Time and Tide: The Vanishing Culture of the North Carolina Coast

A longtime coast watcher tells the story of the beautiful and ever-changing coast of North Carolina—rich in culture, history, and landscape—with words and photographs.

This gorgeous, richly illustrated book for visitors and residents alike details the charms and controversies of the “banks” of North Carolina. Hatcher highlights the current wonders of the famous coast, as well as an intriguing history that includes the familiar Outer Banks legendary Wright Brothers flight, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and the picturesque lighthouses, as well as the lesser known Chitlin’ Circuit beach resort, a 1898 coup d’etat, and a controversial sea bird. Told with an ear for the native language and local lore, with a taste for the water and its riches, and above all, with an eye toward the preservation of a vanishing environment and culture, this will be the go-to book for readers who want an overview of the North Carolina coastal region.

ISBN, Paperback: 9781958888032

In the past few years, Tim Hatcher has lived on the North Carolina coast with several beach cats, working on Time and Tide: The Vanishing Culture of the North Carolina Coast. He has traveled the world as a quality inspector, and later in life, taught in the field of human resources at NC State and elsewhere. He was also the editor of the Human Resource Development Quarterly. He is an avid saltwater angler, and a semi-professional, still-looking-for-that-big-break musician—a rock, country, Latin, and blues percussionist. Since the first time he drove from his home in East Tennessee to the Outer Banks and saw the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, some five decades ago, Tim Hatcher has had an affection and respect for the NC coast and its people. He has studied and written about its tough people and its fragile environment for the better part of his adult life. This, his first book about the coast’s nature and culture, is the result.