Nags Head’s Historic Cottage Row District—on the National Register of Historic Places—stretches a mile along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, forming a pattern of angles and lines the color of driftwood. These structures have survived hurricanes, a world war, generations of children, and the tides that creep ever closer.

This book–a blend of oral history, narrative, and old photos–tells the story of the families who helped settle one of North Carolina's oldest beaches. The story traces the history of the summer life of Nags Head’s oldest families through successive generations, from early settlement before the Civil War through the turn of the new century and the emergence of modern times.

The book is complemented by historical photographs, personal photographs from private family collections, and contemporary black-and-white photographs. Since this book was first published in 2000, the Atlantic Ocean encroaches ever more on the original cottages known as the "Unpainted Aristocracy,” and many of the elders originally interviewed have since passed away. This 25th anniversary edition, with a new map and a chapter that updates the status of these important houses, is an important addition to the cultural history of North Carolina.