Join us in welcoming beloved author Virginia Beach for a book launch celebration of her newest piece of work, American Landmark: Charles Duell and the Rebirth of Middleton Place, hosted by the Middleton Place Foundation. When Beach undertook writing the history of the Middleton Place Foundation, she began by tracing the early life of Middleton descendant Charles Duell, who established the nonprofit foundation in 1974. Seeking to understand the importance of Middleton Place in the pantheon of American landmarks, the author also examined some 400 years of the historical record – starting with the colonial era and the American Revolution, through the Civil War and Reconstruction, and into the 20th and 21st centuries. Affirming Ralph Waldo Emerson’s thesis that “there is properly no history, only biography,” American Landmark weaves together myriad biographical stories, introducing us to an array of protagonists – both White and Black – associated with Middleton Place. Whether a president of the First Continental Congress, a schooner captain, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, or a pastry cook – the lives of numerous Middletons are intertwined with those of the enslaved men and women, and their descendants, who served them. Moreover, Middleton Place has become a nexus for truth seeking and reconciliation as Americans pursue a fuller understanding of their past.
This event is in-person, free, and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. To RSVP, please fill out the form below.
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