In “Plymouth and Washington County”, a new book by local author Willie Drye, readers will learn how Plymouth and Washington County are entwined with the beginnings of American history through 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

Drye wrote, “There aren’t many areas in North Carolina, or the U.S., for that matter, that can lay claim to a heritage that goes all the way back to the first English explorers in the 16^th century.”

Expanding on the county’s early history and using images that span more than a century, many of which having never been published, Drye shares how the area surrounding the Albemarle Sound was the birthplace of North Carolina. Images show the growth of Plymouth as a 17^th-century trading post on the Roanoke River, which quickly grew into one of North Carolina’s busiest ports. Readers will also be educated on the area’s role in the Civil War in which young men from Washington County enlisted in both the Union and Confederate armies, and Plymouth was the scene of fierce fighting throughout the conflict.

Drye credits the book to the late Harry Thompson, describing him as one “who epitomized the best of northeastern North Carolina — generous, gracious, unpretentious and brimming with history.”

Drye said it was Thompson who charged him with taking on the project.

According to Drye, Thompson was curator of the Port of Plymouth Civil War Museum.

“Harry was somewhat of an institution in this part of the state,” Drye said. “He had a big presence in Washington County for many years.”

According to a press release, Drye not only shares the county’s early history, but he also shares its modern identity. Today, Plymouth and Washington County attract visitors eager to enjoy boating, bass fishing and bird watching in an unspoiled coastal wilderness; visit Civil War sites; or absorb the fascinating maritime history.

The book contains: rare images from the State Archives of North Carolina, the North Carolina Collection in Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Museum of History and various private collections; stories about some of the people form Plymouth who made significant accomplishments in their lives, including a world-famous 19^th century playwright, an internationally known impersonator of the infamous pirate Blackbeard, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner and a local high school football star who went on to play in the Super Bowl; and histories of the community’s oldest churches.

Through rare images and brief histories, “Plymouth and Washington County” preserves the county’s stories for future generations.

Drye, an author and award-winning journalist, is a contributing editor for National Geographic News, a sixth-generation North Carolinian, a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Plymouth and Washington County” is published by Arcadia Publishing, the leading publisher of local and regional history in the U.S., making history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places, according to the press release.

According to Drye, Arcadia and himself will host a book signing at the Annual Living History Weekend in Plymouth on April 26.

The book, set to release on April 21, will be available at area bookstores, independent retailers, online retailers and through Arcadia Publishing.

To order the book through Arcadia Publishing, call 888-313-2665 or visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.