Blackbeard the Pirate. Thomas Wolfe. Tobacco king Washington Duke. President James K. Polk. Joseph E. Johnston and William T. Sherman together in the same room. You never know whom you might meet at North Carolina's state historic sites. Or what you might find. Town Creek Indian Mound was formerly a popular site among souvenir hunters in search of Native American artifacts. The area around Reed Gold Mine once yielded nuggets as large as 28 pounds. The 22 sites featured in this book cover the entire breadth of Tar Heel history. Visitors interested in colonial and Revolutionary War days might like Historic Halifax, Brunswick Town, Alamance Battleground, and the House in the Horseshoe. Those who prefer Civil War history will enjoy Bentonville Battleground, the CSS Neuse Memorial, and once-mighty Fort Fisher. Those who would make the acquaintance of noteworthy sons and daughters couldn't do better than the Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace and the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Memorial. A family favorite is the North Carolina Transportation Museum, where guests can take a train ride, visit a roundhouse and a turntable, and see exhibits of classic cars, locomotives, and cabooses. The only comprehensive guide to North Carolina's state historic sites, this book tells the story behind each site, provides visitor information, and captures each site in photographs.

A graduate of East Carolina University, Gary L. McCullough had his interest in North Carolina history kindled by volunteering as a docent at the Charlotte Museum of History and Hezekiah Alexander Homesite. He works for the Herff Jones Company, a printer of school yearbooks. North Carolina's State Historic Sites is his first book. He lives in Matthews, North Carolina.