Hurricane Helene: Appalachian History

Greenville History Tours owner John Nolan leads the reader through downtown in a tourist-friendly guide to historic sites, with vintage photographs to illustrate how the city has changed and what original features remain.

Carefully researched and exceptionally written, it is a wonderful companion, both for visitors and for Greenville residents who want to see their hometown in a new light. v Enjoy the thriving, diverse and historic sites in three tours of Greenville's Main Street. v Explore the city's architectural highlights, spanning from early nineteenth-century Charleston-style buildings to a mid-twentieth-century home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. v Discover the dramatically successful downtown revitalization that serves as a model for elected officials and private investors around the country. v Experience some of the South's richest cultural resources by visiting Greenville's collection of museums and galleries.

-- General overview of the picturesque county located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

-- Walking and driving tours through Henderson County s most fascinating historic areas, including Hendersonville, Flat Rock and Fletcher.

-- Images and illustrations of the most important sites, from churches and historic houses to cemeteries and inns.

-- Timeline of key events capturing the historic spirit and heritage of Henderson County.

Written by accomplished historian and author Alexia Jones Helsley and her father, Dr. George Alexander Jones, founder of Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society and director of Henderson County History.

Author and local hunting connoisseur Bob Plott takes readers on a quest back through time for a glimpse into the minds and the rifles of the region's most intrepid hunters.

The age-old struggle of man versus beast has ensued within the rugged terrain of the Great Smoky Mountains since humans first encountered the region centuries ago. From the primitive weaponry and prevailing tactics of the Cherokee to the audacious rifle-toting ridge runners, and even a gruesome gang of cannibalistic rogues, these stories are truly a gripping tribute to mountain life and the adventure of the game.

Journalist and historian Chuck McShane traces the triumphs and troubles of Lake Norman from the region's colonial beginnings to its modern incarnation.

On a muggy September day in 1959, North Carolina governor Luther Hodges set off the first charge of dynamite for the Cowan's Ford Dam project. The dam channeled Catawba River waters into the largest lake in North Carolina: Lake Norman. The project was the culmination of James Buchanan Duke's dream of an electrified South and the beginning of the region's future. Over the years, the area around Lake Norman transformed from a countryside of cornstalks and cattle fields to an elite suburb full of luxurious subdivisions and thirty-five-foot sailboats.

Located in what was considered the "lost provinces," the small school that became Appalachian State University provided a much-needed education for the economically depressed population of western North Carolina.

The regional university that today boasts over 17,000 registered students had its humble beginnings as Watauga Academy in 1899. Blanford Barnard "B.B." Dougherty and his brother Dauphin Disco "D.D." established the school for mountain children in the western North Carolina town of Boone. Dougherty, who remained president of the school for 56 years, envisioned an institution that would eventually serve not only the region but the state. Today, the school's reach extends well beyond North Carolina borders, attracting students and faculty from throughout the Southeast and the rest of the country. This book documents the visual history of Appalachian State, focusing on its varied transformations from a local academy and eventually into a top-ranked university.

Over 100 years ago, George W. Vanderbilt, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Richard Morris joined forces to turn an unsuspecting mountain town into a model village of elegance and prosperity.

More than a century ago, George W. Vanderbilt transformed the sleepy crossroads settlement known as Best, or Asheville Junction, on the Swannanoa River into an idyllic model village near the entrance to his vast Biltmore Estate near Asheville. The initial concepts and design for Biltmore Village were the collaborative efforts of Vanderbilt, architect Richard Morris Hunt, and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The finished village included more than 40 residences, a business district, a church, a school, and a hospital. It was centrally located among the developing towns of Victoria, Kenilworth, South Biltmore, and later Biltmore Forest. It characterized the elegance and prosperity of the building booms that flourished in the south Asheville area before and after both world wars.

This history of industry and energy development around Mooresville, North Carolina tells the story of the early use of harnessing hydropower for the textile industry, and resulted in the creation of Lake Norman.

