Title: Watauga County: Images of America
Author: Joe Tennis
Publisher: Bristol Herald Courier
Date: 2/21/10
"Watauga County" focuses on the big draws - the New River, Tweetsie Railroad, Grandfather Mountain and the Blowing Rock.
Yet, perhaps even more curious, are the photos of the 1938 Boone post office, shown under construction, and the Skyline Restaurant, a place lost to a fire in 1952.
As a pictorial history, the book includes photos that span about 100 years.
This is the heart of the North Carolina High Country. And its history is rich - with tales of Native Americans coming to the area, following the paths of the Old Buffalo and Nickajack trails.
Centuries later, the area took on a new identity with the creation of ski resorts, Appalachian State University and upscale residential developments.
Lambeth, a local history buff, contributes a great many photos from his own collection to this book - including shots of the D.B. Doughtery Mill; a postcard of the Appalachian Training School; and a copy of a child's ticket at Tweetsie Railroad.
Donna Akers will be signing copies of her books, including "Watauga County," on March 6, 1-3 p.m., at the Books- a-Million in Kingsport; and on March 13, 1-3 p.m., at the Barnes & Noble of Johnson City, Tenn. Visit http://www.donnaakers.com.
Title: Picturing History
Author: Kathleen McFadden
Publisher: High Country Press
Date: 11/20/2008
If you love old pictures, you'll love the most recent offering in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series: a book devoted to photographs of Watauga County.
The book contains more than 200 images with detailed captions providing context and history and is divided into seven sections: Landscapes, Agriculture, Churches and Schools, Business and Industry, Appalachian State University, Friends and Neighbors, and Recreation and Tourism.
From photos of downtown Boone in 1903 and 1949the town looked a little different in those daysto family portraits of some of Watauga's first families, the book provides a fascinating glimpse into the places and faces of the past. And many of the photos have never been published, having been gathered from personal collections.
One of co-authors of the compilation and its descriptive captions is Donna Gayle Akers, well known locally for her five other books in the Images of America series: Boone, Blowing Rock, Abingdon, Washington County and Washington County Revisited. Akers has also penned Legends, Stories and Ghostly Tales of Abingdon and Washington County, Virginia and Plumb Full of History-A Story of Abingdon, Virginia.
Collaborating with Akers on the book was Brian Lambeth, a 2002 graduate of Appalachian and a Watauga and Ashe County historian. Lambeth operates BooneOnline.com, an online museum that showcases Watauga County history.
Images of America: Watauga County costs $21.99 and available at local retailers, online bookstores and Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or 888-313-2665.