A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Western North Carolina

Asheville and Buncombe County has added a new book to its library:

A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Western North Carolina, Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern, Jennifer F. Martin (1999).




From the Preface:

"This book, a guide to historic architecture in Western North Carolina, is the second in a three-volume series that includes a volume on Eastern North Carolina (1996) and a forthcoming [now published] volume on Piedmont North Carolina. The series is part of the educational and outreach program of the State Historic Preservation Office, North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Each book is intended as a field guide and reference for the traveler, resident, student, and preservationist with an interest in North Carolina's historic architecture. Although too large for a coat pocket, it is meant to fit in a knapsack, glove compartment, or bike basket, for it is intended to accompany the traveler and visitor in the field as well as to rest on a bookshelf."
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Publisher's Description:

Winner of a 2004 Award of Merit, American Association for State and Local History (for the series). Winner of a 2003 Special Book Award Recognizing an Outstanding Guide Book Series, Southeast Society of Architectural Historians.

This portable field guide to the historic architecture of western North Carolina covers 1,200 historic buildings in 25 counties in the foothills and mountains. It introduces readers to the region's rich and diverse architectural heritage--from the log farmstead to the opulent mountain retreat, and from ancient earthen mounds of the Cherokee to twentieth-century hydroelectric dams and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Featuring more than 370 photographs and 36 maps, the guide is written for travelers and residents alike. It offers concise entries on notable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities, emphasizing buildings that are visible from the road and indicating sites that are open to the public.

A project of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office of the Division of Archives and History and its western office in Asheville, the book reflects more than twenty-five years of fieldwork and research in the agency's statewide architectural survey and National Register of Historic Places programs. A previous volume covers eastern North Carolina and a future volume will cover the Piedmont region.

About the Authors

Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern, and Jennifer F. Martin are all affiliated with the State Historic Preservation Office. Catherine Bishir is senior architectural historian and survey coordinator and author of North Carolina Architecture. Michael Southern is research historian and, with Catherine Bishir, coauthor of A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina. Jennifer Martin is National Register coordinator. She and Michael Southern were formerly preservation specialists with the Western Office of Archives and History in Asheville.
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Counties Covered: Surry, Wilkes, Alexander, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, Rutherford, Polk, Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Clay, and Cherokee.
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To Purchase: UNC Press
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