“Historical Book Awards” went to Edie Hutchins Burnette for Mountain Echoes and to Carroll C. Jones for Rebel Rousers. Jones was further recognized when he received the prestigious “President’s Award” for his historical fiction Rebel Rousers, the second novel in his East Fork trilogy.

BRCO received a “Multimedia Award” for its DVD entitled “From New College to Springdale.” Doug Chambers who filmed and edited the video and Ted Carr, BRCO Historic Preservation Committee member, accepted the award. 

Mountain Echoes explores the history of Haywood County in Western North Carolina, introducing readers to actual people, places and events from the past. Originally written as weekly columns for The Asheville Citizen-Times, Burnette’s book is a compilation of some of her true accounts.

Rebel Rousers is the sequel to Carroll’s first novel, Master of the East Fork. It is a historical fiction story set during the American Civil War, and tells the coming-of-age tale of a youthful Rebel soldier who hails from the East Fork River valley. He is currently working on the third novel of his East Fork trilogy.

“From New College to Springdale,” narrated by Richard Alexander, recounts a unique educational institution that existed in Cruso Community of Haywood County in the 1930s. The school was the concept of the late Dr. Thomas Alexander, a professor at Columbia University, New York City, and father of Richard Alexander.

The North Carolina Society of Historians was established in December 1941 for the purpose of collecting, preserving and perpetuating North Carolina’s rich history and for recognizing those persons who fulfill the society’s objectives. NCSH celebrated its Diamond Jubilee at this year’s Annual Awards Banquet held at the Stone Center in North Wilkesboro. 

Autographed copies of Mountain Echoes and Rebel Rousers and the video are available at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.