Tags
Architecture of the Old South, Carmichael House, Historic Preservation, JC Burrus House, Rosemount Plantation
2013 is coming to a close and today I received the annual report on “The Plantation Trail” from WordPress. It was very encouraging to learn that some 25,000 people had visited this site in 2013, especially considering that it is not a site from which I post frequently. The site was created mainly as a place to publish my research on some pretty amazing old Southern homes in the hopes that attention would be drawn to their plight and they could be saved. For my readers who are interested, the complete report is shown below at the bottom of this post.
Of course, interest was already there and in the case of the J.C. Burrus plantation in Mississippi, rehabilitation was already well underway before my site ever opened for business. It is thrilling to see this beautiful old home that came so close to the brink of destruction saved, preserved and loved once again.
My favorite topic of discussion, Rosemount Plantation in Alabama, is happily getting some long overdue attention and TLC. I’m glad to get reports from friends that the property is being cleaned up, the house secured and that restoration work is finally underway again. I don’t know if this site helped push that along or not but what I do know is that it has become an online place for descendants of W. A. Glover to discover one another, as well as for others who share a history with this home. I am personally very happy for that.
Sadly, the J.R. Carmichael Mansion in Georgia is still waiting for someone to adopt it and care for it. This beautiful 1898 Queen Anne mansion is one of the finest and well-crafted homes in the lower North Georgia area and is a showplace. I’m hopeful that 2014 will find it in the hands of someone willing to own and care for a historic home.
Speaking of that, I’ve always subscribed to the theory that one does not own a historic home so much as they are owned by the historic home. Each person and family that possess the deed to such a property are caretakers, responsible for caring and preserving the home and passing it on to the next generation or family who in turn do the same. Sometimes these lines are broken and must be reforged so that they can continue and flourish. It is my hope that in some small way, this site will help to mend those broken lines so that others will step forward and take on the burdens and joys that come with it.
To all of you that have found my blog, commented on it, encouraged me, contacted me with new leads and updated information or who contributed in any way, thank you. We are all collectively the voices for these places that cannot tell their own stories and that cannot speak for themselves except through words and photographs and stories. Thank you for being a part of that. I wish all my readers a very prosperous and Happy New Year for 2014 and I especially wish that for all my “adopted” homes!
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 25,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 9 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.