In calling for the region's separation from Mecklenburg County in 1792, John "Pioneer Paul" Barringer set a high-spirited standard for future legendary locals of the nascent Cabarrus County. New communities flourished on the former homesteads of Robert Harris and Paul M. Dayvault, and the county was subsequently transformed by devoted civic leaders such as John Washington Carriker, Jonas Cook, A.L. Brown, J. Carlyle Rutledge, Martha Melvin, and Allen T. and Ella Mae Small. Cabarrus County citizens, like Glenn McDuffie, the famous "kissing soldier" of World War II; Corine Cannon, the first African American woman to work in the textile mills; and Margaret Hagerty, the Guinness World Records-holding senior citizen marathon runner, often tread where others recoil. Kannapolis-born Ralph Earnhardt started a racing dynasty here, while other natives found their fortunes elsewhere, including record producer Marshall Sehorn, NFL superstar Natrone Means, and broadcaster Beth Troutman. Cabarrus County's people have always been its most valuable resource, and their inspirational and exhilarating stories are collected in this keepsake edition.

The area that would soon be known as Concord had barely been settled in May 1771 when nine of its young men courageously orchestrated what many regard as the first colonial attack against the British crown. Their "gunpowder plot" blazed a trail for future legendary locals, from the industrial and philanthropic dynasties of the Cannons and Coltranes to African American vanguards Warren C. Coleman and Mable Parker McLean. With unparalleled passion and, often, Southern sass, Concordians stand up for their beliefs, from Confederate officer Rufus Barringer to crusading newspaperman James P. Cook to bulldozer-defying preservationist Mary Snead Boger. Hometown hero Quincy Collins credits his upbringing for anchoring his sanity while a prisoner of war, and the city's splendor has attracted celebrities like enigmatic screen siren Elizabeth Threatt and The Sound of Music star Daniel Truhitte to settle here. Whether we know them as "Bear," "Mr. Democrat," "Mayor Mac," or "Humpy," they are the favorite sons and daughters of Concord and their stories--from the inspirational to the comical--are collected in this keepsake volume.

Water in North American Environmental History offers 25 cases studies that explore the range of uses and perceptions of water throughout Canadian, Mexican, and United States history. Water has served a myriad of purposes historically as human sustenance, agricultural irrigation, sanitation, fire protection, military defense, power generation, transportation, and much more. Water and its uses provide an excellent entrée into the study of humans and the environment, not only because water is a vital resource for life, but also because water as a medium is so intimately woven into the everyday experiences of humans and into society’s economic, political, and social fabric. A North American perspective is not representative of the world’s water use, but it is an area with a linked history and many overlapping human and environmental features and concerns. With a continental perspective, the book explores many disparate topics without being confined to the history and experiences of just one country. The chapters are short, but descriptive, and departure points for what they tell us about the human experience in dealing with water and the environmental implications of water use. The text leads students to consider water in relation to society, and to the past. The book will be of interest to students of environmental history, geography, and the environmental sciences.

Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler Rediscover the simple pleasures of a day trip with this fun and friendly guide. For local travelers seeking new adventures in their own backyards as well as for vacationers looking to experience all the excitement the area has to offer, each Day Trips® guide offers hundreds of activities to do, sights to see, and secrets to discover within a two- to three-hour drive and a route map for each itinerary. Complete with full trip-planning information including where to go, what to see, where to eat, where to shop as well as where to stay options for those who want to extend their Day Trip into a weekend.

We tend to associate small town economic development with the decline of the rural United States--empty houses, shuttered shops and rusting factories. A common diagnosis of sluggish small town recovery is their lack of lifestyle amenities that attract new residents and businesses. Yet many small towns have shown progress and potential in recent years. This collection of recent articles by experts presents stories of small-town America's struggle and describes innovations and practices behind successful revivals.

Main Street America is kicking up its heels--and you're invited tothe party! Goodbye sprawl-and-mall--hello downtown! Long-neglected towncenters are coming to life once again, and the buzz is back on mainstreets all across the country. Come celebrate their rebirth withthis one-of-a-kind guide to over 700 local festivals and eventsnationwide. From the weird and wacky to the wild and wonderful, thefun starts with Main Street Festivals. Which will you dofirst? Enter a rubber duck race . . . Join a "walk of art" scavenger hunt. . . Find hot-rod heaven . . . Play cow patty bingo . . . See antiques and heirloom displays . . . Discover "bullistic" bull riding . . . Go to a hog slopping contest. . . Eat black dirt cake . . . Hear blues, bluegrass, and brass bands .. . Watch a Little Miss National Peanut Pageant . . . Inside you'll also learn where to find: an onion rodeo, cornstalkshooting, a beautiful baby bagel contest, arts and craftsdemonstrations, the perfect-pierogie cookoff, a slugburger fest,quilting exhibitions, farmer olympics, and more. . . . There'ssomething for everyone in Main Street Festivals.

Skyscrapers. Sports. NASCAR. Nature. Culinary delights.A world-class, can-do city. A crown jewel of the New South. • A personal, practical perspective for travelers and residents alike • Comprehensive listings of attractions, restaurants, and accommodations • How to live & thrive in the area—from recreation to relocation • Countless details on shopping, arts & entertainment, and children’s activities Our insider, Craig Distl, a native of North Carolina and a longtime Charlottean, has been a journalist for the Charlotte Observer, and his articles have also appeared in Charlotte Magazine, Southern Sports Journal, and Golfweek. His writing has received awards from such organizations as the North Carolina Press Association.

A history of the earlier Southern gold rush and its legends that—for the first time—ties it to the well-known California gold rush of 1849. Nancy Roberts tells how it all began in North Carolina, which supplied all the domestic gold coined at the US Mint between 1804 and 1828. She tells the story of the discovery of the gold in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama and later in California and Colorado, including how the Virginia, Carolina and Georgia gold miners abandoned their mines within weeks after news arrived of the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Creek. And, for a while, they were said to be the only experienced miners in the Western gold fields. Ms. Roberts recreates with gusto and suspense the experiences of real people—the adventurers and entrepreneurs, family men and rascals, immigrants and bandits, entertainers and miners—and also includes several tales of the supernatural from the period. There was North Carolina’s flamboyant Walter George Newman, who fleeced the wolves of Wall Street; “Fool Billy,” who South Carolinians discovered was not a fool at all; a romantic specter called Scarlett O’Hara of the Dorn Mine; Georgian Green Russell, with his beard braided like a pirate, who founded Denver; “Free Jim,” the only black man in Dahlonega to own his own gold mine only to leave it for San Francisco; the Grisly Ghost of Gold Hill; a general from North Carolina who became an influential Californian; the ghost bride of Vallecito; and California’s bandit, the enigmatic Black Bart.

This narrative is a chronological history of the first Lutheran institution of higher learning in the state of North Carolina. Although several individual North Carolina Lutheran congregations established their own private academies during the Church’s first 110 years in the state, it was not until 1855 that the North Carolina Lutheran Synod opened its first “high school of a collegiate character”.