POST TIME: The Norton Museum's famous for a lot of things. But a birth?

Readers: Every once in a while, a loyal reader throws us for a loop.

In mid-September 1945, a hurricane roared through South Florida. It's known most for starting a fire at a World War II blimp base south of Miami that burned it to the ground. The site now is Zoo Miami.

The storm was felt in Palm Beach County as well. It would turn out to do little damage, but officials hadn't taken chances.

Just weeks had passed since the war had ended, and many military men still were in Europe or Asia. Military leaders didn't want the wives and children of those servicemen staying alone in homes, or in the bases' flimsy barracks.

Related: Florida Time: Napoleon Broward was responsible for a so-called environmental catastrophe

That especially was the case with women who were with child. Tradition suggests hurricanes can spark labor, although some doctors have suggested it's the stress, not any changes in the atmosphere, that's most likely responsible.

So everyone went to West Palm Beach, and to the solid building that was the new art museum which had opened in 1941. That's right. The Norton Museum of Art was a storm shelter.

Amazingly, this was news to us until earlier this year, when we got an email from Tim Litch in Boynton Beach.

"There, in the Norton — according to my family's oral history — is where I was born," he wrote. "Unfortunately," he added, "there don't seem to be any souvenir hand-knit baby caps, or wrist bands, or swag bag of initial care products labeled 'from the Norton — a great work of art!'"

Tim got back to us soon after to say he'd learned officials were able to get his mom to St. Mary's Medical Center to deliver Tim there. On top of that, he was born the 17th.

But in the meantime, we'd checked our archives and learned that, while Tim hadn't been born at the Norton, someone had.

"A daughter was born to Lt. and Mrs. Carl Landau at the Norton Art Gallery, where the mother had taken refuge from the storm Saturday night," the Sept. 17 Palm Beach Post reported. "The baby's name: Karen Gale Landau." Note the middle name.

We tracked down who we believe to be Karen, living on the Treasure Coast. She did not return calls.

This story originally published topalmbeachpost.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network via the Florida Wire. The Florida Wire, which runs across digital, print and video platforms, curates and distributes Florida-focused stories. For more Florida stories,visit here, and to support local media throughout the state of Florida, consider subscribing to your local paper.