The Society of the Whitfields

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT

NEW BOOK

We are pleased to announce the publication of an exciting new book, White Hall: The Town That Refused to Die, which chronicles the history of William Whitfield's plantation on the Neuse River and the town that subsequently emerged on its grounds.

The story begins with the Saponi Indians, who inhabited the area in the early eighteenth century, and continues with William's acquisition of the property in 1745. William made his home here for more than thirty years, after which the plantation passed through the hands of several successive owners. The book traces these changes in ownership and the events that eventually transformed the plantation into a thriving riverside community.

In 1845, portions of the plantation were divided into lots along the Neuse River, providing sites for homes and businesses and laying the foundation for the emerging town. This growing community suffered a devastating setback in December 1862, when Union and Confederate forces clashed at White Hall, leaving much of the town in ruins. In the difficult years that followed the Civil War, residents gradually began the arduous task of rebuilding their homes, businesses, and community.

The remainder of the book chronicles White Hall's remarkable recovery and subsequent prosperity between 1870 and 1900. Drawing upon a wealth of contemporary accounts from more than fifty North Carolina newspapers, the narrative offers a vivid portrait of everyday life in the town, its challenges and achievements, and the determination of its residents to rebuild and prosper. These newspaper accounts bring the town's history to life, revealing the resilience, enterprise, and community spirit that sustained White Hall through decades of change.

For the first time, the complete story of White Hall, from its origins as a colonial plantation to its emergence as a flourishing nineteenth-century town, is brought together in a single historical narrative. White Hall: The Town That Refused to Die preserves a previously untold chapter of North Carolina history while paying tribute to the generations of residents whose perseverance enabled their community not merely to survive, but to flourish.

White Hall: The Town That Refused to Die is available only online (not in stores) in hardback, paperback, and eBook editions. Find it at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, ebay.com, and a number of other websites.