 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Shirley Plantation featured in Russian Agriculture Documentary
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shirley Plantation, Virginia’s oldest plantation (1613) and North America’s oldest family business (1638), was selected to participate in a Russian documentary by the United States Office of Agricultural Affairs in Moscow (a USDA affiliate). On Wednesday, September 26, Konstantin A. Mezentsev, Deputy Editor in Chief of Kul’tur, (the last independent television station in Russia) along with his film crew spent the day interviewing Charles H. Carter III, 11th generation of the Hill Carter family. Areas filmed include original colonial buildings and the Shirley Great House (1738) on the banks of the James River. Interior filming focused on the original portraits and rare book collection passed down through the family for 11 generations. The Russian film crew was particularly intrigued with the family’s commitment to the land and their ability to continue their agriculture business through so many wars, hardships, and economic cycles. This history based documentary shifted its focus from the economic impact of America’s Civil War on farming to the commitment of one family and their connection to the land and their determination to keep it in the family. Mezentsev said, “The economic facts, figures and methodology can be found in history books; we want to know more about the people connecting to their land. In Russia, those working and caring for the land rarely, if ever, actually own any property. It is apparent that part of the agricultural success in America is directly related to the commitment of the farmer to the family’s land.” Epitomizing the commitment to family land is the 11th generation of the Hill Carter family, who to this day continue to own and manage Shirley Plantation’s farm land as did the preceding ten generations. Charles Carter III, in collaboration with Virginia Tech’s soil science department, has reclaimed acreage previously mined for sand and gravel back into agriculture production over the past eight years. Another documentary by a U.S. film company on land reclamation is scheduled for October 2007. Once the translated documentary is received, Shirley Plantation will host “an evening at the movies” in one of its original colonial outbuildings featuring this film. Dates of the airing will be announced at a later time. Shirley is open daily for tours from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is located on Scenic Route 5, just 10 miles east of Richmond and 35 miles west of Williamsburg/Jamestown. For more information call 1-800-232-1613. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| <<Previous | Next>> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2007 Shirley Plantation. All rights reserved. Website: First Graphics, Inc.