Remaking Wormsloe Plantation: The Environmental History of a Lowcountry Landscape (Environmental History and the American South) - Softcover

Swanson, Drew A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0820347442 ISBN 13: 9780820347448

Publisher: University of Georgia Press, 2014

Synopsis

Why do we preserve certain landscapes while developing others without restraint? Drew A. Swanson’s in-depth look at Wormsloe plantation, located on the salt marshes outside of Savannah, Georgia, explores that question while revealing the broad historical forces that have shaped the lowcountry South.

Wormsloe is one of the most historic and ecologically significant stretches of the Georgia coast. It has remained in the hands of one family from 1736, when Georgia’s Trustees granted it to Noble Jones, through the 1970s, when much of Wormsloe was ceded to Georgia for the creation of a state historic site. It has served as a guard post against aggression from Spanish Florida; a node in an emerging cotton economy connected to far-flung places like Lancashire and India; a retreat for pleasure and leisure; and a carefully maintained historic site and green space. Like many lowcountry places, Wormsloe is inextricably tied to regional, national, and global environments and is the product of transatlantic exchanges.

Swanson argues that while visitors to Wormsloe value what they perceive to be an “authentic,” undisturbed place, this landscape is actually the product of aggressive management over generations. He also finds that Wormsloe is an ideal place to get at hidden stories, such as African American environmental and agricultural knowledge, conceptions of health and disease, the relationship between manual labor and views of nature, and the ties between historic preservation and natural resource conservation. Remaking Wormsloe Plantation connects this distinct Georgia place to the broader world, adding depth and nuance to the understanding of our own conceptions of nature and history.

About this title

Book Description

Place and preservation at an iconic southern property

From the Back Cover

· Winner of the Excellence Using the Holdings of an Archive Award, Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board

· Winner of the Malcolm Bell Jr. and Muriel Barrow Bell Award, Georgia Historical Society

Why do we preserve certain landscapes while developing others without restraint? Drew A. Swanson's in-depth look at Wormsloe plantation, located on the salt marshes outside of Savannah, Georgia, explores that question while revealing the broad historical forces that have shaped the lowcountry South. Wormsloe remained in the hands of one family from 1736 through the 1970s, when much of it was ceded to the state for the creation of a historic site. Like many lowcountry places, Wormsloe is inextricably tied to regional, national, and global environments and is the product of transatlantic exchanges.

Swanson argues that while visitors to Wormsloe value what they perceive to be an "authentic," undisturbed place, this landscape is actually the product of aggressive management over generations. He also finds that Wormsloe is an ideal place to get at hidden stories, such as African American environmental and agricultural knowledge, conceptions of health and disease, the relationship between manual labor and views of nature, and the ties between historic preservation and natural resource conservation.Remaking Wormsloe Plantation connects this distinct Georgia place to the broader world, adding depth and nuance to the understanding of our own conceptions of nature and history.

"Swanson, an authorized historian of Wormsloe, presents a history that includes all players, from humans to microbes. He reminds readers that history is never a snapshot of the past, but rather the top layer of fathomless strata of physical and psychological influences."

—Choice

“Rich in detail, nuanced, and compelling, Drew A. Swanson’s history of Wormsloe State Historic Site represents an important contribution to the growing field of southern environmental history. Intended as much for a popular audience as a scholarly one, the book highlights the potential value of environmental history as an interpretative tool for public historians and offers a model for future studies of historic places.”

—Journal of Southern History

DREW A. SWANSON is assistant professor of history at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio, and author ofA Golden Weed: Tobacco and Environment in the Piedmont South.

Cover design: Erin Kirk New

Cover photo: “Fog Lifting” 2009, Mark Uzmann—Savannah College of Art and Design

Maps courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library / University of Georgia Libraries

Author photo: Photo courtesy of author

Environmental History and the American South logo

A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book logo

The University of Georgia Press

Athens, Georgia 30602

www.ugapress.org

ISBN 978-0-8203-4744-8

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0820347442
• ISBN 13: 9780820347448
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320