Shirley Plantation
Editor’s Note: Often considered one of the more important “Lost Cause” post-bellum narratives, Letitia Burwell’s A Girl’s Life in Virginia Before the War offers a captivating glimpse of life in the Old South. Her grandfather had been Thomas Jefferson’s private secretary and her father served in the Virginia legislature ten times. Americans often marvel at the social mores and customs of old Europe–see the popularity of the PBS series Downton Abbey–but consider similar stories from the American South to be fabricated. This has more to do with preconceived prejudices than historical knowledge or understanding, for if the Burwell was telling the truth (why would she lie?) then modern interpretations of the South are the real “myth” of American history.
The extent of these estates precluding the possibility of near neighbors, their isolation would have been intolerable but for the custom of visiting which prevailed among us. Many houses were filled with visitors the greater part of the year, and these usually remained two or three weeks. Visiting tours were made in our private carriages, each family making at least one such tour a year. Nor was it necessary to announce these visits by message or letter, each house being considered always ready, and “entertaining company” being the occupation of the people. Sometimes two or three carriages might be descried in the evening coming up to the door through the Lombardy poplar avenue, – the usual approach to many old houses; whereupon ensued a lively flutter among small servants, who, becoming generally excited, speedily got them into their clean aprons, and ran to open gates and to remove parcels from carriages. Lady visitors were always accompanied by colored maids, although sure of finding a superfluity of these at each establishment. The mistress of the house always received her guests in the front porch, with a sincere and cordial greeting.
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