Bruce Roberts takes us on a photographic tour of fourteen of the famous colonial Virginia plantation houses nestled along the shores of the Lower James River from Richmond east to Jamestown and Williamsburg. Now carefully restored, often with the original furnishings, these houses are glorious monuments to a bygone era. If you have never visited the James River plantations, this book will inspire you to plan a trip there. If you have, you will find this book a wonderful memento of a special place. Robert's 141 color photographs capture the magnificent exteriors of the houses, as well as their gardens and grounds, and offer rare and intimate glimpses of their interiors and furnishings. The plantations portrayed include Shirley Plantation, one of the oldest in America; Belle Air Plantation, with its unique seventeenth-century frame house containing America's finest Jacobean staircase; and Westover Plantation, site of the elegant Georgian home built by William Byrd II. The text provides histories of the plantations, presenting them as places where real people lived and worked -- and still do, in many cases. While the plantations share some common history, each reflects the individual characteristics of the men, women, and children who lived there. In the dining room at Berkeley Hundred, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and eight other presidents enjoyed meals and discussed affairs of state. At Carter's Grove, Roberts photographed the "Refusal Room," where, according to local history, both Washington and Jefferson were refused in marriage by Virginia belles. Today many of the plantation homes have been designated state and national historic sites, and with this book you can visit them and relive four hundred years of history.

Shows and describes the historical background of fourteen colonial plantations

Southern plantations are an endless source of fascination. That’s no surprise since these palatial homes are rich in history, representing a pivotal time in U.S. history that truly is “gone with the wind.” With the Civil War literally exploding all around, many of these homes were occupied either by Confederate or Union troops. Nowhere else in the south were plantations so affected by the nation’s bloodiest war than in Virginia. At times, families fled, leaving behind slaves to manage the property. There are still more than 60 plantations in Virginia today, most of them open to the public. Some have been restored, others undergoing that process. If only the walls could talk, the stories we might hear! That’s what we hope to bring into this book on The Plantations of Virginia. We’ll take the tours and talk to the guides and dig even further if there is more to discover. We hope that travelers will be enlightened before they travel to Virginia, their visits will thus be enriched, and that residents will equally love exploring this deep history of Virginia. Accompanying the text will be photographs, taken by one of the authors, showing, in all their splendor, the exteriors of these plantations, as well as areas of interest inside the buildings.

The treasures of American heritage showcased in this volume include such masterpieces as Colonial Williamsburg's Governor's Palace, George Washington's Mt. Vernon, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Robert E. Lee's Arlington House, and Stratford Hall Plantation--all presented in new photography commissioned for this book. (Architecture)

Overlooking the majestic Hudson River, the Hudson Valley has long been a favored place to live. Historic Houses of the Hudson River Valley is a sumptuous presentation of 33 houses in the region, ranging from the earliest Dutch cottages still extant to the grand Gothic and Italianate revival, stately Georgian, Federal, and beaux-arts country homes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Rich survey ranges from pioneer cabins to French Provincial and Neoclassic revivals. Extensive commentary on each building, with over 100 detailed illustrations, including 36 floor plans. Bibliography.

Jordan's Point, a nearly triangular promontory in the James River, is situated in Prince George County, just east of the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers. A broad terrace overlooking the James, Jordan's Point is bounded by small streams, tidal marshes, and protective uplands that rise to a height of 100 feet or more. In 1607, when the first European colonists saw Jordan's Point, it was graced by the homes and cleared fields of natives they would call the Weyanoke. Virginia colonist Samuel Jordan established a community called Jordan's Journey around 1621, giving his name to what became known as Jordan's Point. In time, the settlement became a hub of social and political life. By 1660, Jordan's Point had come into the possession of the Blands, one of England's most important mercantile families. They leased their property to one or more of their agents, usually merchants and mariners involved in inter-colonial trade. Richard Bland I and his descendants developed Jordan's Point into a family seat and working plantation they retained until after the Civil War. At Jordan's Point enslaved men, women, and children toiled in the fields, enabling the Blands to prosper. Richard Bland IV went on to become a distinguished American patriot, and one of his sons became a physician. Featuring more than one hundred photos and illustrations, most in color, and intended for a general reader, Jordan's Point, Virginia: Archaeology in Perspective, Prehistoric to Modern Times tells the story of Jordan's Point, which spans thousands of years, through the cultural features that archaeologists have unearthed there. This is a book that will attract readers interested in Native American studies, Virginia and colonial history, and archaeology. Distributed for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources