Eyre Hall

In 2017, Dr Carl Lounsbury began a three year study of Eyre Hall, an 18th century plantation on Virginia's Eastern Shore.  About two dozen W&M students worked with Dr. Lounsbury to gather evidence from primary sources, studying records such as maps, inventories, and account books and performing archaeological and architectural fieldwork.   

Their collected research is an invaluable resource that documents the material and cultural history of one family in one place over multiple generations, spanning from the elite planter society of early Virginia, through the American Revolution and Civil War, and into the 20th century's preservation efforts.   

The resulting volume, The Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History, edited by Dr. Lounsbury and published in 2021, is a comprehensive catalog of the fortunes of the Eyre family, the architecture of Eyre Hall, and the landscape of the grounds.  It includes a catalog of material objects and oral histories, and features essays by five NIAHD students as well as several William & Mary alumni who collaborated on the project.