Overhills by Jeffrey D. Irwin and Kaitlin O’Shea

Aside from our responsibilities at Fort Bragg, Jeff and I thought that an Images of America book with Arcadia Publishing would be a great way to tell the story of Overhills because we have hundreds of images available.  The process involved a proposal, sample text and images, and upon earning a contract, months of hard work and Overhills thoughts for about ¾ of our days.

 

The book will not be on sale until October 6, 2008, but now that is finished, edited, and officially on Arcadia’s website, I am ready to tell the world.  Click below for the link to Arcadia Publishing.  (You can also google our names and Overhills.)

 

Overhills on Arcadia Publishing

 

 

Here is the back cover text:

 

Book Description: In the early 1900s, Overhills emerged as an exclusive hunt club hidden among the longleaf pine and wiregrass forest, sandy roads, and rural solitude of the North Carolina Sandhills. Soon becoming the Overhills Country Club, this rustic retreat featured a clubhouse, horse stables, dog kennels, train station, post office, and a golf course designed by the legendary Donald Ross. At its height, Overhills boasted fox hunting, bird hunting, polo, and golf with personal cottages on the property commissioned by William Averell Harriman and Percy Avery Rockefeller. By the era of the Great Depression, Overhills evolved from a country club to a country estate for the family of Percy and Isabel Rockefeller, lasting well into the latter decades of the 20th century. Throughout its history, the resident employees and tenant farmers of Overhills contributed to a unique community in this private southern arcadia.

Author Bio: Archaeologist Jeffrey D. Irwin and historic preservationist Kaitlin O’Shea have studied Overhills through the Overhills Oral History Project, conducted on behalf of the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg. The photographs featured in this collection date primarily to the 1920s and 1930s; many of these rare images have been provided by former residents and employees of Overhills.

 

Email me with any questions about the book and if you live near us, stay tuned for book signings once it is released!

 

If you would like to see a larger version of the cover, click here for pdf version: Overhills by Jeffrey D. Irwin and Kaitlin O’Shea