I don’t live anywhere near Wake County, but I try and do what I can to help provide access to information about the area. Last weekend while shopping at a local used bookstore, I found a copy of James Vickers’ Raleigh, City of Oaks: an Illustrated History, originally published in 1982 by the Wake County Historical Society. Since I can always stand to learn more history of the area, I snapped it up for only $5!
The book is slightly under 200 pages and as the title indicates has many pictures. The history of the county is covered from the area’s beginnings to 1982. It is organized as follows:
- Chapter I – An Eventful Birth: to 1792
- Chapter II – A Planned City: 1792-1820
- Chapter III – The City of Oaks Grows: 1829-1850
- Chapter IV – Yankees Come and Go: 1850-1880
- Chapter V – Capital Improvements: 1880-1905
- Chapter VI – From Prosperity to Depression: 1905-1940
- Chapter VII – A Modern City Blossoms: 1940-1982
- Chapter VIII – Heading Toward the 21st Century
- Chapter IX – Chronicles of Leadership
I’ve also scanned the index so it’s easy to see who is or is not included in the book. Also, I’ve added information about the book to the small but growing Bibliography page on this site. There’s some interesting history covered in the book. If you have any questions or would like a lookup, just let me know (email address on sidebar).