Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina, A by Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern; 2003. Hardcover. (CO-NC)

Central North Carolina boasts a rich and varied architectural landscape--from the early plantation houses and farms of its northeastern reaches, to the red brick textile mills and tobacco factories that line railroads across the region, to the glamorous New South skyscrapers of downtown Charlotte.

This richly illustrated guide offers a look at the Piedmont's historic architecture, covering more than 2,000 sites in 34 counties. Highlights include cabins and stone houses dating to the region's early settlement; mill villages and main streets that depict its subsequent industrial and agricultural growth; and twentieth-century landmarks such as Durham's Duke University and Winston-Salem's Reynolds Building.

As North Carolina faces massive changes in its economy and landscape, residents and travelers alike will value this portrait of an American region, which traces its history and culture through its buildings and communities. A project of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office of the Division of Archives and History, this book completes a three-volume series. Previous volumes cover the eastern and western portions of the state.