In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the southern part of the United States (especially in Maryland, Virginia, and North and South Carolina), wealthy farmers, mostly from English backgrounds, owned “plantations” Plantations were big areas of land for farming tobacco, cotton, or food. Most work on the plantations was done by slaves from Africa. The owners lived in large homes, often made of brick. Most of the plantations had big porches in front and in back to catch any breezes in the hot weather of the South. In Louisiana, French plantation owners used a more French building style for their homes. They built their wide porches, or balconies, on the second floor, which was the main living area, to get more air. Often there were fancy iron railings around these balconies.