Homewood House

Winner of a 2005 Heritage Book Award given by the Maryland Historical Trust. Baltimore's Homewood was a wedding gift from Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, to his son Charles Jr. and his bride, Harriet Chew Carroll. Located on 130 acres of rolling meadow and forest, it afforded picturesque view to the harbor. The couple built a "full and genteel establishment," a grand yet intimate summer house that exemplifies the work of the most skilled Baltimore craftsmen of the Federal period. Construction began in 1801 and incorporated a classical five-part Palladian plan, with two hyphens flanking the main block and connecting it to two wings, or dependencies. Spending far more than his father had anticipated, Charles Jr. used only the finest materials then available and included extraordinary architectural details throughout the house. Homewood endures today as one of the finest examples of Federal-period domestic architecture in the United States. Sold by the Carroll family in 1838, the house and grounds eventually became the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University. In 1971, Homewood received National Historic Landmark status, and five years later—through the generosity of Robert G. Merrick, an alumnus and university patron who developed a love for Homewood as a student in the 1920s—Johns Hopkins University began a major restoration effort. Today, open to the public as a museum, the house reflects the height of early-nineteenth-century style and the tastes of the Carroll family. In a lavishly illustrated yet scholarly study of this exquisite American residence, Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly explore Homewood's history, detailing its construction, reliving the Carroll family's experiences here, and recounting the expert restoration that preserves this home for generations to come. The book includes more than one hundred full-color photographs of the house's graceful exterior, its elegant rooms and furnishings, and the many architectural details that have made Homewood so beloved.

Winner of a 2005 Heritage Book Award given by the Maryland Historical Trust. Baltimore's Homewood was a wedding gift from Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, to his son Charles Jr. and his bride, Harriet Chew Carroll. Located on 130 acres of rolling meadow and forest, it afforded picturesque view to the harbor. The couple built a "full and genteel establishment," a grand yet intimate summer house that exemplifies the work of the most skilled Baltimore craftsmen of the Federal period. Construction began in 1801 and incorporated a classical five-part Palladian plan, with two hyphens flanking the main block and connecting it to two wings, or dependencies. Spending far more than his father had anticipated, Charles Jr. used only the finest materials then available and included extraordinary architectural details throughout the house. Homewood endures today as one of the finest examples of Federal-period domestic architecture in the United States. Sold by the Carroll family in 1838, the house and grounds eventually became the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University. In 1971, Homewood received National Historic Landmark status, and five years later—through the generosity of Robert G. Merrick, an alumnus and university patron who developed a love for Homewood as a student in the 1920s—Johns Hopkins University began a major restoration effort. Today, open to the public as a museum, the house reflects the height of early-nineteenth-century style and the tastes of the Carroll family. In a lavishly illustrated yet scholarly study of this exquisite American residence, Catherine Rogers Arthur and Cindy Kelly explore Homewood's history, detailing its construction, reliving the Carroll family's experiences here, and recounting the expert restoration that preserves this home for generations to come. The book includes more than one hundred full-color photographs of the house's graceful exterior, its elegant rooms and furnishings, and the many architectural details that have made Homewood so beloved.

From “master of language” (The New York Times) John Edgar Wideman, a reissue of the revered trilogy that launched his career—two novels and story collection all set in Wideman’s own hometown. Damballah, Hiding Place, and Sent for You Yesterday provide a stunning introduction to the uncompromising work of John Edgar Wideman, whose literary achievements have inspired The New York Times to name him “one of America’s premier writers of fiction.” Damballah’s narratives examine the vexed history of Homewood, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhood whose origins are rooted in a time when slavery was still legal in the United States of America. The novels Hiding Place and Sent for You Yesterday personalize and interrogate that history’s presence in the contemporary lives of Homewood people and all Americans. Deeply concerned that designations such as “economically oppressed” or “Black” continue to dismiss and marginalize rather than embrace communities like the one in which he was raised, John Edgar Wideman—employing words on the page as his weapon—has dedicated himself to recording the weight, beauty, complexity, and justice that he believes Homewood’s voices, stories, and lives have earned and deserve. In 1983, The Homewood Trilogy signaled the arrival of a major voice in American literature. Forty years later, this edition of the Trilogy celebrates Wideman’s ongoing contribution by offering these masterworks to a new generation of readers.

Cedar Grove, The Cliffs, Grumblethorpe, Mount Airy, Bartram's House and Garden: Accommodation of the Vernacular

Believe is a story of inspiration and faith. This positive and uplifting novel depicts the journey of a young woman from adolescence to adulthood as she struggles to find herself and her purpose in life. Throughout her evolution, Kayla meets a young man, finds romance, and learns to trust and love! Kayla is overcome with grief from losing her mother at a very young age and she is forced to live in a residential facility for young women because her grandmother is not healthy enough to have custody of her. Although Kayla feels alone and afraid at times, she finds the courage and strength to face obstacles in her life with the help and support of her best friend. Kayla extremely misses her mother and feels responsible for taking care of her elderly grandmother, whom she loves so much. Kayla realizes that she has someone she can trust at the residential facility when she develops a close bond with the house manager. A teacher at KaylaaEUR(tm)s school will mentor her as she discovers a talent that will change her life forever. She learns to believe. Cover design created by Melissa Franklin.

The great majority of the South's plantation homes have been destroyed over time, and many have long been forgotten. In Lost Plantations of the South, Marc R. Matrana weaves together photographs, diaries and letters, architectural renderings, and other rare documents to tell the story of sixty of these vanquished estates and the people who once called them home. From plantations that were destroyed by natural disaster such as Alabama's Forks of Cypress, to those that were intentionally demolished such as Seven Oaks in Louisiana and Mount Brilliant in Kentucky, Matrana resurrects these lost mansions. Including plantations throughout the South as well as border states, Matrana carefully tracks the histories of each from the earliest days of construction to the often contentious struggles to preserve these irreplaceable historic treasures. Lost Plantations of the South explores the root causes of demise and provides understanding and insight on how lessons learned in these sad losses can help prevent future preservation crises. Capturing the voices of masters and mistresses alongside those of slaves, and featuring more than one hundred elegant archival illustrations, this book explores the powerful and complex histories of these cardinal homes across the South.