The year 1957 brought change to Mooresville and southern Iredell County, and that change arrived in trucks. Big white ones flashed the logo of Burlington Industries, the new owners of the Mooresville Cotton Mills. Bright yellow ones from the Duke Power Company brought earth-moving machines to clear the Catawba River bottomland. That project, envisioned by James Buchanan Duke, Dr. Gill Wylie, and William States Lee Jr., had the end goal of harnessing the energy of the Catawba River to provide electricity for the textile industry in the Carolinas. Duke Power's plan for Cowans Ford Lake was the last piece of the network of hydroelectric stations, and the result was beautiful Lake Norman.

Join author and educator Evelyn Scales Thompson, Ph.D. as she recounts the rich history of the black communities in and around Surry County, North Carolina

From slavery in the 1800s to freedom in the 1950s, Black America Series: Around Surry County traces the footsteps of African Americans through their transition from house servants and field hands to landowners, farmers, and successful small business proprietors. This detailed pictorial history celebrates and honors the strong faith, courage, and determination of the Surry County area's black community.

Journey into the Ashe County of yesteryear, a time dominated by horse and buggies, dirt roads, and early farms.

The mountain region of North Carolina possesses an uncommon grace and beauty, a landscape full of breathtaking peaks, lush forests, and winding rivers and creeks. Within this picturesque scenery, pioneering spirits settled in Ashe County and established communities in an environment both enchanting and perilous. Officially formed in 1799, Ashe County stands as one of the High Country's oldest and most intriguing areas. In this volume, containing over 200 black-and-white images, readers will journey into the Ashe County of yesteryear, a time dominated by horse and buggies, dirt roads, and early farms. Starting in the 1870s and stretching into the twentieth century, this stunning visual history allows today's reader to meet the resilient and rugged families that carved towns and communities into this mountainscape, to ride the Virginia Creeper railroad as it carries lumber and other goods to waiting markets, and to stroll along the banks of the historic New River, now recognized as a national Heritage River.

Ashe County Revisited focuses on the distinctive geographical features of Ashe County and how the geography shaped the remarkable pioneers who settled the region. These hardy folk came from the relative security of the Piedmont and valleys of Virginia and North Carolina to a mountainous region dominated by 5,000-foot peaks, fertile bottomland, and vast stretches of timberland and meadowland. They forded the many streams feeding the two forks of the New River and carved roads around and through sheer granite walls. They mined ore from the mountains and felled vast timber resources before replanting the forests and developing new industries. The character of Ashe County reflects how these pioneers learned to live with the demands of the harsh mountainous environment. The residents of the county and their myriad accomplishments are celebrated once again in a stunning visual history.

Authors Sue Greenberg and Jan Kahn once again delve into Asheville's rich past. This new companion to the acclaimed Asheville: Volume I resumes our look at this colorful city in the mountains.

In its early days, Asheville quickly developed into a resort getaway for those seeking fresh air and high society during the late 1800s. This intriguing book continues our journey, this time taking us from the end of World War I to the 1960s. The over 200 rare postcards presented here show how Asheville emerged from a period of hard times brought on by a great flood and a country at war. Once World War I ended, a feeling of newfound freedom overtook Asheville's citizens and the fast tempo of the earlier days soon resumed. Asheville once again became a destination for travelers--this time the automobile brought sightseers to the mountains and many new roadside motels and restaurants thrived.

This visual history containing over 200 vintage postcards relives major events in Asheville's past--from the coming of the railroad to America's entry into World War I.

In this time of unprecedented growth, the coming of the railroad in 1850 made Asheville accessible to those searching for clean air and the peaceful beauty of the mountains. Combined with an emphasis on cultural and social life, the area's fresh mountain living proved to be a healer of body, mind, and soul. Soon after the railroad arrived, Asheville became the home of the first world-renowned resort hotel in the South. Within these pages unfolds a little-known anecdote concerning Col. Frank Coxe and the amazing sweep of real estate owned by his ancestors. We learn how a simple thing such as a misplaced reservation became the catalyst for the building of the fabulous Battery Park Hotel. Readers also see the impact of George W. Vanderbilt, E. W. Grove, and other entrepreneurs who carved their imprint on this city.

