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Historic Tales of Sylva and Jackson County, North Carolina, American Chronicles,

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Historic Tales of Sylva and Jackson County, North Carolina, American Chronicles, Before the coming of the four-lane, Jackson County was an insular community defined by geography-wedged in between the Great Smokies and Blue Ridge escarpment, bisected by thousands of miles of streams. The people who settled the area tended to be tough as pine knots but also tended to be salt-of-the-earth. This book offers tales of a time of transition in the area, when arguments over whether someone should opt to have an electric wire run to their home weren’t far separated from quibbling over Internet service providers. Inside are tales from logging camps, fields, gardens and lonesome game trails and stories of challenges faced with the unique sense of mountain humor. Local columnist Jim Buchanan tells tales of bear hunts, cool springs and creatures great and small.

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Danvers State Hospital, Massachusetts, Images of America, Paperback

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Danvers State Hospital, Massachusetts, Images of America, Paperback Danvers State Hospital revolutionized mental health care for more than a century, beginning in 1878. Today, it’s buildings still have stories to tell.Perched high on the top of Hathorne Hill in what was once the village of Salem, Danvers State Insane Asylum was, for more than a century, a monument to modern psychiatry and the myriad advances in mental health treatment. From the time it opened its doors in 1878 until they were shuttered for good in 1992, the asylum represented decades of reform, the physical embodiment of the heroic visions of Dorothea Dix and Thomas Story Kirkbride. It would stand abandoned until 2005, when demolition began. Along with a dedicated group of private citizens, the Danvers Historical Society fought to preserve the Kirkbride structure, an effort that would result in the reuse of the administration building and two additional wings. Danvers has earned a unique place in history; the shell of the original Kirkbride building still stands overlooking the town. Though it has been changed drastically, the asylum’s story continues as do efforts to memorialize it.

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Yancey County, North Carolina, Images of America, Paperback

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Yancey County, North Carolina, Images of America, Paperback The biggest meteor shower of the century filled the sky in the winter of 1833, and Yancey County came into being that December.It is a place of fierce independence, astounding natural beauty, and civic pride. Nestled amidst the Black Mountains, the county boasts 19 peaks above 6,000 feet, including Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak in the Eastern United States. Archaeological excavations trace human history in Yancey County as far back as the Paleo-Indian period, 9000 to 10,000 BC, based on regional dates. Families have flourished for many generations along the Cane and Toe Rivers in a mineral-rich land dotted with fresh springs and free-flowing creeks. Named for statesman and orator Bartlett Yancey, the county is characterized by streets and areas with delightful names, such as Barking Dog, Bee Log, and Merry Bear Lane. The citizens are descended from ancestors who fought on both sides of the War between the States. Working the county’s land of plenty has given them ginseng, galax, tobacco, ramps, and a cornucopia of fine foods.

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Watauga County Revisited, North Carolina, Images of America, Paperback

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Watauga County Revisited, North Carolina, Images of America, Paperback Prior to its formation in 1849, Watauga County was a hunting ground for the Cherokee and part of the trail blazed by frontiersman Daniel Boone, for whom the county seat was later named. Primarily settled by whites after the Revolutionary War, many of the county’s earliest families came to the Appalachians from the Piedmont region of North Carolina and, prior to that, from the North–New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. These settlers were mainly of European extraction–English, German, Scottish, Irish, Swiss, and Welsh–along with a smaller African representation. Nestled in the panoramic Blue Ridge Mountains and unimagined by its early agrarian inhabitants, Watauga would become one of North Carolina’s premier tourist destinations and home to Appalachian State University.Primarily settled by whites after the Revolutionary War, many of the county’s earliest families came to the Appalachians from the Piedmont region of North Carolina and, prior to that, from the North–New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. These settlers were mainly of European extraction–English, German, Scottish, Irish, Swiss, and Welsh–along with a smaller African representation. Nestled in the panoramic Blue Ridge Mountains and unimagined by its early agrarian inhabitants, Watauga would become one of North Carolina’s premier tourist destinations and home to Appalachian State University.

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Southport, North Carolina, Images of America, Paperback

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Southport, North Carolina, Images of America, Paperback A fishing village that started its life as Fort Johnston, the town changed its name to Smithville, and then Southport, as it is known today, read the town’s long and watery history.Southport is a small seaside village whose rich history began as early as 1754, when Fort Johnston was built. In 1792, it was incorporated as the town of Smithville, but in 1887, with their busy fishing village growing, the citizens decided to rename it Southport in hopes it would bring a port to their town. Much to their disappointment, however, the port was located in Wilmington. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall, and the storm surge delivered to Southport was the greatest in North Carolina’s recorded history. Like most seaside villages, Southport recovered and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places today. Observing Independence Day since 1795, Southport annually hosts the official North Carolina Fourth of July celebration.

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