Living at the Water's Edge: A Heritage Guide to the Outer Banks Byway

Southern Gateways Guides

by Barbara Garrity-Blake, Karen Willis Amspacher

The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway received its designation in 2009, an act that stands as a testament to the historical and cultural importance of the communities linked along the North Carolina coast from Whalebone Junction across to Hatteras and Ocracoke Island and down to the small villages of the Core Sound region. This rich heritage guide introduces readers to the places and people that have made the route and the region a national treasure. Welcoming visitors on a journey across sounds and inlets into villages and through two national seashores, Barbara Garrity-Blake and Karen Willis Amspacher share the stories of people who have shaped their lives out of saltwater and sand. The book considers how the Outer Banks residents have stood their ground and maintained a vibrant way of life while adapting to constant change that is fundamental to life where water meets the land.

Heavily illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, Living at the Water's Edge will lead readers to the proverbial porch of the Outer Banks locals, extending a warm welcome to visitors while encouraging them to understand what many never see or hear: the stories, feelings, and meanings that offer a cultural dimension to the byway experience and deepen the visitor's understanding of life on the tideline.

Genres: Travel

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2017

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Having vacationed in the Outer Banks for almost 40 years I loved reading about the history, culture, and people of the area. Knowing how populated and built up many parts are now I was imagining what life was like over the years before bridges, electricity, and growing tourism. It's sad in many ways to see the over development happening and I hope the stories, the links to the past, and the cultures stay strong. I really do love the Outer Banks and this book was so interesting.

[Julie Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome piece of work! Ms. Karen and Ms. Barbara did a great job with this and it has been a joy to read. The stories shared will make you wish you were living in the “old days” so you could experience the type of life people lived, hardships included. I’m from the Down East area described in the book, but there were still some stories in here I hadn’t heard and it was fun learning new things about other areas of the Byway. I can’t imagine the research that went into gathering all the information for this guide. It contains a perfect balance of history, current events, and thoughts for the future. Some passaged will make you sad that so much change has occurred, but reading about the resilience of these communities will make you hopeful for the future.
The way the information is divided up into sections allows one to explore areas of the Byway separately, but also shows the reader many similarities among the small communities. The only thing I disliked is that sometimes the sidebars interfere with the flow of the text so I felt like I had to read two things at once or finish a paragraph and then flip back to read the sidebar on the previous page. Other than that it was perfect and made me feel proud to be from such a beautiful place with so much history to be told. Living at the Water’s Edge should be required reading for all visitors to this area!

[Janet Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen Willis Amspacher is an Eastern North Carolina local whose family has been here for generations. For cultural anthropologist and musician Barbara Garrity-Blake, this area is her adopted home.
Together they have produced a book that will introduce you to their stomping grounds as well as the people who lived, and still live, here. After reading this book, you'll feel that you visited with a bunch of locals and chatted for a spell while breathing in salt air.