In Front of the Big House is a Must-Read for a Nation Reexamining Its Past

Bobby L Dennis & Ser Seshab Heter C.M. Boxley’s In Front of the Big House is a powerful, meticulously researched, and urgently relevant exploration of how the American South commemorates slavery and emancipation. More than just a book about historic sites, this work is a courageous excavation of the landscapes of memory—those physical and symbolic spaces that have long centered the narratives of the enslavers while marginalizing the lived experiences of the enslaved.

Dennis and Boxley curate a striking collection of essays, case studies, and interpretive strategies that challenge traditional plantation tourism and ask: Who gets to tell the story of the South? The book illuminates the hidden histories “in front of the big house”—the slave quarters, the work sites, the kitchens—and the people who endured, resisted, and reshaped those places. In doing so, it offers a new model for public history, one that confronts uncomfortable truths without erasing complexity.

History is preserved by those who recognize the gift left to them by the struggles  of those we decend from.

What sets this book apart is its interdisciplinary rigor and practical application. Historians, curators, educators, and site interpreters will find in these pages both a moral call and a methodological guide. Dennis and Boxley does not simply critique the past; They offers a blueprint for more inclusive, honest storytelling—one that is both healing and just.

As national conversations around racial justice, historical memory, and cultural heritage continue to evolve, In Front of the Big House positions itself at the vanguard. It’s not only a book about how we remember, it’s about how we must change what we remember, and why.

A definitive contribution to the fields of American history, museum studies, and cultural preservation, Morton’s work should be required reading in classrooms and museums across the country.