North Carolina Books

David Cecelski's A Historian's Coast provides over twenty essays blending history, ecology, and a survey of the coastal past of North Carolina. Explorations of peoples and coastal places are filled with insights and will please North Carolina residents and visitors alike.

I've spent a majority of my life not too far west of Charlotte, North Carolina, but I never really knew much about the big city itself. When I was a kid, we could never manage to get the Charlotte stations to come in perfectly clear with our antenna, but we weren't about to miss Fred Kirby & Uncle Jim, the Gospel Jubilee every Sunday morning, and - for my mother, at least - Betty Feezor's cooking show. Beyond television, I saw Charlotte as an obstacle between home and parts east of the Queen City (Charlotte was named for the wife of King George III). As an adult, I still don't know a lot about the city because Charlotte traffic can be a nightmare, leaving me perfectly happy to cruise through the city on I-85 rather than tackle its busy streets. Nowadays, of course, Charlotte is an important and well-known city, the banking capital of the South, the home of several professional sports teams, and of course the very heart of NASCAR. Clearly, the Queen City has a story to tell, even to those of us born and raised in the North Carolina Piedmont.

In this gorgeous coffee table book, Historic Photos of Charlotte, Ryan L. Sumner takes you through the progression of the city from its humble origins to its modern-day glory, using over two hundred carefully researched, vintage black and white photos (many of them never seen before by anyone but archivists). These vivid snapshots of history offer a fascinating look at the many changes Charlotte has seen over the course of its history - economically, culturally, technologically, etc. You'll see important people and places in Charlotte's history, as well as a number of perspective shots looking down various streets as they evolved over time. Informative captions help place each photograph in its proper historical context.

The book is divided into four main sections. The first one features historical photos from the late nineteenth century, when Charlotte was in its infancy. The city didn't really start booming until the years following the War Between the States, when its location made it a perfect hub for the burgeoning industrialization finally taking root in the South. With financial stalwarts like D.A. Tompkins leading the way, this central stop on the Southern Railway between Washington, D.C. and New Orleans became the center of a booming business in textile manufacturing during the second era covered in this book (roughly 1900-1920). The next historical era, 1920-1950, was one of great ups and downs. Profits from the textile industry led to the creation of large banks (and, because North Carolina was one of the few states allowing for the creation of statewide banks at that time, those that survived the Great Depression helped make Charlotte the prominent banking center that it is today). The advent of the automobile also played a huge part in the city's development. As Model T's and Model A's rolled out of Charlotte-based factories, new businesses were formed to support the nascent auto industry, and streetcars gradually yielded way to buses as the primary means of transportation. Additionally, a number of speed records were set on the 40 degree banks of the original Charlotte Speedway in the mid-1920s. The Great Depression hit Charlotte hard, but the city eventually rebounded, with New Deal programs helping to build such important infrastructure as Charlotte Memorial Hospital. Finally, the book takes a look at Charlotte after 1950.

My personal favorite picture in this collection features a class at the Charlotte Open Air School, with the kids all bundled up in winter coats, toboggans, etc. The caption informs us that this unusual school was an experimental one, intended to test the 1920s belief by some that cold air was beneficial for students. I think we can safely assume that this belief was proven wrong pretty quickly, as these poor kids look like they're freezing to death in the picture.

At over two hundred pages, Historic Photos of Charlotte opens quite a wondrous historical window into the past of this Southern jewel. The book really brings home the incredible pace at which the city has developed, adapting over time to grow stronger every year. Most Charlotteans won't even recognize many of the historical views down prominent streets of yesteryear, while many of the city's most beautiful historic buildings can be seen only here, having fallen victim to fires or wrecking balls over the intervening years. Anyone with a personal interest in Charlotte - especially those who have migrated to the Queen City during the last few decades - or any interest in Southern industrialization and history should find Historic Photos of Charlotte to be a most welcome addition to his/her library or, even more appropriately, coffee table.

Clark's massive compilation of five volumes totaling more than 4,000 pages is the most accurate and comprehensive account of the Old North State's Civil War fighting history.

