In This Small Place: Amazing Tales of the First 300 Years of Havelock and Craven County North Carolina

by Edward Barnes Ellis Jr.

In This Small Place is the culmination of a lifetime of historical research by the author. It is a series of interconnecting true stories about a small eastern North Carolina town (Havelock) and its surrounding environs (Craven County), its people and its past. The book covers the period from the 1690s when the earliest European settlers arrived. It explains the local Tuscarora Indian War, Civil War events, the coming of the railroad, the local production of illegal liquor, the naval stores industries, the founding of the City of Havelock and the establishment of Cherry Point, the world's largest Marine Corps air station. Included in the book is a never-before-published first person account of the Battle of New Bern during the Civil War by a Union soldier. Also included is a three-chapter biography of British Maj. Gen. Sir Henry Havelock, the city's namesake. In contrast to a typical local history, In This Small Place sets out to be more accessible than archetypal accounts of the past filled with dates and names. This is accomplished through the author's conversational, informal style and a light sprinkling of humor. Despite the laid back approach, In This Small Place is being hailed by authoritative sources as a valuable historical resource. Its details about the three centuries since the community's settlement, the thoroughness of its research and the reproduction of rare artwork and photographs have drawn praise from historians, journalists and the reading public alike.

168 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[Ann Miller]

Stories dating from the first settlers to the Havelock area, the moonshining and bootlegging, and the coming of MCAS Cherry Point. An interesting account of Havelock’s place in history.

[Jenna]

about my home