Books: A Peek Into the Carolinas' past.

While I'm on the subject of history, I'll share a resource I learned of after my last research trip to Charleston.

Narratives of Early Carolina 1650-1708

In authentically-replicated reports and letters written by William Hilton (Hilton Head's namesake), Robert Horne, Francis Yeardley, Robert Sanford, Thomas Ashe, Danie Defoe and more, readers get a glimpse of both North and South Carolina in the days Europeans began exploring their shores.

Encounters with the natives and Spanish are included with description of the landscape, which, at times, is barely recognizable to me as described, so lush and plentiful were the trees and wildlife. The journeys were taken so early in the Carolinas' infancy, which is often referred to as Florida or, in North Carolina's case, South Virginia, the explorers named some landmarks as they traveled. Names that have been lost over time.

While reading, I pressed into the wilderness of NE North Carolina, where the Tuscarora dwelt. Read of the sugar cane that grew thick and tall; of the interactions between explorers and the various tribes, and between the tribes themselves; of the difficulties in finding the mouth of the Cape Fear River and then the trip up the river and its tributaries. Read of encounters English explorers had with the Spanish, and the difficulties they faced due to language barriers. I learned about the North Carolina settlement called Charles Town. New information for me. The town is gone today, and little of it remains, including memories, so I was thrilled when, during our trip to Old Brunswick Town, we passed the historical marker noting the settlement's location down the creek.

And that was within the first four of the eighteen reports included. I'm trying to read them in order, working my way southward to Charles Town (Charleston). However, the collection is divided so one can read one report and then skip around to another, if they so desire.

Below is an excerpt from William Hilton's, "A Relation of a Discovery", written in 1664 after his trip up the Cape Fair (Cape Fear, to my understanding, but those who read nautical terms can correct me):

...we returned, viewing the Land on both sides the River, and found as good tracts of land, dry, well wooded, pleasant and delightful as we have seen any where in the world, with great burthen of Grasse on it, the land being very level, with steep banks on both sides the River, and in some places very high, the woods stor'd with abundance of Deer and Turkies every where; we never going on shoar, but saw of each also Partridges great store, Cranes abundance, Conies, which we saw in several places; we heard several Wolves howling in the woods, and saw where they had torn a Deer in pieces. Also in the River we saw great store of Ducks, Teile, Widgeon, and in the woods great flocks of Parrakeeto's; the Timber that the woods afford for the most part consisting of Oaks of four or five sorts, all differing in leaves, but all bearing Akorns very good: we measured many of the Oaks in several places, which we found to be in bignesse some two, some three, and others almost four fathoms; in height, before you come to boughs or limbs, forty, fifty, sixty foot, and some more, and those Oaks very common in the upper parts of both Rivers; Also a very tall large Tree of great bignesse, which some do call Cyprus, the right name we know not, growing in Swamps.

Likewise Walnut, Birch, Beech, Maple, Ash, Bay, Willough, Alder and Holly; and in the lowermost parts innumerable of Pines, tall and good for boards or masts, growing for the most part in barren sandy ground, but in some places up the River in good ground, being mixed amongst Oaks and other Timber. We saw several Mulberry-trees, multitudes of Grape-Vines, and some Grapes which we did eat of. We found a very large and good tract of Land on the N. W. side of the River, thin of Timber, except here and there a very
great Oak...

Looking at the shores of the Cape Fear today, I never would have known.

Narratives of Early Carolina 1650-1708 is available on Amazon. Most, if not all, reports are now public domain and can be found online, but you have to know the title! I like the book version, though. It's far more portable. If you're a fan of Carolina history, I highly commend this collection.

Books: Two SC Lowcountry Resources

Every time I think I have a solid grasp of places to visit around the Carolinas, I hear about a dozen more, so I'm always searching for field guides with information on unexplored destinations. During the last two trips to South Carolina's Lowcountry, I found the following treasures.

Lowcountry Daytrips: Plantations, Gardens, and a Natural History of the Charleston Region by William P. Baldwin III

After providing an informative introduction on the Lowcountry, the author divides the SC coast from Murrells Inlet to the Savannah River into eleven daytrip tours, using Charleston as the starting point (of course!) Within each tour, Mr Baldwin directs visitors to several points of interest in the area, and includes history, facts, and directions for each location. Some places, such as Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, are well-known. Some I've never heard of, and still others, such as Bushy Park and the Indigo vats near the Cooper River, I wouldn't have thought to visit.

A source of new places to explore and oodles of history made Lowcountry Daytrips a great find, and worth the ten dollars we spent.

George Washington's Guide to the Waccamaw Neck and Georgetown by Sharon Carlisle

A spiral-bound book that guides visitors on the route George Washington took along the Waccamaw Neck during his famous Southern Tour in 1791 sounds a bit cheesy. But in addition to providing blurbs from President Washington's journal—giving readers a glimpse into the early days of South Carolina's history, government, and landscape—Ms. Carlisle points out places newer guides may not include, such as the Wachesaw Landing, where the Waccamaw Indians once hunted and buried their own; Litchfield Plantation; Hobcaw Barony; a one-room schoolhouse; the ruins of Prince Frederick's Church, and more.

Using fantastic detail, Ms. Carlisle shares her knowledge of the history, landscape, legend, and culture along the 30 x 3 mile strip of land south of Myrtle Beach. She even includes photos.

The book was published in 1991, so some information may be a tad out of date—famous Murrells Inlet resident Mickey Spillane is referred to in the present tense—but the book is loaded with history and places to visit. The only thing I don't like about it is the lack of clear directions. However, I now know what to look for.

Both books will go on the Carolina reference shelf with others I've mentioned in the past. For a list, check out my "Guides to Help You Find Your Way" post.

Then and Now: A Cosmic View of NC's Coast

In addition to his waterfall and wildflower books, North Carolina author and photographer, Kevin Adams, has compiled a photo treasure for lovers of all things Carolina. In North Carolina, Then & Now Mr. Adams presents two views of various areas around the Tar Heel State--one from the past and one from the present--by duplicating the location and angle of subjects in numerous old photos. That concept led to the following.

Thanks to my dear husband who read my Christmas list, I recently added The Natural Traveler: Along North Carolina's Coast to my outdoor reference library. It's a fantastic book, one I regret not purchasing earlier this year. I learned more about NC's estuary system from the pages I read than I had in the previous year surfing the net and reading material on my bookshelve. I also learned something that should have been old news--during a 1969 Apollo mission, an astronaut took a picture of North Carolina's coast. Upon reading that nugget, I surfed to Nasa's image library and using their download feature, downloaded the following:


Lake Mattamuskeet is clearly visible just to the left of the center of the photo and above that, the Alligator River and the Albemarle Sound. Knowing hurricanes and other factors have altered the OBX, I wondered how this photo compared to the view today, and then realized I have the ability to find out. Switching to http://www.mappoint.com/, I captured this screenshot:


The angle is a bit different but you can still see the same features. Interestingly, Lake Mattamuskeet is shaped differently, as is the upper curve of the Outer Banks. Zooming in, it's clear a few of the inlets remain the same, but from what it appears (and I could be wrong) the older photo shows more more breaks in the banks.

Viewing the coast from the heavens--and from the past--and comparing it to the present perspective was fascinating. I'll have to add Mr. Adams' North Carolina Then & Now to my library.

I think we're going to need another bookshelf.