Land of the Sky. New Age Mecca. Paris of the South San Francisco of the East. Asheville, North Carolina is all of these things and more!

Throughout the 20th Century, this city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains established itself as an artisan city, chock full of beautiful art deco buildings, and home and retreat for artists such as Thomas Wolfe, Bill Monroe, and Nina Simone. But what made this land so special? Take a journey with author Douglas Stuart McDaniel as he takes a look at the rich history of this beautiful city.

Native American tribes, including Cherokee, Creek, and Shawano, passed through Asheville and Western North Carolina, building towns and villages along the banks of the Swannanoa and French Broad Rivers for more than 1,000 years. The first white settlers arrived in the Swannanoa Valley in October of 1784. After the Civil War, Asheville became a haven for the wealthy elite of Charleston and Philadelphia; as the resort era blossomed, so too did Asheville. Second only to Miami in its treasure trove of Art Deco landmarks, Asheville is an architectural and historical time capsule of national significance. It is a community with a rich heritage and history in the arts, including textiles, pottery, and modernist art.

Today Asheville is at a crossroads; attempting to balance the environmental and natural attractions of the area with commercial development is and will be one of Asheville's greatest challenges. Including archival photographs and rich with information, Asheville is a must have for both residents and visitors to this beautiful city.

Asheville, North Carolina has a long history with beer, one that is still easily seen in this city today, from moonshine to craft beers and breweries.

Drinking local harks back to the founding of Asheville in 1798. Whether it be moonshine or craft beer, the culture of local hooch is deeply ingrained in the mountain dwellers of Western North Carolina. Both residents and visitors alike enjoy Asheville's wealth of breweries, brewpubs, beer festivals and dedicated retailers. That enthusiasm earned the city the coveted Beer City, USA title year after year and prompted West Coast beer giants Sierra Nevada, New Belgium and Oskar Blues to establish production facilities here. Beer writer and educator Anne Fitten Glenn recounts this intoxicating history, from the suds-soaked saloons of ""Hell's Half Acre"" to the region's explosion into a beer Mecca.

Nestled in the heart of North Carolina's share of the Smoky Mountains, Asheville is one of the South's most haunted cities.

The picturesque landscape of this charming mountain destination belies what is in truth a violent, ghoulish past. Asheville has seen its share of horror, ranging from the suicide of the city's financial manager during the throws of the Depression, to hosting a tuberculosis sanitarium, to a night of murderous rampage in 1902. With wit and style, authors Ken Traylor and Delas House use their years of experience as the owners and lead guides for the 'Haunted Ghost Tour of Asheville"" to steer readers on a journey through the city's eeriest sites, from Riverside Cemetery to the Battery Park Hotel. Drawing on an unmatched repertoire of spectral lore, Traylor and House present a variety of ghastly accounts that are both thrilling and chilling. Traylor's personal experience as a guide and interpreter of local ghostlore adds a unique twist to this collection of macabre stories. Through years of research, he has amassed an intriguing collection of the area's haunted tales, and with Asheville Ghosts and Legends he seeks to share the gruesome details of Asheville's wicked past.

Asheville: an architectural gem of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Known for its architectural diversity and intriguing Art Deco style, Asheville has been fortunate in attracting brilliant architects who have created lasting testaments in brick and stone with imaginative foresight and design expertise. Local architectural enthusiast Richard Hansley recounts the history behind dozens of Asheville's most prominent buildings and historical neighborhoods in Asheville's Historic Architecture. Discover how Douglas Ellington, Richard Sharp Smith, James Vester Miller and Tony Lord influenced this busy metropolis, as landmarks like the Jackson Building, the Grove Park Inn and the Art Deco City Building were constructed along the city's thriving streets. These buildings have stood the test of time and remain as breathtaking in concept and appearance today as when first completed.