When W. P. Brittain's store in Cherokee County closed after fifty years in 1932, few people thought it would become a time capsule, standing as it was until its reopening in 1988.
Miles Darden, of Northampton County, at 1,020 pounds; Lewis Lewark, of Currituck County, at 840 pounds; and Decatur Gillikin, of Currituck County (weighing only 220 pounds, but very strong) were among the state's biggest people.
From a small beginning in 1961 in Maggie Valley, snow skiing in the state's mountains is enjoyed now at six resorts, including Beech Mountain and Banner Elk.
The South is a land of traditions and fine foods, and no true Southerner would begin the day without grits as a part of breakfast. In 1995, an A. C. Neilson research report ranked Charlotte fifth in grits consumption nationwide.
Held yearly on Harkers Island, the Core Sound Decoy Festival brings together decoy carvers and wildlife artists who seek to preserve the heritage of the water-based way of life.
Elisha Mitchell, scientist, minister, and University of North Carolina professor, lost his life trying to prove that Black Dome, now called Mount Mitchell, was the highest peak in the Eastern United States.
Concern of Watauga County farmers about childhood leukemia brought a change in pesticide and herbicide use. Crop and Christmas tree yields are up, wildlife has increased, and the leukemia rate has fallen in six years.