diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/53830-h/53830-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53830-h/53830-h.htm | 2639 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 2639 deletions
diff --git a/old/53830-h/53830-h.htm b/old/53830-h/53830-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 797463f..0000000 --- a/old/53830-h/53830-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2639 +0,0 @@ -<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> -<title>Natchez, Symbol of the Old South, Arizona, by Nola Nance Oliver: a Project Gutenberg eBook</title> -<meta name="author" content="Nola Nance Oliver" /> -<meta name="pss.pubdate" content="1940" /> -<link rel="schema.DC" href="http://dublincore.org/documents/1998/09/dces/" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="Natchez, Symbol of the Old South" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Format" content="text/html" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1940" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Nola Nance Oliver" /> -<style type="text/css"> -body { margin-right:4em; margin-left:4em; } -blockquote { margin-right:0; margin-left:2em; } - -table.header { margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; clear:both; } -table.header tr td { font-weight:bold; font-size:110%; } -table.header img { margin-bottom:1em; } -table { margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; } - -h1 { text-align:center; clear:both; } -h2 { text-align:center; clear:both; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:1.5em; } -h3 { text-align:center; clear:both; font-family:sans-serif; margin-top:1.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; font-size:100%; } -h4 { text-align:center; clear:both; } - -.large { font-size:125%; } -.small { font-size:90%; } -.smaller { font-size:75%; } -.sc { font-variant:small-caps; font-style: normal; } -.hst { margin-left:2em; } -.l { text-align:left; } -.c { text-align:center; } -.r { text-align:right; } -.b { font-weight:bold; } -.u { text-decoration:underline; } -.ss { font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:bold; } -.gs { letter-spacing:1.5em; } -.jr1 { text-align:right; } - -.w100 { margin-left:0; width:100%; margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em; border-bottom:medium double black; } -hr { width:40%; margin-left:30%; } - -div.img { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; text-align:center; clear:both; margin-top:1.5em; } -div.head { margin-bottom:2em; } -div.img+p { margin-top:1.5em; } -p { text-align:justify; text-indent:1.5em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } -p.center { text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; clear:both; } -p.tbcenter { text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:1em; clear:both; } -p.caption { text-align:justify; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; - margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; max-width:30em; } -p.caphead, p.capbody { text-align:justify; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; - margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; max-width:30em; } -p.capbodyxx { text-align:justify; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; font-size:90%; font-style:italic; } -p.capcenter { text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; font-size:90%; font-style:italic; } -.caption .verse { font-size:90%; font-style:italic; margin-top:0; } -.caption .verse .t0 { margin-left:7em; } -div.caption { margin-bottom:1.5em; } -p.author { text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; font-weight:bold; font-size:90%; } -p.source { text-indent:-1em; margin-left:1em; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:1em; font-size:90%; } - -p.lr, div.lr, span.lr { display:block; text-indent:0; margin-left:0em; margin-right:1em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:right; } -.center, .tbcenter { text-align:center; clear:both; } /* TEXTUAL MARKUP */ -span.center { display:block; } -p.tb { margin-top:1.5em; } - - /* TOCILL */ -.tocl dt { text-align:right; clear:both; } -.tocl dt a { text-align:left; float:left; display:inline-block; } - /* PAGE BREAKS */ -span.pb, div.pb, dt.pb, p.pb { text-align:right; float:right; margin-right:0em; clear:right; } -div.pb { display:inline; } -.pb, dt.pb, dl.toc dt.pb, dl.tocl dt.pb, .index dt.pb - { text-align:right; float:right; margin-left: 1.5em; - margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; display:inline; text-indent:0; - font-size:80%; font-style:normal; font-weight:bold; - color:gray; border:1px solid gray;padding:1px 3px; } -div.index .pb { display:block; } -.bq div.pb, .bq span.pb { font-size:90%; margin-right:2em; } - - /* INDEX */ -.index dt { text-align:right; clear:both; } -.index dt span.jl { text-align:left; float:left; } -.index dt.center { text-align:center; } - /* VERSE */ -.verse { text-align:left; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:0em; } -p.t0, p.l { margin-left:4em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.lb { margin-left:4em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.tw, div.tw, .tw { margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t, div.t, .t { margin-left:5em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t2, div.t2, .t2 { margin-left:6em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t3, div.t3, .t3 { margin-left:7em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t4, div.t4, .t4 { margin-left:8em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t5, div.t5, .t5 { margin-left:9em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t6, div.t6, .t6 { margin-left:10em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t7, div.t7, .t7 { margin-left:11em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t8, div.t8, .t8 { margin-left:12em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t9, div.t9, .t9 { margin-left:13em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t10, div.t10,.t10 { margin-left:14em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t11, div.t11,.t11 { margin-left:15em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t12, div.t12,.t12 { margin-left:16em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t13, div.t13,.t13 { margin-left:17em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t14, div.t14,.t14 { margin-left:18em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } -p.t15, div.t15,.t15 { margin-left:19em; text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-align:left; } - -.fnblock { margin-top:2em; } -.fndef { text-align:justify; margin-top:1.5em; margin-left:1.5em; text-indent:-1.5em; } -.fndef p.fncont, .fndef dl { margin-left:0em; text-indent:0em; } -sup, a.fn { font-size:75%; vertical-align:100%; line-height:50%; font-weight:normal; } -h2 a.fn { font-size:50%; vertical-align:120%; font-weight:normal; } -h3 a.fn { font-size:50%; font-weight:normal; } -dl.biblio dt { margin-left:4em; text-indent:-4em; text-align:justify; } - -dl.toc dt { margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em; } -dl.toc dd { margin-left:3em; text-indent:-1em; } -dl.toc dd.ddt { margin-left:5em; text-indent:-1em; } - -dl.dlblock dt { margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:.5em; text-align:justify; } -dl.dlblock dd { margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; text-align:justify; margin-left:0em; } - -dl.undent dt { margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em; } - -.ab, .abl { -font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; -border-style:solid; border-color:gray; border-width:1px; -margin-right:0px; margin-top:5px; -display:inline-block; text-align:center; } -.ab { width:1em; } -</style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Natchez, Symbol of the Old South, by Nola Nance Oliver - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Natchez, Symbol of the Old South - -Author: Nola Nance Oliver - -Release Date: December 30, 2016 [EBook #53830] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NATCHEZ, SYMBOL OF THE OLD SOUTH *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div id="cover" class="img"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Natchez, Symbol of the Old South" width="598" height="800" /> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig1"> -<img src="images/p01.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="668" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI FROM THE BLUFFS OF NATCHEZ</p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig2"> -<img src="images/p02.jpg" alt="" width="622" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">THE GATES OF DUNLEITH</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_1">1</div> -<div class="img" id="fig3"> -<img src="images/p02a.jpg" alt="Natchez, Symbol of the Old South" width="604" height="800" /> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<p class="center"><span class="large">NOLA NANCE OLIVER</span></p> -<h1><i>Natchez</i> -<br /><span class="smaller">SYMBOL OF THE OLD SOUTH</span></h1> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="small">HASTINGS HOUSE · PUBLISHERS · NEW YORK</span></p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_2">2</div> -<div class="img" id="fig4"> -<img src="images/p03.jpg" alt="" width="633" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MONTEIGNE—<span class="sc">Stairhall</span></p> -</div></div> -<p class="tbcenter">This book is dedicated to Louise and Mary.</p> -<p class="center"><span class="small"><i>Copyright, 1940, by Nola Nance Oliver. Printed in the U. S. A.</i></span></p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_3">3</div> -<h2 id="c1"><i>Foreword</i></h2> -<p>Natchez derives its name from the sun-worshiping Indian tribe, the Natchez, -who were the original owners of the area on which the city is located. It is situated -in Adams county, in the southwestern part of the state of Mississippi, on bluffs -200 feet high overlooking the Mississippi River, and is midway between Memphis -and New Orleans. It is accessible by railway, steamboat, motor highway and airway. -It is particularly proud of the Natchez Trace Parkway, a modern concrete -road over an old Indian trace or trail from Nashville to Natchez. This highway is -a link in one of the most important commercial and historic highways in the -United States reaching from Washington, D. C., to Mexico.</p> -<p>Today Natchez is a recognized center of interest because in the city and its -vicinity there are a greater number of original ante-bellum mansions than in -any other community in America—some 75 or more.