More than Coffee-Table Books

By Haskell Harris | December 29, 2008 | Design

I stumbled on these recently and I'm totally smitten. I had no idea that a series of books covering the architecture of the Old South had ever been published, much less that they were written and photographed in such a compelling way. From the quirky mansions of Natchez, Mississippi, to the majestic colonial plantations of Louisiana, the range of styles that have evolved in this little pocket of the country are fascinating.

Excerpt:

"Buildings are three-dimensional history books that reflect the comings and goings, successes and failures of real people. Virginia was the oldest, most populous, and richest colony in the South, with early architecture of unsurpassed elegance and variety. Maryland, thanks to an early start and the successful cultivation of tobacco, produced colonial architecture second only to Virginia and South Carolina, the rich rice colony. Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina flourished until about 1820, when they suffered relative declines in population, prosperity, and cultural vigor as people abandoned the old, exhausted, and overcrowded lands of the upper and coastal South and flooded to the fertile Southwest.

Three other colonies developed somewhat separately. North Carolina, with treacherous coasts, poor harbors, and shallow rivers, was slow to prosper and remained isolated. Georgia, the last and poorest of the English colonies in America, struggled from insecurity and near collapse till the 1760s and, like North Carolina, remained sparsely settled, poor, and underdeveloped until after the Revolution. Louisiana, the former colony of France, continued to be dominated by French culture, French language and French law long after it was sold to the United States in 1803..."

p. 8, The Architecture of the Old South: Louisiana

Even the interior pages are art worthy. I love how each one shows the history of the region through archival photos and documents, including antique drawings and blueprints. It's like walking into another era. See image below from the Louisiana book:

One other cool thing about the books: They are published by the BeeHive Press in Savannah, Georgia, a wonderful company that produces tons of other earthy, beautiful volumes about the South and beyond.