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; "Cabins & Castles")
Cabins & Castles was first published in 1981, a joint effort of the Historic Resources Commission and the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. The book became enormously popular with natives, tourists, historians, and preservationists as a primary source of knowledge about this richly historic mountain county.
Cabins & Castles contains two major sections: a historical overview and the specific record of individual properties built in this area, primarily those constructed prior to 1930. Historical sketches of Buncombe County and Asheville, written by John Ager and Talmage Powell, are followed by Douglas Swaim’s essay on local architectural history. Numerous historical photographs illustrate these essays and provide context for the individual properties featured in the second section.
Abundant photographs by Mary Jo Brezny accompany many of the specific architectural entries and complement Swaim’s informative and well-documented notes for each listed property. Rapid development in the urban and rural areas of Buncombe County makes this record timely and valuable. Cabins & Castles is still sought after — and with this reprinting, a local classic is revived.
"Whenever library patrons ask for information about local architecture, we hand them a copy of Cabins &
Castles. However, all of the books available for checkout have long since worn out, which is why we’re so excited to see
a new printing of this great local reference book. The book includes buildings throughout the county, not just the better known
downtown landmarks. It documents buildings that were standing in 1981, when the book was first published, but have since been
demolished—a reminder to us all of the value of historic preservation.
—Ann Wright and Zoe Rhine, Pack Memorial Public Library
"In Cabins & Castles, Douglas Swaim and his co-authors created one of the finest architectural surveys of a North
Carolina city and county, and it has stood the test of time. It’s a rich and engaging introduction to the history and
architecture of one of our nation’s most beautiful cities and regions. Whether you live in Western North Carolina or just
admire this special area from afar, this book—available again after many years—deserves a spot on your bookshelf."
—Catherine W. Bishir, author of North Carolina Architecture and Southern Built: American Architecture, Regional
Practice
For the next six years, Doug Swaim served as preservation specialist for the Western Office of Archives and History. He also led the Asheville/Buncombe County Historic Resources Commission. Following business school, Doug ventured to Slovakia where he worked, married, and began a family. Returning to North Carolina in 1997, he worked in business management, then started his own construction business in 2004. Today Doug lives in Charlotte with his wife, Iveta—a doctor of internal medicine—and their children, David (15) and Katka (13). Asheville is still very dear to his heart, and he loves returning whenever possible.