Barracks and Trailers

Before and at the beginning of World War II men began to report for military duty. Military officials knew that their peacetime infrastructure would not be adequate to house all the new troops. To accommodate these incoming troops, thousands of new buildings were built quickly. Standardized plans for military units were developed and used mostly for barracks, but the design could be adjusted for other uses. The buildings were simple enough that skilled workers weren't needed to assemble them. Entire buildings could be raised in a matter of hours. Thousands of small trailers were also needed and built as temporary housing.

After the war many military buildings and trailers were no longer needed. Some were demolished but others were donated to colleges and universities to house returning service men and women who wanted to start or complete their education using their benefits from the GI Bill.  Source: "Temporary Buildings: WWII’s 700 and 800 Series Buildings," nps.gov

Several trailers and barracks were donated to Concord. The trailers were used to house married veterans and other married students and their families.

Eight year old Sam Breeding lived in one of the trailers in the mid-1950s. He and his mother temporarily moved from Bradshaw to Athens during the summer months so she could pursue a bachelor's degree at Concord. One year they extended their stay through the fall semester so his mother could complete her student teaching experience at Athens. Sam attended Athens Elementary School that semester. 

Sam fondly remembers the experience of living in the trailers. He described them as very small. He said they were only 8 feet wide and 35 or 40 feet long. They had rounded ends as was popular in the 1950s. There were two small bedrooms. He said, “I can remember sleeping in one back in the end of the trailer…it was very comfortable for me, a little guy of about 7 or 8 at the time. My bed was a fold away bed but it was very comfortable.”  He said there was a propane stove for cooking and an oil furnace for heat. There was a small refrigerator and a kitchen sink with running water. There was a small kitchen table with chairs. The living room had a television with “rabbit ears,” a small antenna.

The trailers did not have bathrooms. Restrooms and showers for the trailer residents were provided in one of the large barrack style buildings. Sam said, “I remember being happy with this arrangement and enjoyed living in “trailerville,” as it was called.  He also said “it was actually very comfortable and served the housing needs of the students and their families.”

A new complex of modern apartments, “College Courts,” replaced the barracks and trailers in 1958.