Tar Heels: North Carolina's Forgotton Economy: Pitch, Tar, Turpentine & Longleaf Pines Paperback – March 25, 2014

Finally a clear description of how the long leaf pine formed the basis of the economy of the early eastern Carolinas. The author uses correspondence and first-hand descriptions to clearly lay out how naval stores not only facilitated the British navy but also at the same time devastated the natural forests the first settlers found. It took the better part of 150 years and the rise of petroleum to destroy these magnificent forests. An important lesson is to be found in how our ancestors viewed natural resources which seemed at the time to be inexhaustible. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it has enhanced my understanding of the early history of my adopted state. I recommend it to anyone interested in colonial life in the eastern Carolina's.

Great book. Lots of information about working pine trees

Excellent reference book on the Turpentine Industry of the Florida past. Was able to identify all our tools with the Tar Heels book.

Just a piece of history that's been forgotten. Well worth reading.

Good read on the culture and technology of naval stores in North Carolina, and the longleaf pine from whence they came.

As a North Carolinian I have always known that tobacco played a major part in the state economy. But the history I've been taught never dwelled much on the 18th and 19th centuries, before machine-made cigarettes really made tobacco a big deal. This book fills in that gap. Although written by an amateur author and proofread by his wife, the result is a very interesting and almost professional description of how N.C. looked before they cut down all the old growth pine trees and what drove our economy. I've read other books by travelers who passed through eastern N.C. in the 19th century, and the smell of turpentine pervaded the place. Now I know why.I found the book fascinating. Be aware that there is some repetition between text and photo captions, and perhaps one or two syntax errors. But overall a very interesting subject and a very readable book.