Reviews for The Hammonds of Redcliffe

The average rating for The Hammonds of Redcliffe based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-10-27 00:00:00 Matt Gemlo This is a collection of letters written by and exchanged among a local South Carolina family and friends from antebellum days until the latter part of the 20th century. At the center, intentionally or not, is the physical location that symbolized the family's ties to the local area - Redcliffe Plantation in Beech Island, South Carolina. The history of that place, particularly during the ownership of the family's last descendant, began to intrigue me when I discovered it in 2014 shortly after moving to Augusta, Georgia. The last owner, John Shaw Billings, collected much of the correspondence in the book, and he also chronicled his purchase, renovation, and later life on the property through photos and correspondence, which are archived online at the University of South Caroliniana Library. At his death in 1975, Billings bequeathed the property to the state of South Carolina. It is now part of the state park system and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The book itself is divided into four parts, with a particular family member of successive being the central character during that particular time period: James Henry Hammond (he of the quote "Cotton is King" fame) as the founder, his son Harry as the preserver, his daughter Katherine as the belle, and her son John as the restorer and final owner. The book gives good insight into the daily lives of a typical Southern plantation family beginning about a decade before the Civil War, through Reconstruction, and into the 20th century. There's no real groundbreaking revelations, as much of the correspondence includes either internal family issues or their thoughts and interpretations on other events of large scope happening elsewhere. Of the four sections, I found the first to be more informative and interesting from a historical perspective. I was disappointed in the last section, that of Billings himself. I expected a greater and more interesting volume of correspondence based on his extensive activities there. Overall, it was an adequate look into the inner family drama that one would expect, I suppose, but my primary interest initially was based more on the 20th century history of the property itself than in the family history.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-05-05 00:00:00 Gorman Eng This book produced by the Park Service contains a total of three essays about the history of the Underground Railroad and slavery in the United States. It is a very good overview and has a wonderful further reading list at the back. It is stuffed with infromation and illustrations. Well worth the purchase price. Crossposted at Booklikes.