Mattie Creighton, a lifelong Charlottean, recalls growing up during the Great Depression in Charlotte, North Carolina and working as a young woman during the 1930s and 1940s. Ms. Creighton describes her hardships during the time period including struggling to find employment, not being able to attend college, and experiencing the scarcity of food and clothing. She also talks about what it was like to live in a rural area and how her family had to travel great distances to work and shop. Ms. Creighton discusses her jobs, including working part-time at department stores, at a textile mill and the U.S. Rubber Shell Plant during World War II. Ms. Creighton also gives a detailed account of her grade school education, role in the church, and family achievements.
