
day. Probably no other kitchen piece excels the knife in usability.
The range in the number of pieces of cutlery owned by the farm
group was 2 to 45 with an average of 17 pieces. Many families had
2 or 3 paring knives, but one-tenth of the group did not have a
knife with a blade shorter than ten inches. Almost all had table-
spoons and teaspoons for cooking. Two-thirds of the families had
measuring spoons. Seventy-five per cent had long forks; but less
than one-third had apple corers, spatulas, potato peelers, and grape-
fruit knives.
Every town family had a paring knife. Seventy-five per cent had
long forks and measuring spoons. All had some kind of kitchen
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME 71
knives and forks, but one-tenth of the families had no knife with a
blade smaller than eight inches, although many families had two or
three small ones. Forty per cent had large spoons, either wooden or
metal. The range of the number of pieces owned by individual fam-
ilies was from 2 to 45 with an average of 24. About two-thirds of
the families had measuring spoon sets while only one-fourth had
spatulas.
Relation of size of family to number of utensils owned
The number of individuals found in each of the families studied
varied from 2 to 12, but families of 4 members were most frequently
found. Several of the homemakers had all the equipment listed but
did not always have all sizes of mixing bowls and casseroles. But,
on the other hand, they often had more than one of some of the
utensils. There was no relationship between the number and kind
of cooking utensils owned and the size of the family. The largest
collections of cooking utensils were sometimes found in a small
family group. The housewife with the largest number of pieces
cooked for a family of three. She was the wife of a businessman
and had two kitchens in her home; one was used for meal prepara-
tion and the other for special jobs such as food preparation, sausage
making, and special baking. The family having the smallest num-
ber was also a town family of three, which owned one iron kettle,
one enameled pan, one skillet, one coffeemaker, one baking pan,
one flour sifter, one can opener, a pair of scissors, two paring
knives, an eight-inch knife, two case knives and forks, and an eigh-
teen-inch fork.
Desirability of new materials !
A very small percentage of equipment found in this survey has
been purchased since the war. About 98 per cent was of pre-war
origin. Therefore, the housewives' experience with plastic and other
substitute materials was limited to very few pieces. Among the com-
plaints offered were that plastic spoons, graters, etc., would not
stand hot water, and that ceramic ware was slow and cumbersome
for cooking. They thought that glass has many desirable features
such as cleanliness and visibility of product, but breakage was high
from various causes. Several complained that recently purchased
enamel ware chipped readily.
Prospective purchases
As to prospective purchases after the war, the majority of the
housewives were satisfied with their present equipment and were
72 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
not contemplating many purchases after the end of the war. A few
women indicated that they would buy additional aluminum uten-
sils when the war is over. One woman stated that she would like an
"all-glass" kitchen. Kitchen equipment appears to be durable and
not subject to the whims of sales appeal, which influence many other
household purchases.
Typical equipment
After the equipment which occurred most frequently had been
counted, it was assumed that typical equipment of the housewife in
Shelby County, regardless of the size of her family or of her hus-
band's occupation, would probably be as follows:
Top of stove: Four saucepans — 1-quart, 2-quart, 3-quart, and 4-quart
sizes; a 4-quart kettle; 2 pans— a 1-pint and a 3-pint; a 2^2-quart double
boiler; and 2 skillets — 8 and 10 inches in size; a 6-cup coffeemaker; and a
teapot.
Oven cooking: A 2-quart casserole; 3 custard cups; a 12-inch baking sheet;
a muffin pan; a round cake pan, size 9 inches in diameter; a bread pan; a
baking pan, size 12 by 16 inches; a pie pan; and a roaster 16 inches long.
Preparation: Three mixing bowls — a 1-pint, a 2-quart, and a 4-quart ; a
1-cup measure; a 1-quart sifter; a 12-inch rolling pin; a 1^-inch biscuit cut-
ter; a rotary beater; 2 molds; a hand can opener; a bottle opener; a 3-inch
strainer; a combination grater and shredder; a masher; 2 salt shakers; 2 pep-
per shakers; scissors; and a pan for preparing vegetables.
Cutlery: Three paring knives with a 2j^-inch blade, 4 or 5-inch blade, and
an 8-inch blade; a carving knife; 4 case knives and 4 case forks; and 3 tea-
spoons and 3 tablespoons for cooking.
Implications of the survey
The findings of the survey suggest the following implications
for home economists and homemakers:
1. Considering the wide variation in number and types of kitchen utensils
found in Shelby County homes, it appears that home economists might
well devote some time and energy to a study of basic needs.
2. At present the best guide for selection would be based on those utensils
which are required to prepare, cook, and serve the menus most commonly
prepared in the homes. This plan gives consideration to differences which
may arise in size of families, their interests, and their social activities.
