By Brandon Hembree
WWII had a significant impact on our country and the communities here in Gwinnett County. Many men from Sugar Hill, Buford and Suwanee left to fight in Europe against the Nazis or in the Pacific against the Japanese. In the Sugar Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, there are nearly forty identified WWII veterans laid to rest out of about 1,500 graves. Significant numbers of our men either volunteered or were drafted. Three Sugar Hill men were killed in active service during WWII. Claud Mitchell Youngblood, a corpsman for the 82nd Airborne, was killed at Normandy; Ralph Stewart Williams, a B17 tail gunner for the Air Force, was shot down over Hanover, Germany; and Ezra Raymond Higgins, a private with the 382nd Infantry, was killed on Leyte Island in the Pacific. Gender roles in our community shifted with so many men overseas, and many patriotic women went into white and blue collar jobs supporting our families left at home or the war effort abroad. “Rosie the Riveter” is a popular image even in modern times. Our greatest generation was not only full of amazing men, but also amazing women. Charlotte Howerton was one of these amazing women.
Charlotte was born in 1916 in what is now Sugar Hill in her family’s home on Level Creek Road. Today, the Shelley-Howerton House is owned and being renovated by Margaret and Brian Neal. The home is easy to find because there is now a historical marker that provides a brief narrative of the home’s history. Built in the 1860s, the home was bought by Charlotte’s gold mining grandfather, William Shelley, in 1883. It is the oldest surviving house in Sugar Hill and a real treasure for the community. Charlotte wrote a book about the house called “The House on Level Creek Road”. It is a great read that can be checked out at the Buford-Sugar Hill Library and provides glimpses about her life in Sugar Hill up until modern times.
The Depression lingered longer in Georgia and the South than anywhere else in the United States and times were very difficult for the rural communities in Gwinnett County. Just before WWII, Charlotte left home and went to Detroit, Michigan to find work and actually sent money back home to her family. She was a progressive and strong woman even in her early years. WWII would be no different for Charlotte. At the very beginning of the conflict, she joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) as a supply officer and served on several bases in the United States. The WAC was the women’s branch of the United States Army first put into active duty in 1943. The history of this auxiliary unit is amazing. WACs, like Charlotte, were the first women other than nurses to serve in the Army. She was an early enlister in the program and would later serve in promotional photos used to recruit more WAC volunteers. Every man and woman was needed to win the war effort.
Charlotte lived an extraordinary life after WWII. She married, resided in Texas for a while, and eventually moved back to Sugar Hill into the family home place on Level Creek Road. Charlotte traveled extensively abroad and in the United States, wrote books, and even painted. As part of Gwinnett County’s bicentennial celebration, her paintings are being displayed in a traveling art exhibition. Charlotte’s works are currently available for viewing at the Pinckneyville Park Community Recreation Center through October 9th. When she passed away in 2015 at the age of 99, her obituary read “Charlotte lived a very full and adventurous life and was an extraordinary woman.”
Sugar Hill has been and is home to many veterans that have served the United States and our community. In addition, the experiences, thoughts, and ideas they brought back to our community have contributed towards the great city we are today. Charlotte was an amazing woman. Her service during WWII opened up a whole new world for Charlotte, her family, and no doubt, Sugar Hill.
