what the heck are all the ruins and whatnot? its quite a backdrop for the photographs. hopefully they all survive and continue to do ok! nice work on these.
dorian wrote:
what the heck are all the ruins and whatnot? its quite a backdrop for the photographs. hopefully they all survive and continue to do ok! nice work on these.
dorian
Dorian,
Per Wikipedia about Dungeness:
Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene's wife, Catherine, built a huge, four-story tabby mansion on top of an Indian shell mound. She named it Dungeness. The mansion, with 6-foot (1.8 m) thick walls at the base, featured four chimneys and 16 fireplaces, and was surrounded by 12 acres (49,000 m2) of gardens. Dungeness was the site of many special social galas, where statesmen and military leaders enjoyed the Millers' (Cathrine and new Husband) hospitality. When the island was briefly occupied during the War of 1812, the British used Dungeness as their headquarters. They also freed the American slaves on the island.[1]
Records show that in 1846, there were 36 white people and 400 enslaved people. With the end of slavery after the Civil War and a changing economy, the plantation was not profitable. Dungeness deteriorated and the family moved away. Dungeness burned down in 1866.
In the 1880s Thomas M. Carnegie, brother of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, and his wife Lucy bought land on Cumberland for a winter retreat. In 1884, they began building a mansion on the site of Dungeness, though Carnegie never lived to see its completion. Lucy and their nine children continued to live on the island, naming their mansion Dungeness after that of Greene. Dungeness was designed as a 59-room Scottish castle. They also built pools, a golf course, and 40 smaller buildings to house the 200 servants who worked at the mansion. The last time Dungeness was used was for the 1929 wedding of a Carnegie daughter. After the Crash and the Great Depression, the family left the island and kept the mansion vacant. It burned in a 1959 fire, believed to have been started by a poacher who had been shot in the leg by a caretaker weeks before. Today, the ruins of the mansion remain on the southern end of the island. The Carnegie family owned 90% of the island.
Excellent and interesting set, Dave! The ruin backdrop make the first two shots my favorite.
I saw the ruins on the net when you told me about this place, but the presence of the horses gives a special character to the images.
Socrate
The shots in the ruins sure are unique, that for me sets them apart from the others. I also like stacked head shot. An informative and well shot post Dave
