o o k 



review 



A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina 



Bishir, Catherine W. and Michael T. Southern. 1996. The University* of North Carolina Press. 



The Coastal Plain of North 

 Carolina holds many treasures in its 

 barrier islands, extensive forests, river 

 bottomlands and agricultural fields. 

 Naturalists, with field guides in hand, 

 observe and identify birds, flowers or 

 butterflies. But a growing population of 

 a different observer scours the Coastal 

 Plain. Like naturalists, these seekers 

 gaze out of car windows and poke 



Bishir and Southern mention at least 

 1,700 buildings and include more than 

 400 photographs and drawings. 



Guides provide clues to identify 

 what you see and suggest where 

 sightings are more likely. The book's 

 strengths lie in clear writing, detailed 

 descriptions and ease of use. It is a 

 standard size, just right to keep in your 

 car or backpack. And like any good 



structures and also do an admirable job 

 abbreviating the historical forces behind 

 the great diversity of Coastal Plain 

 architectural designs. For example, they 

 explain how North Carolina's geo- 

 graphic position between North and 

 South and between temperate and 

 tropical climates was critical to trade 

 between New England and the Carib- 

 bean. They also tell how styles im- 



Billy's Grocery No. 2, Nash County 



Smith Warehouse, Wilson County 



around the edges of fields, whispering 

 and pointing. Their reward is to find 

 North Carolina's architectural treasures. 

 And now A Guide to the Historic 

 Architecture of Eastern North Carolina 

 will speed their quests and focus their 

 searches. 



The authors, Catherine Bishir and 

 Michael Southern, both with the N.C. 

 Division of Archives and History, have 

 written a diverse and extensive guide 

 for explorers with a historical bent. The 

 483-page book has two sections, 

 divided by detailed county road maps. 

 The first section analyzes the historical 

 influences on design and construction. 

 The second section is a 41 -county tour 

 of homes, churches, warehouses, and 

 commercial and government buildings. 

 The authors describe each town in the 

 context of its architecture, complete 

 with references to great shade trees. 



nature field guide, this one encourages 

 wise searching — respect private 

 property and drive safely while looking 

 for specific buildings. 



By the end of a Coastal Plain tour, 

 the enthusiast will be able to answer the 

 following questions. Where are the two 

 octagonal houses designed in the 1850s 

 by New York phrenologist Orson S. 

 Fowler to protect against hurricanes and 

 to induce healthfulness? What is the 

 famous brick design on the Newbold- 

 White House, the oldest brick home in 

 North Carolina? Which lighthouse is 

 the oldest? Where are homes that reflect 

 Italianate detail? Which town harbors 

 one of the state's finest Beaux Arts 

 classical courthouses, designed by a 

 Greensboro architect? How many log 

 tobacco barns can be counted on a drive 

 from Raleigh to Wilmington? 



Bishir and Southern point out these 



ported from these regions influenced 

 architecture here. They describe 

 colonial houses built with traditional 

 New England floor plans and tropical 

 touches such as verandas and deep, cool 

 porches. Later, these early 18th-century 

 homes and municipal buildings were 

 updated to reflect the 19th-century look, 

 and you can note functional as well as 

 decorative additions. Some homes 

 demonstrate more than 200 years of 

 modification. 



The authors also describe the 

 influence of North Carolina's export 

 economy, which was based on natural 

 resources. Huge forests of longleaf pine 

 fed the naval stores and lumber indus- 

 tries. Cypress and other hardwoods 

 from the bottomland swamps provided 

 barrel staves and shingles, which were 

 shipped north and south. This trade 

 encouraged the growth of small coastal 



22 MAY/JUNE J 997 



