During the last 150 years, many of the South’s magnificent antebellum mansions have been lost to time. But now a Georgia author has recaptured the stories and images of 94 of these historic homes.

On Friday, author Michael Kitchens will give a lecture and book signing for “Ghosts of Grandeur: Georgia’s Lost Antebellum Homes and Plantations.”

Sponsored by the Bulloch County Historical Society, the lecture is part of the Jack N. and Addie D. Averitt Foundation Lecture Series, which annually presents outstanding thinkers and authors who contribute to the understanding and appreciation of Southern literature, history and culture. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Emma Kelly Theater.

Prior to the lecture, a reception will begin at 6 p.m. in the Averitt Center’s Main Gallery for its next exhibition, “Lamar Dodd: Timeless.” Lecture attendees are also invited to the reception. Following the lecture, Kitchens will be on hand to sign copies of his work. Books may be purchased that night for the discounted price of $50. Credit cards cannot be accepted.

Since childhood, Kitchens has been captivated by the plantation manors and townhouses of the South’s elite. Through extensive research, he has compiled the stories of each house and the families who lived there.

“Ghosts of Grandeur” won the Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Medal as the nation’s Best New Voice in Non-Fiction. Kitchens’ book also was awarded the Silver Medal by the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in 2013 in the History category.

Kitchens asks that anyone with information or photographs of lost antebellum homes anywhere in the South contact him at P.O. Box 963, Athens, GA 30603, or visit www.ghostsofgrandeur.com and leave him an email.

The lecture is part of the Averitt Center’s 10 Days Marking 10 Years celebration, which begins today and runs through Sept. 21. For more information, call the center at (912) 212-2787 or visit www.averittcenterforthearts.org.