Artist Louis Orr’s detailed depictions of North Carolina landmarks are now a mostly forgotten footnote in the history of our state. But those who recognize his timeless style often find it in unexpected places.
Estate Sale Treasures
The promise of finding valuable antiques may drive some to sift through strangers’ left-behind keepsakes. But for others, the payoff is discovering the very personal backstories of everyday objects.
Greetings From Asheville: The Land of the Sky
In the late 1800s, a simple, powerful slogan lured newcomers to the sublime beauty of Buncombe County. More than a century later, the Asheville skyline still beckons.
Queen City Neon
For a Mecklenburg County photographer, a high school project became an adult passion: documenting nostalgic signs and billboards across Charlotte.
Tobacco Roar
In the early 1970s, a fortuitous partnership between one of North Carolina’s iconic industries and a financially strapped NASCAR saved stock car racing and spawned a sports institution.
How the Bull City Got Its Bull
The true story, mixed with local lore, of how Durham became forever linked with its bovine mascot.
Framing the Outer Banks
How Aycock Brown, a charismatic storyteller with an eye for detail, transformed North Carolina’s quiet barrier islands into a national destination, but preserved their local charm.
Destination NC
An advertising campaign in the mid-20th century touted North Carolina as a vacationer’s paradise — no matter what types of destinations and activities travelers sought.
Welcome to North Colalina
Since Pepsi’s invention in a New Bern pharmacy in 1898, independent bottlers across North Carolina have made bottles of the soda collectible points of pride.
