Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: “The Goodliest Land”
A Long and Diverse Coast Line: From the Outer Banks to Down East and Beyond
The Inner Banks, Southern Banks, and the Crystal Coast
Sand: Forever Shifting
The Landscape for The First Flight
Move of the Millennium: Rescuing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Pocosins, Swamps, Quagmires, and Refuges
Chapter 2: Aqua Vita Est, Water is Life
The Shapes of Water: Sounds, Inlets, and Rivers
America’s Intracoastal Waterway: Safe Passage for Mariners
The Gulf Stream: The Great Blue Engine of NC’s Coast
The Atlantic Ocean: Architect and Matriarch of Coastal NC
Chapter 3: The Weather, "Red Sky at Night"
A Weather of Wind and Change
A Fisherman’s Nightmare
Storms Through History in North Carolina
Rating Storms
Hurricanes in the Busy 1950s and 1960s
1970s and 1980s: Relative Quiet
The Active 1990s
A New Century Brings More Storms
Most Recent Storms
Chapter 4 - Shaping a Culture
A Different Way of Life
The Allure of the Ocean
Chapter 5: The Past Shapes the Future
Early Inhabitants: The Coast's First People
Europeans’ First Explorations of the North Carolina Coast
From First Contact to First Colony
Privateers, Pirates, or Pyrates?
Chapter 6: Saving Lives in Dangerous Water
Danger, Destruction, and Death: The Graveyard of the Atlantic
Saving Lives on a Treacherous Coast
Saving Lives with Light: Lighthouse Keepers
Chapter 7: Commerce and Tourism
"Red and White" Commerce: 155 Years and Counting
The “Flipper” Factory
Beach Cottages of Old Nags Head: Unpainted Upper Crust
More Old Houses and Old Money: Wilmington and Beyond
Portsmouth Island: Bugs, Fish, and Heathens
Buffalo City: Good Water, Good Wood, Good Whiskey, Good-Bye
Chapter 8: Planes, Piers, and Boats
More than Sand and Wind: The Bankers’ Connection to the Wright Brothers
The North Carolina Ferry System: Lifeline for Thousands
The Carolina Flare and the Long Tradition of Boatbuilding
Liberty City: Ugly Ducklings and the Mothball Fleet
Piers: Another Legacy Lost
Chapter 9 – Controversy, Conflict, and Water Access
Disputed Lands and Waters
Water Access: Drawing Lines in the Sand
Chapter 10 – Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Recreation Area: The Long (Winding, Confusing, and Difficult) Road from Idea to Reality
Early Concepts and Initial Government Involvement
Establishment of the Park and the First Seashore Commission
World War II-Era Developments
A New Social Contract
The Seashore Park Becomes a Reality
Chapter 11 – Trying to Fish
Bluefish, Bluefin, and the Blues
The Unwinnable Battle for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
North Carolina’s Menhaden: The Unsavory Smell of Success
Chapter 12 – Plovers, Politics, and Plutocrats
Surf Fishers
Little Birds on the Beach
Plover Politics
Mixed Results
Chapter 13 – Legacy of Black North Carolinians on the Coast
The Roanoke Freedman’s Colony
The 1898 Wilmington Coup d’Etat
Black Resorts, Beaches, and New Music
Beaufort’s 21st Century Land Grab
Chapter 14 – To Build or Not to Build
The Saga of the Bonner and Mid-Currituck Bridges
The Megaport Project: Unveil or Unload?
Nutmeg: A Tasty Spice or a Just a Bad Idea?
Rockets, Fuel, Oil, and Gas: Odd Coastal Cousins
Beach “Nourishment”
Chapter 15: On the Horizon
Global Warming and Sea Level Rise
Scientific Initiatives to Measure Sea Level and Coastal Changes
The Horizon
Appendix: NC DOT Maps of the North Carolina Coast
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
