When you think of a vintage RV, you probably envision a small trailer or a motorhome with basic amenities. But Shirley Wallace’s RV, a two-story trailer, is anything but typical.
Her modified 1953 Spartan Manor trailer is a true one-of-a-kind creation that journeyed across California as Shirley’s childhood home. Growing up in this RV, Shirley experienced both adventure and innovation, thanks to her father’s unique craftsmanship.
Here is how this vintage RV evolved into a two-story home on wheels, full of memories and history.
The Spartan trailer’s unique transformation
Purchased brand-new in 1953 by the Wallace family, this Spartan Manor RV started as a typical aluminum trailer. However, in 1957, Shirley and her sister outgrew their sleeping arrangements in the living room area, creating a design opportunity for her father, Merrill Williams.
Merrill, a finishing carpenter by trade, solved the problem creatively: he built a second story. Using materials sourced from Spartan Aircraft, he added two additional bedrooms to the trailer. It wasn’t just about extra space—it was also about maintaining mobility.
By keeping the overall height of the now-double-decker trailer at 13 feet 5 inches, Merrill ensured it could easily pass under highway overpasses, making it functional for road travel. This was a remarkable feat of engineering for the time, especially for a home on wheels.
The first slide-out?
Shirley’s father didn’t stop at just adding a second story. He also built what might be one of the first RV “slide-outs.” Back in the 1960s, long before slide-outs became common in modern RV design, Merrill fashioned one to accommodate an organ Shirley’s mom purchased.
With limited space, Merrill built an extension that could be manually pushed out, providing ample room for the organ. The extension would slide back in for the family’s next move.
What it was like growing up in an RV
From the time Shirley was 3 years old until she left for college in 1969, this unique two-story RV was her home. While the idea of growing up in a trailer might seem unusual, for Shirley it was completely normal.
The first floor was basically the original Spartain trailer. But, not original was a stairway to the second floor inside a cleared-out closet in the bedroom.
Shirley and her sister’s bedrooms were upstairs. The ceilings were low, perhaps five feet tall, but fine for the girls when they were young, and more than adequate later when they were too tall to stand up straight.
At home in tight quarters
For many years, the Wallace family traveled up and down the West Coast. Shirley’s father’s work as a carpenter took the family from city to city. They lived in San Diego, Ventura County, and even as far north as Alder Point and Lakeport. Wherever they went, the trailer came with them.
When Shirley left for college and moved into an apartment, adjusting to a typical home with larger rooms and more space was strange. After years of living in the cozy, close quarters of the trailer, she found herself unconsciously recreating that intimacy by keeping her belongings tightly packed around her. The RV had shaped her sense of home and comfort more than she realized.
The trailer’s journey after Shirley moved away
When Shirley moved out, the trailer didn’t just sit idle. Her parents continued to live in it, journeying to different parts of California. It resided on family property in Lakeport until Shirley’s father passed away. Following his death, Shirley took ownership of the RV and moved it to its current location in her back yard in Visalia, California.
RVtravel.com publisher Chuck Woodbury visited Shirley ten years ago and produced a short video of Shirley showing him her trailer. He visited her again two years ago and learned how that original video, which has attracted 1.6 million views, had made her a celebrity in the vintage trailer community.
Watch it here:
