The building of Fort Leonard Wood in 1941 created a demand for any available sleeping space. Construction workers often slept in shifts in any available shelter. A sleeping room at the Tourist Hotel was a welcome accomodation.

There were four rooms upstairs prior to WWII but by 1950 there were only two large apartment rooms and a middle kitchen. Of course, all of the rooms were in bad shape.

Beaverboard panels were removed from the ceiling to expose the original beadboard.

A partition was replaced to partition the large apartment into the two original sleeping rooms.

The partition was covered with beadboard that was saved from restoration work done in other rooms, as well as some taken from the adjacent room that would become the Restoration Gallery.

This room showed no signs of wallpaper during this period but paint scraping revealed a light brown paint under the current bright blue paint.

Acquiring appropriate period pieces from the early 1940s proved to be just as interesting as pieces from the 19th century. Authenticity is often in the details, such as this local lumber yard thermometer. The number to call, by the way, is "90".

This partial view of the sleeping room indicates how it might have looked to boarders during the early days of World War II. Construction workers, as well as soldiers, kept the proprietors busy.

For an account of an oral history from an occupant during this era, click here.