The Richmond Hill Historical Society will host author Rand Wood Tuttle as guest speaker of its monthly lecture series at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Richmond Hill Museum.

Tuttle will present a talk on his newest book, “Weepin’ Times.” The book is a historical novel based on true events centered around life on two large antebellum plantations along the Georgia coast: Hampton Point, a cotton plantation, and Butler Island, a rice plantation.

The plantations, situated in the Altamaha River delta are both owned by Pierce Butler, an absentee landlord. His strong personality affects his family and the lives of the slaves on the two plantations.

The novel is based on historic fact and covers the antebellum period from the early 1800s through Reconstruction. The story centers on the lives of two formidable slave women, Aunt Mollie and Raylin, their slave community and the Butler and King families who own and manage the plantations

Tuttle lives on St. Simons Island on property that was once part of Hampton Point, a plantation that is central to the story, “Weepin’ Times.” Tuttle has served as director of the coastal Georgia Historical Society and is a journalist. The author grew up in the south and spent a number of years in South Africa during the apartheid years.

The lecture will be followed by a book signing and reception.

Call 756-3697 for more information or for directions.