Unpainted Aristocracy: The Beach Cottages of Old Nags Head

About this book

This book chronicles the Outer Banks town of Nags Head as a beach resort beginning in the antebellum period and continuing into the early twentieth century. There is a discussion of the ocean-front beach cottages that were built during the years between the Civil War and World War II for merchants planters and professional men and their families from northeastern North Carolina and from Virginia. Also discussed in great detail are the activities enjoyed by the owners of those cottages during their summer visits. The text first appeared as an article in the October 1997 issue of the North Carolina Historical Review.