Plantations of Virginia

By Jai Williams and Charlene C. Giannetti. Southern plantations are an endless source of fascination.  That’s no surprise since these palatial homes are rich in history, representing a pivotal time in US history that truly is “gone with the wind.”  With the Civil War literally exploding all around, many of these homes were occupied either by Confederate or Union troops.  Nowhere else in the South were plantations so affected by the nation’s bloodiest war than in Virginia. At times, families fled, leaving behind enslaved people to manage the property. There are still over 40 plantations in Virginia today, most of them open to the public.