Plantations: Living and Working on North Carolina's Great Estates
Dram Tree Books' Young Reader's Series of North Carolina History consists of short (32-64 pages on average), very visual and colorful books about the history of North Carolina, aimed at youths between ages 8-18. The idea is to introduce youngsters to the four centuries of great stories we have in North Carolina in a way that is fun, entertaining, and true. As an added bonus, as many adults enjoy the books as kids because they are a great way to learn about our history without having to commit to a thick "regular" history book!
In the South, the plantation was recognizable as something unique to the lands below the Mason-Dixon Line. In popular imagination, great estates like Orton Plantation on the Cape Fear River, or Drayton Hall in Lowcountry South Carolina, remind modern people of Tara, the grand house of Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone With the Wind." Southern plantations were their own ecosystems, producing virtually everything they needed themselves. In most instances, the work of the plantation was done by the hands of the enslaved until the Civil War brought that institution to an end. Nevertheless, plantations hold a fascination for modern Americans, and the estates of North Carolina offer prime examples of life in a society built on agriculture made possible by chattel slavery. In this book, we introduce readers to what life was like for those who lived it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...Jack E. Fryar, Jr. has authored or edited more than thirty volumes of North Carolina and Cape Fear history. His historical specialty is colonial North Carolina, particularly during the seventeenth century. Jack has served as a United States Marine, worked as a broadcaster, freelance magazine writer, sports announcer, and book designer. He holds a Masters degree in History and another Masters in Teaching, and taught history in Wilmington, N.C.