Virginia Case oral history interview, 1996 September 10

Virginia Case discusses her family and life in Gastonia, North Carolina. Originally from Pickens County, South Carolina, she and her husband moved to Gastonia in the mid-1930s. Mrs. Case describes how difficult life was during the Great Depression. She talks about how workers were laid off and could not find employment, and how many people, including her family, lost their homes. Mrs. Case also describes her experiences during World War II, including the privations that residents of Gastonia faced at the time due to rationing of food and household goods, and the fear that she felt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She recounts how she and many other women in Gastonia went to work in the local textile mills and factories during World War II and continued working after the war. When asked about race relations between whites and blacks in Gastonia during the 1930s-1940s and during the 1960s-1970s, Mrs. Case didn't think there were any conflicts or problems. She also touches on general life experiences throughout the interview, including her relatives in South Carolina and development of the built environment in Gastonia over time.