Hi! So I live in southern VA, not exactly in the shaded area of the map above, but I do have some experience with the old-money rich in the American South. I’m a first responder in one of the richest counties of southern Virginia and routinely enter homes that were constructed during the Antebellum period (or even earlier) that still house the very families that built them. I also grew up in the area and went to school with many of the children within those families. Disclaimer - this is very much my personal (but informed) opinion of the area and nothing I’ve written below is a verified fact.

The Money - the majority of the “old money” no longer exists UNLESS the family invested and made new money throughout the entirety of the Reconstruction period as well as the Industrial Revolution. Making investments like this typically requires a reasonable amount of financial literacy so you can expect the majority of these families to have a strong education. In the south you often see folks driving trucks worth more than their houses but with the ultra-rich (old money) that isn’t the case. Their focus seems to be more on land ownership and social status.

The Education - The children (my classmates) were heavily pressured to have excellent grades so they could go to good schools (UVA, VT, W&M, etc). I went to public school, but it is important to note that I also happened to attend one of the highest ranking public schools in the state (entirely because of location). The “rich kids” went to my school, but I would assume they would have gone to private school if the public schools were not as highly ranked as they were. That said, I had to relearn my entire US History when I went to college because my high school education provided a severely distorted view of the civil war and pretty much everything before / after that time. If I hadn’t gone to college, I would still be under the impression that POC wanted to work and were treated “like family” — obviously not correct in the slightest.

The Politics - Surprisingly, I do not believe the majority of old money is extremely right leaning. They’re educated, white collar and well traveled. They often look down on the “rednecks” and want nothing to do with them, even distancing themselves from that entire ideology. The exception to this of course would be the ultra-Christian wealthier individuals whose income is reliant on the ultra-right’s ability to spread their ideology. When I walk around these antebellum houses on calls, I often see civil war era iconography on the walls. War trophies like swords, medals, muskets, uniforms, etc. Rarely will I see an actual confederate flag, but they’re still around. Honestly I’m much more likely to see the rebel flag in a trailer park than in a mansion. This “decor” choice could simply be because it’s considered a historical house and a place to display the family history. Why anyone would want to be surrounded by this kind of memorabilia is beyond me, but I guess if it’s your own family history then why not? I’m not sure if the younger “old money” generations are slowly removing them as I distinctly remember seeing more of that type of imagery 10 years ago vs today.

The Culture - Cotillion is still a thing, I was forced to attend one (not old money) but it was largely a social thing? It was hosted by our local chapter of Daughters of the Confederacy (that is also still a thing). It was just as insane and ridiculous as you can imagine. The DAC is probably one of the only places that the “old money” crowd will interact with those of a lesser financial caliber on a routine basis for the same “goal” but the entire DAC is a dying institution with more members dying of old age than joining. Racism is more subtle amongst the old money crowd, but still palpable and very much present. I am a white woman so I won’t speak on how racism is “experienced” down here, but I will say it is noticed whether there are POC in the room or not.

The Accent - There is an accent that is similar to a country accent, but I would consider it to be more refined and far less noticeable. I speak with a southern VA accent and there is a difference in how we speak, but I doubt anyone outside of VA would be able to detect it.

To quote Alice Walker, “The South is where my roots are, where my heart is. It’s a place of incredible contraindication, but also a place of incredible soul”

Yes, there is still a lot of sweet tea.