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North Carolina holds a special place in the history of moonshine. For more than three centuries, the illicit home-brew was a way of life.

NASCAR emerged from the illegal moonshine tradeas drivers such as Junior Johnson, accustomed to running from the law, moved to the racetrack. A host of colorful characters populated the state's bootlegging arena, like Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, known as the Paul Bunyan of moonshine, and Alvin Sawyer, considered the moonshine king of the Great Dismal Swamp. Some law enforcement played a constant cat-and-mouse game to shut down illegal stills, while some just looked the other way. Authors Frank Stephenson and Barbara Mulder reveal the gritty history of moonshine in the Tar Heel State.

Tales from North Carolina's high country.

The Toe River winds its way past the peaks of Mount Mitchell and into the valley that bears its name. Mineral mines go back to the earliest days of Yancey County and encouraged some of the first settlers to come to the region. Mitchell County's Bakersville experienced violent unrest, with a riot and a lynching, in 1892--but did it actually happen? The section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through Avery County was left incomplete for years because of a property dispute with the owner of Grandfather Mountain. Take a journey along forgotten rail lines, through abandoned communities and past sites whose histories have shaped this valley's story just as the river has shaped its landscape.

North Carolina historian and author Michael C. Hardy explores the hidden historical gems of the region.

Skip down the Yellow Brick Road with author and historian Tim Hollis as you uncover the history of this beloved mountaintop attraction.

In 1966, North Carolina tourism moguls Grover, Harry, and Spencer Robbins began exploring ways to utilize their new ski facilities atop Beech Mountain during the summer. They brought in their associate Jack Pentes to come up with an idea. As a long-time fan of The Wizard of Oz, Pentes planned and developed the Land of Oz theme park, opening in June 1970. The park did not resemble the famous 1939 MGM movie or the Oz as depicted in L. Frank Baum's book. Instead, Pentes interpreted his own vision of Oz, with a comical Wicked Witch and a wizard who did not turn out to be a fake. The Land of Oz closed after its 1980 operating season and was left to deteriorate. Since 1990, however, its remnants have been secured and restored. The property is now available for special events, and a giant Oz celebration takes place each autumn.

The Plott bear hound, a dog originally from Germany and developed in the North Carolina mountains, is known as one of the world's best hunting dog breeds.

Recognized now as one of the premier hunting dogs in America, the Plott bear hound is unique among hunting dog breeds because it descends from Germanic stock rather than the traditional English foxhound. The breed's story began when its original breeder, Johannes Plott, and his brother Enoch left Germany in 1750 with their prized hunting dogs. This trip across the Atlantic began the two-hundred-year journey that would culminate in the North Carolina mountains with the development of what is now arguably the world's finest breed of hunting dog. This fascinating story of the Plott family and the Plott hound is a classic American tale of adventurers and underdogs--a story that Bob Plott, the great-great-great-grandson of Johannes Plott, is uniquely qualified to tell.

From its dubious beginnings as a pirate-filled colony to a popular tourist destination, North Carolina has an amazingly colorful history.

Author and illustrator Ben Fortson presents that history in the form of off-the-wall anecdotes, poignant insights and sublimely silly illustrations. Take a hilarious look at Daniel Boone's larger-than-life Carolina personality. Peruse an uproarious account of the Andrew Jackson birthplace controversy or politically astute commentary on the power of tobacco in the state. Fortson takes readers on a side-splitting and educational ride through the annals of Tar Heel State history.

Newly elected president George Washington set out to visit the new nation aware that he was the singular unifying figure in America.

The journey's finale was the Southern Tour, starting in March 1791. The long and arduous trek from the capital, Philadelphia, passed through seven states and the future Washington, D.C. But the focus was on Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. The president kept a rigorous schedule, enduring rugged roads and hazardous water crossings. His highly anticipated arrival in each destination was celebrated with countless teas, parades, dinners and dances. Author Warren Bingham reveals the history and lore of the most beloved American president and his survey of the newly formed southern United States.

Since the opening of the first permanent railway in 1833, hundreds of railroad companies have operated in North Carolina.

Rail transportation, faster and more efficient than other methods of the era, opened new markets for the products of North Carolina's farms, factories, and mines. Over the years, North Carolina rail companies have ranged in size from well-engineered giants like the Southern Railway to temporary logging railroads like the Hemlock. Cross ties and rails were laid across almost every conceivable terrain: tidal marshes, sand hills, rolling piedmont, and mountain grades. Vulnerable to the turbulent and unregulated economies of the day, few railroad companies escaped reorganizations and receiverships during their corporate lives, often leaving tangled and contradictory histories in their passing.

From the rocky slopes of Kings Mountain to the plains of Hannah's Cowpens, the Carolina backcountry hosted two of the Revolutionary War's most critical battles

On October 7, 1780, the Battle of Kings Mountain utilized guerilla techniques - American Over Mountain Men wearing buckskin and hunting shirts and armed with hunting rifles attacked Loyalist troops from behind trees, resulting in an overwhelming Patriot victory. In January of the next year, the Battle of Cowpens saw a different strategy but a similar outcome: with brilliant military precision, Continental Regulars, dragoons, and Patriot militia executed the war's only successful double envelopment maneuver to defeat the British. Using firsthand accounts and careful analysis of the best classic and modern scholarship on the subject, historian Robert Brown demonstrates how the combination of both battles facilitated the downfall of General Charles Cornwallis and led to the Patriot victory in America.

When early settlers struggled to grow anything at all in North Carolina's sandy soil, tobacco was a boon. The lives of many North Carolinians continue to revolve around the growth cycle of the tobacco plant, from laying-by to cropping and curing. In this collection of nostalgic memories, Yeargin and others reminisce about the frustrations of slugs and tar, the cropping of dew-drenched leaves, the aching beauty of a tobacco bloom and the ultimate connection of man with earth--a connection that is slowly fading with each new generation.

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.

This entertaining seek-and-find alphabet book invites you to explore twenty-six must-see places at Biltmore Estate, offering beautiful photographs, clever rhymes and hidden animals on every page.

Children will discover everything from colorful gardens and underground tunnels to towering rooftops and lively farm animals. Included are fun facts about Biltmore's history in an illustrated glossary and a kid-friendly map for planning your journey. Whether you use this book as a guide for an upcoming visit to Biltmore or as a souvenir to commemorate your stay, a magical adventure awaits you and your family!

In this readable, skillfully researched volume, historian Rita Wehunt-Black rediscovers the rich heritage of Gaston County, from the original European settlements in the eighteenth century to the growth of mill villages in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and into the modern day. Revel in the colonial and Revolutionary War history of what once was known as Old Tryon County--a county of gold mines that dotted the land around Kings Mountain--and of All Healing Springs, first discovered by Native Americans and later used by Victorian spa visitors. Whether you are from Gastonia, Cherryville, Bessemer City, Belmont or any of the other wonderful communities that make up this county, this book will reacquaint you with the place you call home.

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.

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.

In this never-before-assembled collection of lost landmarks, historian Sarah Downing evokes the Outer Banks of yesteryear.

Drawn from the vast collections of the Outer Banks History Center and from locals mourning the forever changed character of the area, these vintage images reflect the hotels, stores, restaurants and bandstands that appeared in the boom time following World War II but have since been lost to progress. An honorary native, Downing has preserved the Pirate's Ball at Nags Head Casino, Doc Watson playing at the Sound Side on Kitty Hawk Bay and grits at the El Gay in this collection of hangouts and haunts of yesterday's summer.