“The plantation house is the community center and from it a lavish hospitality is dispensed. The planters are jealous of their social and political honors, which seem attached as prerogatives to the plantation. They even object to the establishment of a church in the neighborhood of the one supported by the plantation. They intermarry with the neighboring planter’s family; and are slow to take up a stranger, though of good family.
“At Curles landing, at the site of the old Nathaniel Bacon plantation, we were given and accepted an invitation to spend the night. The house was a ten room structure, built upon an eminence overlooking distant reaches of the river. Its white stuccoed walls and commodious pillared porch, made it very distinguishable in contrast [pg 88] with the background of green timbered hills. Four less pretentious buildings flanked each corner and back of all were the whitewashed cabins of the ‘quarters.’
“The dining room walls were decorated with English hunting scenes and a great sideboard held the silver and pewter ware. The library had many shelves of books, quite a few of which were Elzevir editions. The walls of the hall were covered with portraits of a cavalier ancestry. All the furniture of the lower floor was of solid mahogany and imported.
“Two sons of the family are attending Cambridge and have not been home for a year. The daughter who is at home is to be married before the Christmas holidays.
“Judging by Mr. Lee and his visitor, the planters are essentially English; having all of the Englishman’s pride of race and love for home. They spoke of England as home, until the conversation turned to England’s right to tax the colony and the law requiring tobacco to be exported in British bottoms; then they flared up, declaring: ‘We of the colony will never submit to such unjust and arbitrary laws; and if necessary will fight before submitting to such tyranny.’
“We are now at Richmond, which was first called ‘None Such,’ then Forte Charles, then was known as Byrd’s Warehouse. The town, founded by Colonel Byrd, was incorporated in 1742.”
[pg 89]
CHAPTER III.—The Settlement.
The Meeting House, or as they were beginning to call it, The McDonald Settlement, capped a half dozen of the eastern Alleghany foothills at the head of Jackson River.
It was a community of some twenty farms, grouped for protection and company in such a way that four farm houses occupied each hill top near the central intersection of their respective boundaries. All were huddled about a large hill, capped by a grove of oak and sugar maple trees, which sheltered the stone church and the community school house of hewn logs. This arrangement had been possible because the whole boundary had been purchased and laid off by the trustees of the church.