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.
Charlene C. Giannetti, editor of Woman Around Town, is the recipient of six awards from the New York Press Club for articles that have appeared on the website. A graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Charlene began her career working for a newspaper in Pennsylvania, then wrote for several publications in Washington, covering environment and energy policy. In New York, she was an editor at Business Week magazine and her articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines including the New York Times. She is the author of 11 non-fiction books, eight for parents of young adolescents written with Margaret Sagarese, including "The Roller-Coaster Years," "Cliques," and "Boy Crazy." She and Margaret have been keynote speakers at many events and have appeared on the Today Show, CBS Morning, FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and many others. Her new book is "Parenting in a Social Media World." Charlene divides her time between homes in Manhattan and Alexandria, Virginia. After coming to Virginia, Charlene was fascinated with the state's history and she and her husband have spent many weekends touring historic homes, including many plantations. Those visits sparked her interest in writing The Plantations of Virginia.
Jai Williams is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared on the award-winning site, Woman Around Town, as well as The Daily Meal and Edible DC. Two of her photographs were selected for an exhibit at the Washington Historical Society,
For the Record: Artfully Historic D.C., where "50 Most Endangered Places in D.C." were highlighted. Her photographs will be seen in two upcoming books from Globe Pequot Press,
Discovering Vintage Washington, D.C. and
New York One-Food Wonders: A Guide to the Big Apple's Unique Single-Food Spots. After graduating from Texas A&M University, Jai moved to Virginia to further her education as well as her career. Always fascinated with the history of plantations, Jai often spends her weekends touring these historic homes while traveling and submersing herself in the experiences of those who lived and worked there. Being able to bring her viewpoint to Plantations of Virginia would not only be a labor of love, but a chance to bring awareness to those plantations whose futures are uncertain with many stories still left to be told.
