The most comprehensive state project of its kind, the Dictionary provides information on some 4,000 notable North Carolinians whose accomplishments and occasional misdeeds span four centuries. Much of the bibliographic information found in the six volumes has been compiled for the first time. All of the persons included are deceased. They are native North Carolinians, no matter where they made the contributions for which they are noted, or non-natives whose contributions were made in North Carolina.

The 125-year history of Appalachian State University rests on the ambitious yet selfless dream of empowering impoverished mountain families through education. Dauphin Disco Dougherty, his wife Lillie Shull Dougherty, and his bachelor brother, Blanford Barnard Dougherty, founded a small semi-private high school in 1899 at great personal cost and would only be able to sustain its growth to a state teacher's college through their fortitude of character and commitment. Drawing extensively on primary sources, some of which have appeared in no previous book, this history presents the first 30 years of the university's life and background. With over 100 historic images and dozens of first-hand accounts and interviews, the text uncovers forgotten foundations and fascinating personal details of the school's founders, bringing the first 30 years of App State to life.

Delve into the forgotten past of town and university. Well known as a university town, Chapel Hill's rich and fascinating history dates back to the eighteenth century. Learn all about the origins of the 1,200-acre Strowd plantation and its complete transformation into a modern neighborhood. Robert Strowd was vital to the town's prosperity, growth and image. Meet aristocratic slaveholder Hardy Morgan, who grew tobacco in today's Glen Lennox area and wealthy dry goods merchant Jesse Hargrave, whose plantation home stood in today's Greenwood. Learn about Adelaide Walters, who in 1957 became the town's first female alderman, and Harold Foster, the Black high schooler who spearheaded the 1960s fight against segregation. Witness the thirteen-year controversy over fluoridating water and dig into the details of a mysterious case of cyanide poisoning on the UNC campus. Author Brian Burns recounts lesser known tales of Chapel Hill.