Scoundrels, Rogues, and Heroes of the Old North State

Surprising stories from across 400 years of history and from the coast to the mountains. These are tales of some of the more "colorful" characters of North Carolina history told by one of the state's premiere historians, Dr. H.G. Jones.
 
Read about the 73-year old NC governor and his 15- year-old bride. Meet "Cyclone Mack" the gambler and bootlegger who became a famed evangelist. Discover where Annie Oakley taught shooting lessons for 7 years and where P.T. Barnum began his first circus. Learn were Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a professional ball player and why Nance Martin was buried seated in a barrel of rum. Join with Anne Bonney and Mary Read, famous women pirates, and persevere with James Iredell Waddell who would not surrender his Confederate ship until he'd steamed and sailed around the world.

Examine the facts and decide for yourself:

• Was Nell Cropsey murdered? 
• Was Frankie Silver wrongly hanged?
• Was the slave an African prince? 
• Was the "Human Fly" a Tar Heel?

These stories are among the 67 true tales about the fascinating and curious folks who claim a North Carolina heritage and who deserve your consideration. Were they scoundrels, rogues, heroes, or something else entirely?

254 pages, 5"x6.5", 10 archival photos

In 2002, Dr. H.G. Jones was honored with the North Carolina Award, the highest honor the state of North Carolina can bestow upon a civilian. He is the curator emeritus of the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill and former director of Archives and History for North Carolina. He wrote one story a week for 17 years from 1969 to 1986 for the Associated Press. They were published weekly in newspapers across the state. It is from that collection that the stories are drawn for Scoundrels, Rogues, and Heroes of the Old North State.