Books for the Postcard Stocking Stuffers in Your Life

From the days of Lumina and the Oceanic Hotel, when doors were never locked and people knew their neighbors, Wrightsville Beach has seen many changes while its spirit has stayed much the same. These images illustrate the people, the events, and the everyday scenes that make up Wrightsville Beach's story.

For much of their shared history, the town and college of Wake Forest seemed inseparable. But after the school move to Winston-Salem in 1956, the town lived on and continued to thrive on its own.

Lake Junaluska boasts a rich history.

This collection of mailable vintage-photograph postcards showcases the history of Kure Beach, which derived its name from a Danish immigrant named Hans Anderson Kure Sr. He began acquiring land in the area in 1891, and by 1900, he had purchased 900 acres just south of Carolina Beach to Fort Fisher. He established the Kure Land and Development Company and in 1913 produced a map of Fort Fisher Sea Beach, which would later become Kure's Beach and eventually Kure Beach. In 1923, the first wooden fishing pier on the Atlantic coast was constructed by Lawrence Kure. DAN PRI, one of the first surfboard companies on the East Coast, was also established at Kure Beach. The area is rich in historical significance—from Verrazzano's discovery to Cape Fear Indians, pirates, lighthouses, the Rocks, the Ethel Dow Chemical Plant, and the community's role in both the Civil War and World War II. Most cherished, though, are the people that loved living a relaxed, peaceful life in their paradise.

Beech Mountain was once a rugged wilderness known only to the Cherokee Indians. Eventually hunters, loggers, moonshiners, and settlers made their marks upon the mountain.

In the 1960s, Tom Brigham, a Birmingham dentist, envisioned a ski resort in the South and chose Beech Mountain as the perfect site. Grover Robbins, a timber man and developer from Blowing Rock, turned Brigham's vision into the Carolina Caribbean Corporation, which developed a four-season resort with the Land of Oz at the top. Initially lots sold faster than roads could be built to reach them, and the overextended company went bankrupt. Property owners rallied to preserve what had been created, and in 1981, the mountain reinvented itself as a charming town and popular resort destination. In addition to a core of permanent residents, it draws thousands of visitors annually for skiing, hiking, spectacular scenery, cool summers, and excellent golf, tennis, and other recreational facilities--and for the special feeling that is Beech Mountain. Enjoy the rich history of Beech Mountain in this collection of 15 historic black-and-white postcards.