Historic Alamance County

An illustrated history of Alamance County, North Carolina pared with histories of the local companies

In this lively two-part narrative, Carole W. Troxler and William M. Vincent place the legacy of Alamance County solidly in the context of regional and national history. Using a broad social scope and the conventional break at 1865, they connect themes and stories across that artificial line. The resulting threads link pre-Civil War divisions with the post-Emancipation violence that made the area the storm center of the state in the 1870s. Thereafter, recovery and renewal depended on leadership, education, and especially labor -- the constant back-and-forth motion of the shuttle across the loom and its parallel, the plow along the furrow.Shuttle & Plow spans more than three centuries, twice the age of the county carved from western Orange County in 1849. The greater Alamance story includes cultural changes over time, including religious dynamics that came to distinguish much of Southern life. Economic currents begin with deerskin trade and the impact that Native American trading paths had on where new arrivals settled. Methods of farming and home manufacturing are explored, along with the functions of crossroads trading and manufacturing centers before the coming of the railroad. After the Civil War, transitions to wage labor and commercial farming reinforced the rise and domination of textiles. Refinements and adjustments in the textile industry and farming are a major twentieth century theme, along with increasing economic diversity. Changes in labor relations and race relations are important features of the county's social heritage.Shuttle & Plow reveals previously untold stories, many in the words of their actors. Its research grasped longstanding thorns, such as the controversial reputation of a Quaker abolitionist/slave owner and the identity of Wyatt Outlaw. Since the book's 1999 publication, its depth and documentation are encouraging learners and established scholars alike to research further into this microcosm of the American South that is Alamance County. North Carolina Libraries calls the book ?a scholars dream . . . and one of the finest county histories in the nation. . . . Shuttle & Plow sets the standard.' The Alamance County Historical Association is pleased to reissue it for a broader market.

Alamance County, situated in the lush landscape of North Carolina's Piedmont, has played an important role in the state's history, from its early participation in the American Revolution to its continued contributions to North Carolina's growing industrial market. For generations, residents and visitors have enjoyed the pleasant combination of the county's pastoral scenery and the commercial conveniences of Burlington. In this volume of over 200 images, readers will experience their hometowns as never before, viewing Alamance from the late nineteenth century to the 1960s. Alamance County brings to life many of the old ways: scenes of local general stores, where city elders met to discuss the town's political issues and gossip of the day; snapshots of schoolchildren posing proudly in front of their one-room schoolhouses; images of the county's churches and many Victorian homes, their grand facades matched only by the elegance of their interiors; photographs capturing the excitement of Sunday excursions in the country and the commotion of the Centennial Parade down Burlington's crowded Main Street; and pictures and portraits of Alamance County natives--soldiers, merchants, government officials, and everyday citizens.

Remembering Alamance County is a collection of historical stories that takes readers on a delightful journey through the years to meet a variety of interesting people and revisit some of the fascinating events that have helped to shape the story of this beloved county in the Tar Heel State. As history has progressed, so has Alamance County, and its citizens have witnessed scores of changes. Time has seen the county evolve from a quaint railroad community into a major textile center, with horse-drawn buggies giving way to streetcars, which all but disappeared with the advent of automobiles. Readers of this collection can turn back the clock and visit C.F. Pete Neese, the first child born in Burlington; Dr. Floyd Scott, who helped to bring the modern world to his country practice; Tom Zachary, who threw the pitch that put Babe Ruth in the record books and presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson, who rolled through Alamance County on the campaign trail. Some of the stories reflect major events in not only in the county s history, but in the nation s history as well. And tucked between the big names and big to-dos are some little-known tales that have contributed to make Alamance County the place it is today. Remembering Alamance County is a fond look at the history of a unique section of the North Carolina piedmont, sure to please old-timers and newcomers alike."