Waters Plantation by Myra Hargrave McIlvain

QUINCY, Ill. - Sept. 28, 2022 - PRLog -- It is 1875 in Texas, and Albert Waters takes pride in his image—prosperous merchant and plantation owner who freed slaves before the Civil War and gave them land afterward. Then his son Toby, ready to depart for Harvard Medical College, demands answers. Was his mother a slave?

Al and the Waters plantation co-operative of freedmen create a thriving community as they educate their children and work their land. They organize against political forces trying to regain control through rape, lynchings, and the rise of the KKK.

Al finds new life when Amelia arrives to rekindle their long-ago love. In the rapidly changing world swirling around him, Albert must confront the image he holds of himself if he wants to keep Toby and Amelia, the two people he loves most.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Myra Hargrave McIlvain is a sixth generation Texan and a storyteller who began her career writing a family humor column while she raised her two children. After the nest emptied, her background in Texas history led to Austin where she wrote Texas historical markers that line the highways, designate historic homes, and chronicle the lives of cemetery residents.

McIlvain's love of a good story prompted her to write six nonfiction books about famous and infamous Texas sites and characters. Her most recent, Texas Tales, Stories that Shaped a Landscape and a People, is a collection of 113 of her favorite Texas history blog posts.

After several years offering Texas seminars, Myra and her husband began taking her classes on one-day historic trips that led to a worldwide tour business. When she retired, McIlvain lectured for the continuing education program at the University of Texas and other venues across the state. She published her first historical fiction in 2012 and is currently working on her fifth, The Reluctant Bride.

Whether she is telling stories in her books, her blogs, or her lectures, Myra McIlvain views history as the story of a people, and the people she knows best have made Texas home.

To purchase a copy of Waters Planatation, please visit the Indies United website at https://www.indiesunited.net/waters-plantation