</p> -<p>Natchez is the second oldest town in the United States, being next in age to -St. Augustine, Florida. It has lived under five different flags, each of which contributed -romantic flavor to the section. From 1714 to 1763 it was under the flag -of France; from 1764 to 1780 under the flag of England; and from 1780 to 1798 -under the flag of Spain. In 1798 the first United States flag in the Lower Mississippi -Valley was raised in Natchez. Years after the raising of the “stars and -stripes”, another flag which some call “the conquered banner”, the beloved flag -of the Confederate States of America, floated over Natchez, 1861-’65.</p> -<p>Natchez “Under the Hill” applies to that part of the town along the water -front and under the bluffs. It flourished during the heyday of steamboating on the -Mississippi. The inroads of the river have washed away the streets, and only a few -buildings remain. One very interesting home, “Magnolia Vale”, has been preserved -and is presented in this book.</p> -<p>The majority of these old homes contain original pieces of furniture, china, -coin silver service, draperies, carpets, wall decorations of exquisite workmanship, -huge mirrors in massive goldleaf frames, paintings bearing authentic signatures -of great masters, and hand-carved marble mantels. Laces, silks, and rich costumes -are displayed today by third, fourth and fifth generations.</p> -<p>It seems hardly possible that the world could move on and leave one small -community undisturbed in its ancient grandeur. The hand of destiny seems -indeed to uphold and enshrine this hallowed region. The estates have descended -from generation to generation, many of them today being owned and occupied -by descendants of the original owners.</p> -<p>Natchezians have been entirely satisfied, even proud, to be termed “provincial”. -A sense of inherent aristocracy has given these people a secure and placid -self-sufficiency which neither time nor stress of outside conditions nor the frettings -of progress can jar or mar.</p> -<p>Within the past ten years tourists have come. They clamored for entertainment. -And now, maintaining the established reputation for “hospitality of the -true South”, each Spring season Natchez opens wide her gates and invites the -world to come “where the Old South still lives”.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_4">4</div> -<p>The “company dress” of great-grandparents, which has been sacredly stored -away for scores of years, is brought out, and overnight the whole town, in manners -and dress, returns to those halcyon days of long ago. The streets are filled -with young and old in ante-bellum costumes. Sweet olive trees and magnolia -trees are in fragrant bloom, flower gardens are fresh and inviting, moss-draped -oaks ring with the song of native birds, the old homes are opened, treasures are -placed on view, and visitors are given a Southland welcome. The “Pilgrimage” -is on!</p> -<p>In addition to guided tours through ante-bellum houses special entertainments -are planned for each evening. Confederate balls, historical pageants, and many -other colorful events of the past are re-enacted. Spirituals are sung in old-fashioned -Negro churches where the “pahson” is eager to greet “our white -friends”. On spacious plantation grounds an old-time Southern barbecue prepared -by black mammies will be served.</p> -<p>A custom which has long prevailed in Natchez is the placing of coins in a -box for old darky beggars. On Saturdays every merchant observes “Penny Day”, -as it is called. It originated as a time saver, the box being placed in a convenient -location to avoid interruption of the store’s business. There are many regular -“customers” for this feature and they are always welcome. “Penny Day” is a -thoughtful, good-natured gesture to the needy Negro from his “white folks”.</p> -<p>Pictures of the old homes with accurate data and intimate stories and -legends constitute <i>Natchez, Symbol of the Old South</i>. Most of the photographs -are by Earl Norman.</p> -<p>A fascinating visit is given you by one who knows and loves the Southland. -You will be delighted and enriched.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig5"> -<img src="images/p04.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="638" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Uncle Wash, a Regular -Customer on Penny Day</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_5">5</div> -<h2 id="c2"><i>The Natchez Tribe</i></h2> -<p>A bronze plaque of a handsome Indian chief has been erected in a granite -wall overlooking the great “Father of Waters”, in memory of the Natchez Indian -tribe from which the city of Natchez derives its name.</p> -<p>The Natchez Indians were of Aztec origin and were in possession of the -Natchez country when the French came in 1700. They were sun-worshiping -Indians, and their great chief proclaimed himself “brother to the Sun”.</p> -<p>White Apple village, ten miles south of Natchez, was headquarters of the -Natchez tribe. They resented the invasion of the French explorers into their -country, and because of an insult (real or fancied) to their Chief by a French -Commandant, on November 28, 1729, the Indians slaughtered the entire French -settlement at Fort Rosalie. Later a French colony, with the assistance of the -Choctaws, a warring Indian tribe, annihilated every member of the Natchez tribe.