A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina (The Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts)

A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina (The Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts) Review

Central North Carolina boasts a rich and varied architectural landscape--from the early plantation houses and farms of its northeastern reaches, to the red brick textile mills and tobacco factories that line railroads across the region, to the glamorous New South skyscrapers of downtown Charlotte.

This richly illustrated guide offers a fascinating look at the Piedmont's historic architecture, covering more than 2,000 sites in 34 counties. Highlights include cabins and stone houses dating to the region's early settlement; mill villages and main streets that depict its subsequent industrial and agricultural growth; and twentieth-century landmarks such as Durham's Duke University and Winston-Salem's Wachovia Building. As North Carolina faces massive changes in its economy and landscape, residents and travelers alike will value this unparalleled portrait of an American region, which traces its history and culture through its buildings and communities.

A project of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office of the Division of Archives and History, the book reflects more than twenty-five years of fieldwork and research in the agency's statewide architectural survey and National Register of Historic Places programs. Previous volumes cover the eastern and western portions of the state.

A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Deco)

A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Deco) Review

Eastern North Carolina boasts some of the oldest and most distinctive architecture in the state, from colonial churches and antebellum plantation houses to the imperiled lighthouses of the late nineteenth century. The more recent history of this predominantly agricultural region includes landscapes of small farmsteads, country churches, factories, tobacco barns, quiet maritime villages, and market towns. In their guide to this rich and diverse architectural heritage, Catherine Bishir and Michael Southern introduce readers to more than 1,700 buildings in forty-one counties from the coast to Interstate 95. Written for travelers and residents alike, the book emphasizes buildings visible from the road and indicates which sites are open to the public.

Featuring more than 400 photographs and 30 maps, the guide is organized by counties, which are grouped geographically. Sections typically begin with the county seat and work outward with concise entries that treat notable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. The text highlights key architectural features and trends and relates buildings to the local and regional histories they represent.

A project of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office of the Division of Archives and History, the book reflects more than twenty-five years of fieldwork and research in the agency's statewide architectural survey and National Register of Historic Places programs. Two future volumes will cover western and piedmont North Carolina.

Sticks and Stones: Three Centuries of North Carolina Gravemarkers (Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts)

Sticks and Stones: Three Centuries of North Carolina Gravemarkers (Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture and the Decorative Arts) Review

An old graveyard, writes Ruth Little, is a cultural encyclopedia—an invaluable source of insight and information about the families, traditions, and cultural connections that shape a community. But although graveyards and gravemarkers have long been recognized as vital elements of the material culture of New England, they have not received the same attention in the South. Sticks and Stones is the first book to consider the full spectrum of gravemarkers, both plain and fancy, in a southeastern state.

From gravehouses to cedar boards to seashell mounds to tomb-tables to pierced soapstones to homemade concrete headstones, an incredibly rich collection of gravemarker types populates North Carolina's graveyards. Exploring the cultural, economic, and material differences that gave rise to such variation, Little traces three major parallel developments: a tradition of headstones crafted of native materials by country artisans; a series of marble monuments created by metropolitan stonecutters; and a largely twentieth-century legacy of wood and concrete markers made within the African American community.

With more than 230 illustrations, including 120 stunning photographs by Tim Buchman, Sticks and Stones offers an illuminating look at an important facet of North Carolina's cultural heritage.