All In One River
Ben Casey imagined a book about the Neuse River, showing its waters, the communities it passes through, the people it touches. Ben got in a canoe at the beginning of the river, and paddled over 190 miles to New Bern. The river continues – and Ben continued his journey via skiff and sailboat to finish the Neuse River’s 240 miles.
The result – All In One River.
All In One River is 98 photographs interwoven with thoughtful words and prose. Ben says he “interviewed the river.”
“I am neither historian nor scientist. This book is not about Neuse River history or the science of river eco-systems. This is an effort to share the beauty of the river and emotional reactions to that beauty.”
Born on the banks of the Neuse, the author currently resides less than a stone’s throw from its waters, with the river as his front yard.
Casey uses his camera, poetic sensibility, and life-long connection with his subject to paint a portrait of the river’s entire course, from Raleigh to New Bern.
To purchase a photograph or book, contact Ben Casey directly.
Dismal? The Great Dismal Swamp Canal
Dismal? Ben Casey says if you discovered the canal today and didn’t know its name – you wouldn’t call it “dismal”.
The swamp was a dismal place in 1793 when construction on the canal began. Finished in 1805, the 22-mile long canal was a key waterway for a young nation. Today it is a recreational waterway used by sailboats, powerboats, canoes and kayaks.
Casey’s photo-essay, Dismal?, The Great Dismal Swamp Canal is eighty-four color photos accompanying a text encouraging residents to visit and learn more about the natural beauty and history of America’s oldest continually operating canal lock system.
Ben’s wife, Carolyn, added a special section highlighting the evolution of the canal dating back to post Revolutionary War days. Her interview with self-appointed canal historian George Ramsey leaves one feeling that George Washington has been interviewed.
Ben says he created this book to acquaint those who had never visited this environmental and historical treasure tucked away in Northeastern North Carolina. He also wanted to encourage all to make use of the canal and to join efforts to preserve this diminishing part of a pristine wilderness. He notes there are ample means for the average citizen to enjoy and use the canal and its environs without having to be on a large vessel making transit through the canal.
While the scenery photographed is beautiful, some of Ben’s photographs of kayakers and other paddlers in addition to the photos of the two lockmasters reveal another part of the character of the canal and the new Great Dismal Swamp State Park which just opened in the spring of 2008. 
The book accomplishes its stated goal. It is a window opening on opportunities to make this area of the state a must-visit if one has not already done so. As reviewer David Cox notes, it also stimulates memories of those who have either visited the canal or traveled along it in a vessel; power, sail, or paddle.
“Ben Casey, noted photographer, and his wife, Carolyn, display the splendors of a forgotten geographic and historic treasure of our coastal region. From cover to cover, their unique vision, formed during a lifetime exploring the highways, byways, waterways and folk ways of Eastern North Carolina, illuminates this rich visual and historic record. For those who have traveled along the Dismal Swamp Canal, the book will expand their understanding and invoke a pleasant memory. For others, it will stimulate an urge to visit.” David Cox, Captain, (ret) US Navy.
Ben says, “I am always amazed at how much wonder there is out there right in our own backyards. I want to help people see these wonders and encourage them to find their own ways of appreciating them. It is through learning about them and appreciating them that we will be stimulated to preserve and protect them. And in the process, we see some pretty amazing sights.”
Second printing now available. Order directly from Ben Casey, ben@towndock.net..
Living Waters, a journey on the Trent River
Introducing Living Waters, a journey on the Trent River:
Living Waters is the second volume of Ben Casey’s series documenting the major rivers of North Carolina (the first, All In One River, explored the Neuse River).
Ben’s trek begins where the stream begins modestly at Nobles Mill Pond in Lenoir County. From there he paddles and portages along the river’s convoluted course through Jones County to its mouth, where the Trent empties into the Neuse River at New Bern.
During its nineteenth-century heyday, before waterways and waterpower were supplanted by asphalt and gasoline, the Trent was a powerhouse for numerous gristmills and a busy commercial highway used by plantations and loggers alike. But, unlike many of the rivers that flow through North Carolina’s coastal plain, the Trent today shows only scant evidence of humanity’s presence. Casey’s photographs reveal a river that, along most of its sinuous length, is rapidly returning to its primeval state: the stream has found new routes that circumvent old, heavily silted mill ponds; blow-downs and deadfalls block even a canoe’s narrow passage; and the few houses that can be seen from the river are scattered and distant.
While Casey relied on his lifelong acquaintance with the Neuse River for his All in One River, documenting the much 
shorter Trent required far more time and effort. But with the aid of Trent River denizens—his “paddle partner,” Eric Layton; Judge Walter Henderson; as well as others we meet along the way. Casey paints, in words and pictures, a vivid portrait of one of North Carolina’s most natural wonders. As he notes, “The Trent River is an encyclopedia and a bible, offering both knowledge and the opportunity to acquire wisdom. Not just for recreation, it’s a visual essay to stir the senses, a place for man to re-create himself.”
North Carolina paddling aficionado and environmentalist John Hinners remarks: “In Living Waters, Ben reveals a beguiling relationship with the wild and beautiful Trent River, sharing his excitement and insight with each new discovery and illustrating with stunning images the timeless beauty of this singular stream. Now an inside-out ecologist, Ben illumines the soul of the river and the Creator’s purpose in carving it out. He also makes it quite clear why we are drawn to living rivers and have been paddling them for thousands of years. As a paddler and one who is most alive in the wild, I love this book.”
Contact Ben Casey directly to order, ben@towndock.net.