</p> -<p>Undoubtedly this was the country of the Natchez tribe, and the beautiful -plaque is a deserved reminder of the days when the land was one hundred per -cent American.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig6"> -<img src="images/p04a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="700" height="710" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_6">6</div> -<div class="img" id="fig7"> -<img src="images/p05.jpg" alt="" width="608" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">ON NATCHEZ TRACE</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div> -<h2 id="c3"><i>Natchez Trace</i></h2> -<p>Opportunity for easy travel, over trails that were once Indian foot paths, is -offered now to motorists on perfect concrete highways. Modern roads, which slowly -evolved from dirt roads to paved highways, stretch from Nashville, Tennessee, -in a continuous smooth concrete ribbon to Natchez, on the great Mississippi -River.</p> -<p>Days when the beauty of the Southland could be viewed only from a steamboat -deck; days when transportation of passenger and freight could be handled -only by oxcart or slow stage coach or horse and buggy (a three-weeks journey -from Nashville to Natchez) are gone forever, and soon the Deep South will be -directly connected by a day’s pleasant journey with all the cities and towns along -the Natchez Trace.</p> -<p>By treaty with Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian tribes the United States Government -in 1801 secured a permit to open the Natchez Trace as a wagon road -over which the mails could travel.</p> -<p>That same trail or “trace” from Nashville to Natchez is 500 miles of consecutive -beauty spots along continuous acres of parkways and historic highways.</p> -<p>Mrs. Roan Fleming Byrnes, serving as President of the Natchez Trace Highway -Committee, in a recent publication says:</p> -<blockquote> -<p>“The ancient trail was traveled by most of the well-known figures in the -history of our country: Jefferson Davis; Peggy and Lorenzo Dow, the -revivalists; the fast riding John Morgan; the famous Audubon. Lafayette -rode over the Trace during his visit to the Natchez country; Aaron Burr -was given his preliminary trial for treason under two liveoaks just beside -the Trace; Meriwether Lewis died at an inn on the Trace when returning -from his Western explorations.</p> -<p>“The life of Andrew Jackson is closely interwoven with the windings -of the Natchez Trace. At Springfield plantation, in Jefferson county, -Mississippi, Jackson was married to Rachael Robards; and, near Nashville, -Tennessee, is the ‘Hermitage’, the home he built for Rachael.</p> -<p>“It was when marching his rejected Tennessee militia homeward over -the Trace from Natchez to Nashville in 1813 that Jackson acquired -his famous nickname, ‘Old Hickory’.”</p> -</blockquote> -<p>The unusual beauty of the deep cut roadways, worn down by travel throughout -the years, and the overlapping, moss-draped trees, will be preserved as far as -possible.</p> -<p>Many of these old roads running into Natchez lead through deep, tunnel-like -ways whose sides are sheer walls ten to eighty feet high and draped with long -fronds of overhanging Spanish moss.</p> -<p>These roadways of tunnels and curves are weird and beautiful, affording an -irresistible attraction for all travelers.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_8">8</div> -<h2 id="c4"><i>Airlie</i></h2> -<p>Built prior to 1790, “Airlie” is a rambling, wide-spread building of cottage -type, on a rolling elevation at the end of Myrtle street. It attracts attention -through its unusual simplicity of exterior. Its architecture is entirely different -from other ante-bellum homes in the community.</p> -<p>This great departure from the usual style is due to the age of Airlie. Its -original building date is ahead of all the available history of Natchez.</p> -<p>Additions have been made, from time to time, until today Airlie stands twelve -rooms broad, reaching a row of venerable cedars with their swaying moss which -sweeps the eaves of this old home of the Ayres P. Merrill family.</p> -<p>The central portion is built on old Spanish style, with beams and timbers held -together by wooden pegs; later additions show that these were made by somewhat -improved methods.</p> -<p>Airlie is often referred to as “the old Buckner home”. It was occupied by the -Buckner family at the time of its first recorded history and during the War Between -the States when conflicts at Airlie left blood stains on its floors and walls which -are clearly visible today.</p> -<p>This house was for a time used as a hospital for Northern soldiers.</p> -<p>When Airlie passed from the Buckner family it became the property of -another family of distinction, that of Ayres P. Merrill, whose descendants occupy -Airlie today, with its treasure of rosewood and mahogany antiques.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig8"> -<img src="images/p06.jpg" alt="Airlie" width="800" height="617" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div> -<div class="img" id="fig9"> -<img src="images/p06a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="553" /> -</div> -<p>The present Merrill family are the proud possessors of hundreds of pieces of -Du Barry and other imported china from France and Belgium, as well as a silver -service of rare design and sacred antiquity which might well excite the envy of -Royalty itself.