Go “Behind the Lens” on The Journey Through Hallowed Ground with National Geographic Photographer Ken Garrett at the Virginia Festival of the Book

For Immediate Release  
March 16, 2009
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Waterford, Virginia — Starting in Charlottesville, running north along the Old Carolina Road (Routes 231 and 15) through Orange, Culpeper, Loudoun, into Frederick and ending in Gettysburg, no other region in the nation is more saturated with American history than this one. Bringing the past and present alive in breathtaking photographs and stirring words, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground: Birthplace of the American Ideal is a highly celebrated book that portrays this special area and is featured this week at the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville.

National Geographic and award-winning cover photographer Kenneth L. Garrett will describe his experiences “behind the lens” when shooting for the brilliant book while Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership President Cate Magennis Wyatt will provide keen insight on the stories behind the seminal work.

Published by the National Geographic Society, it depicts how today’s vibrant Main Street communities within the region have evolved over time as a result of actions taken by renown historical leaders -- men and women known worldwide -- as well as by everyday citizens -- people who remain unknown even to this day, but willing to fight for the future of this nation and generations to come.

National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Edward Ayers described it this way: “On every page, this book evokes the beauty of America’s hallowed ground. In a rich tapestry of images and words, it weaves a powerful history that stretches for centuries across the most dramatic events this country has known.”

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground was recently designated a National Heritage Area by congress and the president. It is also known as the region Where America Happened because of the 11,000 years of dense history the corridor has experienced, from ancient burial grounds and Native American history to 400 years of European, American and African American heritage. Today, nine U.S. presidential homes grace the rolling hills, along with two World Heritage sites, 49 National Heritage districts and more than a million acres on the National Registry of Historic Places. Each of these sites represents stories of personal sacrifices and contributions made, which collectively have created and sustained this country’s “American Ideals.”

“Even in these difficult economic times when men and women struggle to find a job, we are well served to consider the far more daunting choices faced by our early countrymen,” explained Ms. Magennis-Wyatt. “This book reveals the remarkable resilience and fortitude of Americans, who with each generation have demonstrated constancy in the belief that we can leave each generation better for our individual acts of courage and duty to community.”