By Peter Vankevich
Picture this movie-worthy scene.
On the morning of Aug. 15, 1973, Carolista Baum stood in front of a bulldozer at Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head to keep the tallest sand dune in the East from being leveled to build a series of condominiums.
The heavy equipment operator suspended work for that day.
A timeout was called and after a flurry of activity by Baum, who mobilized the community and relentlessly lobbied local and state leaders, the developer abandoned the development project, leading to the creation in 1975 of Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the most visited state park in North Carolina.
This famous incident was the subject of a chapter in “Remarkable Women of the Outer Banks” by Hannah Bunn West (The History Press, 2022).
The story is now nicely portrayed in a children’s book “Save Our Sand Dunes” (UNC Press, 2024) by West and co-author Ann-Cabel Baum, Carolista’s oldest daughter, who with her sister Inglis and brother Gibbs were playing on the dune that day when they heard the strange rumble of a bulldozer and quickly ran off and told their mother.
Baum, who now lives in Raleigh, remains active and is vice chairperson of the Friends of Jockey’s Ridge State Park.
“Writing this book with Hannah brought back so many fond memories,” she said. “Our mother was amazing. When she took charge, things happened. She gave us kids petitions and at ages 3, 5 and 6 we would ask visitors to sign them to help save Jockey Ridge.”
With lovely illustrations, this slim volume describes the history and natural environment of this dune, which is thought to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old.
In language easy for young folk to understand, the story goes on to tell how Carolista and her three children mobilized the effort to save the ridge and turn it into a state park.
West, who grew up in Kill Devil Hills, said she was contacted by Ansley Wegner and Sheilah Barrett Carroll at the NC Office of Archives and History, Historical Research and Publications. The Office has a goal of publishing more North Carolina history titles for young readers and were working with Baum on an idea for a book about her mother and Jockey’s Ridge.
“George Barnes suggested me as an author for the book, after reading ‘Remarkable Women’,” West said. Barnes was the first superintendent of Jockey’s Ridge State Park and her Parks and Rec softball coach when she was a kid
The book is wonderfully illustrated with paintings by Outer Banks artist Larry McCarter and illustrations by Anne Marshall Runyon.
Runyon is the author of “The Sheltering Cedar” (Portal Press, 2007) that tells the story of Ocracoke wildlife on Christmas Eve.
Book designer Sheilah Barrett Carroll masterfully wove the text and artwork on each page.
Carolista Baum died in 1991.
A North Carolina Highway Historical Marker for recognizing her efforts to save Jockey Ridge was installed in July 2023, in Nags Head.
