When they declared independence in Philadelphia in 1776, they changed the course of Western history. But the patriots—landowners, merchants, and professional men who hailed from towns, cities, and plantations scattered along the eastern seaboard—had private lives too, quite apart from the public deeds we know so well. In this breathtaking volume, historian Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Straus examine the everyday lives of the Founding Fathers.

Houses of the Founding Fathers takes us on an eye-opening tour of forty stately eighteenth-century houses. We see the mansions of such legendary figures as Jefferson, Washington, Adams, and Hamilton, along with the homes of many other signers of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. At sites from Maine to Georgia, with stops in each of the thirteen colonies, the grand story of the Revolution emerges from unique and individual domestic perspectives.

Houses overlooking the sea, in busy townscapes, or atop mountains reveal these patriots’ tastes in architecture, furniture, and horticulture. There are tales of friends and enemies, murderous relatives, reluctant revolutionaries, adoring wives, and runaway servants. The founding families are brought to life in the rituals of birth and death, the food they ate, the archaic medical practices they endured, their household arrangements, and the way their slaves lived.

Houses of the Founding Fathers offers a penetrating look at the private lives of the men whose ideas ignited an insurrection against England—and who helped create the modern world.

When they declared independence in Philadelphia in 1776, they changed the course of Western history. But the patriots—landowners, merchants, and professional men who hailed from towns, cities, and plantations scattered along the eastern seaboard—had private lives too, quite apart from the public deeds we know so well. In this breathtaking volume, historian Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Straus examine the everyday lives of the Founding Fathers.

Houses of the Founding Fathers takes us on an eye-opening tour of forty stately eighteenth-century houses. We see the mansions of such legendary figures as Jefferson, Washington, Adams, and Hamilton, along with the homes of many other signers of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. At sites from Maine to Georgia, with stops in each of the thirteen colonies, the grand story of the Revolution emerges from unique and individual domestic perspectives.

Houses overlooking the sea, in busy townscapes, or atop mountains reveal these patriots’ tastes in architecture, furniture, and horticulture. There are tales of friends and enemies, murderous relatives, reluctant revolutionaries, adoring wives, and runaway servants. The founding families are brought to life in the rituals of birth and death, the food they ate, the archaic medical practices they endured, their household arrangements, and the way their slaves lived.

Houses of the Founding Fathers offers a penetrating look at the private lives of the men whose ideas ignited an insurrection against England—and who helped create the modern world.

"What a smart, elegantly conceived book this is! Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Strauss III walk us through the homes of our Founding Fathers, transporting us back in time. A real treasure!"
–Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge and The Boys of Pointe du Hoc

“By bringing us into the homes of our founders, Houses of the Founding Fathers makes them come alive and reminds us that they were wonderfully human. With great pictures and research, this book allows us to imagine their footsteps and to feel our kinship with them. After reading it, I felt wrapped in the warmth of our heritage.”
—Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin and Einstein

“What a smart, elegantly conceived book this is. Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Straus III walk us through the homes of our Founding Fathers, transporting us back in time. A real treasure!”
—Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge and The Boys of Pointe du Hoc

A riveting look at the domestic world of the Founding Fathers — their private lives, families, passions, culture, aspirations.

When they declared independence in Philadelphia in 1776, they changed the course of Western history. But the patriots—a mix of landowners, merchants, and professionals— had private lives too, quite apart from the public personae presented in textbooks. In this breathtaking volume, historian Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Straus examine the everyday lives of the Founding Fathers.

This book takes us on an eye-opening tour of 40 stately 18th-century houses. We see the mansions of such legendary figures as Jefferson, Washington, Adams, and Hamilton, along with the homes of many other signers of the Declaration of Independence or Constitution. With stops in each of the 13 colonies, the grand story of the Revolution emerges from individual domestic perspectives.

These pages are peopled with the wives, children, servants, and slaves of the Founding Fathers. Homes overlooking the sea, in busy towns, or atop mountains reveal these patriots' tastes in architecture, furniture, and horticulture. The text is chock-full of fascinating historical details, from what George Washington ate for dinner to how Alexander Hamilton shopped for a bride.

The result is a penetrating look at the private lives of the men whose ideas ignited an insurrection against England—and who helped create the modern world.

"The 40 houses and 48 people profiled in this lushly illustrated coffee-table book provide a sense of place for the American Revolution. Hugh Howard's text peoples the bare rooms in the reader's mind, and Straus' photographs give the armchair traveler a good sense of what tourists experience, if not a complete historical accounting."
—San Francisco Chronicle

Hugh Howard has spent much of the last twenty years pursuing his passion for historic architecture. He is the author of nine books in the field, including the recent Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson: Rediscovering the Founding Fathers of American Architecture. He has also worked as a writer and researcher for the A&E series In Search of Palladio. He lives in East Chatham, New York, with his wife and two daughters.

Publisher: Artisan
Distributor: Barnes and Noble
Publication Date: 11-06-2007
Pages: 354
Measurements: 11.31in X 11.25in X 1.38in X 5.09lb