For generations, shove poles have helped boaters navigate the shallow waters of Currituck, Albemarle, and Pamlico sounds.
The Many Lives of Vade Mecum
A mineral springs resort in the Sauratown Mountains has seen its share of wild life — from circus animals to wealthy flappers to Episcopalian campers. Now, lionhearted locals are fighting to preserve the property.
Misfortune in the Barringer Gold Mine
A quarter-century before 300,000 gold prospectors headed west in search of their fortunes, a repository near Morrow Mountain produced some of America’s purest ore. Beset by bad luck, the Barringer Mine tells the story of North Carolina’s gold rush and the ways it changed the land.
The 1960s: North Carolina’s First Professional Basketball Team Mounts a Full-Court Press
In 1969, North Carolina bounds onto the national court: Fans across the Piedmont rally to support the state’s first pro basketball team, the Carolina Cougars.
The 1960s: The Great Blizzard of 1960
The decade blows in with a series of winter storms that threaten to incapacitate the High Country. But residents are resilient — and the rest of the state mobilizes to help.
Artist Selma Burke’s 1943 Presidential Portrait Might’ve Inspired Dime Design
In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt sat for a portrait by a young African-American artist from Mooresville. Decades later, historians still want to know whether Selma Burke’s sculpture inspired the image on the dime.
Wilson, 1952: Happy Feet
The 1950s hit song “Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy” by Red Foley inspired Wilson’s shoeshining competition and Curtis Phillips’s smooth moves.
