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Duplin County native, Andrew Chance Cole, pictured with his book Duplin County, which is part of the Images of America series.

Duplin County native, Andrew Chance Cole, pictured with his book Duplin County, which is part of the Images of America series.

KENANSVILLE — Andrew Chance Cole, a Duplin County native and author of the book Duplin County, recently visited Rose Hill to present his book, which will be released on Oct. 10.

The book which is part of the Images of America series, showcases a pictorial representation of Duplin County, covering seven decades. According to Cole, it features 150 historic photographs dating back to the 1890s through the 1960s, depicting the county’s agricultural roots, its communities, and thriving industry.

Cole grew up in Potters Hill attending Civil War reenactments with his dad and listening to his grandparents’ stories of life back in the 1940s. His motivation for the book is rooted in his life-long love for history.

“Growing up I used to flip through my grandparent’s photo album a lot, which had several photos

of Beulaville and Potters Hill in it from the 1950s. I thought it was fascinating to see how much

things have changed since then. In a way, this book is an extension of that interest,” said Cole. “Over the years I’ve come across a bunch of great images from around Duplin County and I thought that it would be great to have a collection of these photos in one place. There’s also a great deal of notable and interesting figures from Duplin County, and I wanted to help shine a light on them.

Some of these people include William E. Thornton, Samson L. Faison, and James Kenan.”

Cole began this project in October of 2021 with the help of local historians who shared their knowledge and photographs with him.

“Writing this book took almost a year. Since I currently don’t live in Duplin County, finding good photos to use was a bit challenging at times… “Local historians such as Leon ‘Sonny’ Sikes, Anne Taylor, Ken Dilda, and Roland Edwards helped me out a great deal,” said Cole. “We’d set up a time to meet, and I’d drive across the state from Ashe County to see them.”

According to Cole, the State Archives of North Carolina, the Faison Museum, Mount Olive Historical Society, Wilson Library at UNC Chapel Hill, Roland Edwards, Leon Sikes, the Bratcher family, and the Cole family, all contributed photos to the book.

“In the end, I essentially had to stuff 300 years of history into a 127-page book. I wasn’t able to touch on every aspect of Duplin’s history, but I think the book is a good starting point.”

“My hope is that this book will inspire people to dig a little deeper into their local history. Perhaps they’ll flip through the book and recognize someone they know, or a place they used to hang out at, or a school they used to attend,” said Cole.

He graduated from Appalachian State University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Public History. Currently, he resides in western North Carolina with his wife Jade and daughter Rosalie, where he serves as the Director of the Museum of Ashe County History.

Ena Sellers may be reached at esellers@apgenc.com

www.TheDuplinTimes.com 102 Front St Kenansville, NC 28349 Main Phone: 910-296-0239 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505

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