It is the most detailed history of the many North Carolina regiments and battalions in the numerous Civil War skirmishes and battles.
The regiment and battalion histories are derived from "Unit Historians," field officers, memoirs, diaries, archives, and special collections. There are several hundred portraits included.

Clark's: HISTORIES OF THE SEVERAL REGIMENTS & BATTALIONS FROM NORTH CAROLINA:
Vol. 1: Bethel Regt. __ 16th Regt.
Vol. 2: 17th Regt. __ 42nd Regt.
Vol. 3: 43rd Regt. __ 69th Regt.
Vol. 4: 70th Regt. __ 83rd Regt.
& 1st Bn. __ 16th Bn.
Vol. 5: Battles, Navy, Addenda, Index
IN THE GREAT WAR 1861-1865.

In summary: Is considered the "bible" of each regiment and battalion from North Carolina in the Confederate States Army.

The collection is a "must have" for students, historians, researchers, genealogists, and scholars.

For a less expensive, but very brief alternative of North Carolina in the Civil War, consider: Confederate Military History Of North Carolina: North Carolina In The Civil War, 1861-1865 by D. H. Hill, Jr.

For comprehensive North Carolina American Civil War regimental and battalion rosters (excellent source for genealogy), consider "North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster, by Weymouth T. Jordan and Louis H. Manarin."

Matthew D. Parker

When I discovered I was related to Robert Beverley, I bought this book just to have. It is a wonderful, rich look into early Virginia with special (and favorable) focus on the Native Americans in that area in the early 1700s. I have enjoyed the book, as have my children, on its own merits and not simply because this is an ancestor of mine.

The reason I ordered this book to begin with is that my mother grew up in a small town in Cabarrus County, and several of our relatives continued to live there so that we would visit every few years when I was growing up. As with a lot of smaller communities, the families tended to stay there over time, so many of the names in this listing of Cabarrus County residents in the armed services were familiar to me, and I was able to pick out some relatives, even as far back as the Civil War. The people who put this record together should be applauded, as the research must have been exhaustive. If you don't have some interest in the area, it's probably not a book you would want to read.

More than just a history, this book covers the agriculture, botany, economics, and native Indian history of this North Carolina county. Fascinating read for genealogists and local historians.

I have worked local history in NC and this book is an absolute must for a piedmont NC history student. Clarence W. Griffin was State Historian at one time and he wrote this book studying original sources that are no longer available. He tells of piedmont NC from Colonial days through and after the Civil War. He names names and cites his sources for everything he writes. Old Tryon County covered not only Rutherford but also Cleveland & Lincoln and other counties including a portion of upstate SC. There is a reprint in process throught the Reprint Company of Spartanburg, SC that should be out soon. Read about how the Rutherford County prison came to be called the "Democrat Hotel." Other information you can't miss if you're from this area or are interested about this area of NC.

This history of Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, is the work of professional educator and English professor Roberta D Cornelius. It is a carefully researched, well-documented review of RMWC from its inception through 1950. Obviously, RMWC has changed in the past 50 years, but it is fascinating to read how everything started, from the kernal of a dream, to the battles over developing its identity, to the history of the faculty, staff, and students.

There are some quaint touches we would not see in a current history, such as the use of a husband's name for a married allumna (e.g., Mrs. Ralph Whitesides), but for the most part this is an engaging history of a rigorous, evolving, and challenging program to be a major force in the education of the women of the South. It was interesting to read about the development of the international program, the debate club, and discussion of whether religious activities should be manditory or optional, and more.

Seems like it is time for the next 50 year historical review, especially given the current discussion about RMWC going coed.

Although very limited for potential readers, this small book is thoroughly researched and would be of great interest to members and potential members of Silver Springs Baptist Church.

There are so many good books and articles on the rise of big business in American history, but it is difficult to find fine books on history of small business. A HISTORY OF SMALL BUSINESS IN AMERICA, written by business historian Mansel G. Blackford, is one of such books. This concise book on American history of small business is very good for beginners of this field of study. Blackford skillfully synthesizes recent studies on American small-business history, paying attention to female, immigrant and black entrepreneurs. His insight is not limited within the border of U.S. but compares American business experiences with history of other countries such as Britain, German, France or Japan. This will be a new standard textbook of American business and economic history.