3. The experiences of homemakers on the job may be suggestive to teach-
ers and other homemakers in checking the adequacy of prospective pur-
chases or of a supply already on hand.
4. Home economists have a responsibility for working with manufacturers
and consumers to determine and plan for new types of equipment and
improvements.
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME
73
Utensils Used for Cooking on Top of Stove
Utensils Farm
Saucepans :
1 qt 69
2 qt — 79
3 qt. (with dipping basket) 15
3 qt. (deep) 34
4 qt.— 33
Other size saucepans
Kettles :
A qt 38
6 qt 19
6 qt. (with steamer inset) 11
Other size kettles 3
Pans :
1 pt 24
3 qt 54
Other size pans 10
Double boilers :
2y2 qt 39
4 qt - 15
Other size double boilers 1
Skillets :
10 in. diameter 81
8 in. diameter 65
Other size skillets 11
Cof feemakers :
10 cup 20
6 cup 40
Other size coffeemakers , 10
Teapot . 37
Other utensils 12
Farm Security
Town
11
74
16
58
16
11
23
3
30
1
2
37
2
19
13
4
6
40
6
35
4
3
36
9
4
16
72
18
58
5
18
1
14
8
34
3
10
1
29
14
Utensils Used for Oven Cooking
Utensils Fanr
Casserole :
2 qt 34
\y2 qt 20
Custard cups 131
Baking sheets :
12 in 36
16 in 15
Muffin pans, 8 small or medium cups— 66
Other muffin pans 8
Cake pans :
Round, 9 in. diameter 66
Square, 9 in. x 9 in 11
Oblong, Sl/2 in. x 3y2 in 11
Bread pans, single loaf 41
Pie pans, 9 in. diameter 93
Baking pan, 12 in. x 16 in 34
Roaster, 16 in. long 34
Other utensils 10
Other cake pans
Other roaster pans 4
Farm Security
Town
1
37
3
27
7
149
8
35
5
20
7
59
3
2
9
72
3
19
3
18
8
31
22
75
8
27
30
4
14
5
1
5
74 ALABAMA COLLEGE BULLETIN
Utensils Used in the Preparation of Food
Utensils Farm Farm Security Town
Mixing Bowi :
1 pt 34
\y2 qt 14
1 qt 28
2 qt 36
3 qt 28
4 qt 26
7 qt 6
Wooden chopping bowl 12
1 cup measure 35
Set of four measuring cups 9
1 qt. measure 12
1 qt. sifter 51
Blender 10
12 in. rolling pin 42
\y2 in. biscuit cutter 27
2^4 in. biscuit cutter . 13
Cooling racks, 11 in. x 11 in 11
Rotary beater 45
Small beater 11
Wire whisk 17
Rubber spatula 7
Molds 43
Food grinder 28
Ladle 11
Tea ball 2
Nutcracker 26
Nut chopper 2
Thermometer 55
Pressure cooker 26
Ice cream freezer 22
Tea kettle 33
Hand can opener 61
Wall can opener 10
Juice extractor 29
Bottle opener 35
3 in. strainer 25
6 in. strainer 20
12 in. colander 26
6 in. sieve with roller 6
Combination grater
and shredder 37
Masher 42
Salt shaker 101
Pepper shaker 90
Butter cutter 20
Scissors 67
Cream dipper 7
Pan for preparing vegetables 52
Sink strainer 7
Other utensils 4
33
1
15
3
29
5
35
6
21
1
29
4
3
12
8
39
1
11
1
12
16
44
10
11
45
6
34
1
13
13
11
46
8
5
21
1
8
92
6
28
15
1
9
3
28
4
1
9
15
18
7
14
10
24
11
65
13
1
32
6
41
1
27
4
20
3
23
11
10
42
3
41
14
80
14
79
21
19
62
5
3
48
11
8
31
SHELBY COUNTY IN WARTIME
75
Cutlery
Utensils Farm
Knives :
2y2 in. blade paring knife 55
Slicing knife
4 in. to 5 in. blade 46
8 in. blade 17
8 in. blade chopping knife 11
7 in. blade utility knife 13
Carving knife 20
Grapefruit knife 4
Apple parer and corer 16
Potato parer 8
Case knives 158
Case forks 172
10 in. fork 32
18 in. fork 29
Teaspoons for cooking 140
Tablespoons for cooking 118
Measuring spoon sets 37
Metal periorated spoon, 12 in. long 19
14 in. metal solid bowl spoon 11
10 in. wooden spoon 20
14 in. wooden spoon 8
4 in. spatula 8
14 in. turner 20
Other utensils 2
Farm Security
Town
10
64
2
40
22
12
17
17
1
23
7
1
19
14
34
223
25
235
2
21
30
11
186
8
160
10
36
18
4
10
2
21
8
1
12
4
31
1
13
?%/-*
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11