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INTRODUCTION
By W. P. TRENT
Probably the first feeling of the reader
who glances over the table of contents of
this volume will be one of surprise at the number
of Southern towns of historical importance
that the editor has seen fit and been able to
include. Neither from our study of American
history nor from our study of geography have
we been led to look upon the Southern States
as a region characterized by urban development.
Those of us who took the pains to
examine the statistics of the census of 1890
remember that the South stood far behind the
other sections in this respect. We remember,
too, to have seen in our histories the thickly
settled New England township contrasted with
the large, sparsely settled Southern county.
In literature the South has figured as a region
of plantations and manor houses inhabited by