</p> -<p>There are many persons who believe Airlie was the first residence built in the -Natchez territory. No definite date in authentic records can be found.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig10"> -<img src="images/p06b.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="491" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_10">10</div> -<h2 id="c5"><i>Arlington</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig11"> -<img src="images/p07.jpg" alt="Arlington" width="800" height="678" /> -</div> -<p>Where Natchez’ Main street ends, the great wide gates of Arlington open. -Live oaks with pendant gray moss line the driveway, which winds through beds -of vari-colored irises to one of the most distinctively attractive ante-bellum homes -in the South.</p> -<p>Of Southern Colonial type, constructed of red brick with stately white Tuscan -columns supporting the upper story gallery, Arlington today, more than a century -old, presents a magnificent appearance.</p> -<p>The great carved entrance door leading to the spacious hall is crowned with -intricately wrought fanlights, and the broad veranda is approached by wide -steps of concrete.</p> -<p>Arlington was built for Mrs. Jane White, eldest daughter of Pierre Surget, who -came from France in the early days of Natchez. The house was completed about -1820 but on the very first night of her residence in the home of her heart’s desire -Mrs. White passed away suddenly. Many tales have been told of a mysterious -death but none has been verified. At her death Mrs. White left Arlington and all -its treasures to her sister, Mrs. Bingaman.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div> -<div class="img" id="fig12"> -<img src="images/p07a.jpg" alt="" width="578" height="801" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">HALL</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div> -<div class="img" id="fig13"> -<img src="images/p08.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">IMPOSING COLUMNED DOORWAY LEADING FROM HALL</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div> -<div class="img" id="fig14"> -<img src="images/p08a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="700" height="625" /> -</div> -<p>Five generations of the Pierre Surget family occupied Arlington. Each in -turn contributed to its wealth of rare treasures. The original furniture was imported -from France.</p> -<p>Across the broad hallway which is hung with rare paintings by old-world -masters such as Vernet, Baroccio, Carlo Dolci, and Coccanari, is the Music Room -which contains a spinet more than three hundred years old. There are family -portraits in this room—some of musicians in the family—by such renowned -artists as Sully, Audubon, Albani, Fidanza, and Maratti.</p> -<p>The Library holds some five thousand books.</p> -<p>Mrs. Hubert Barnum, the present owner of Arlington, comes from a long line -of Natchez aristocracy. Arlington was given her as a wedding gift from her husband, -who recently passed away. Mrs. Barnum while keeping the home atmosphere -of Arlington has made it, also, a veritable private museum, rich in beauty, in rare -books, and antiques.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div> -<div class="img" id="fig15"> -<img src="images/p09.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="558" height="800" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div> -<h2 id="c6"><i>Auburn</i></h2> -<p>Built in 1812, a full century and a quarter ago, by Dr. Stephen Duncan, -“Auburn” mansion is noted today as in bygone historic days for its architectural -beauty and the natural beauty of its surrounding acres.</p> -<p>Auburn is a magnificent red brick structure with great white columns supporting -its broad front galleries. The bricks were made on the premises by slave -labor. On the first floor are spacious drawing rooms, a large dining room, a family -dining room, library, smoking room, and two hallways. Above stairs are six huge -bedrooms with high ceilings.</p> -<p>In the rear of the main mansion is a two-storied brick kitchen which is connected -with the main building by a flagged patio. The servants’ quarters are -above with the kitchen and pantries on the ground floor. The kitchen has the -giant fireplace with cranes and pots and the old-time “spit” where meats were -roasted.</p> -<p>Entrance to Auburn is through a classic doorway which has been aptly called -“an architect’s dream of beauty”.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig16"> -<img src="images/p09a.jpg" alt="" width="655" height="701" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Classic Entrance Doorway</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div> -<div class="img" id="fig17"> -<img src="images/p10.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="638" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Grand Hallway</span></p> -</div></div> -<p>Inside the house there is a majestic spiral stairway rising to the grand high -hallway, without support except at its base. This amazing feature intrigues the -imagination.</p> -<p>In early days Auburn entertained many celebrities, among them Henry Clay, -Edward Everett Hale, and John Howard Payne. The same gracious hospitality -maintains today.</p> -<p>Auburn is the property of the city of Natchez by deed of gift from Stephen -Duncan, and is used as the deed stipulates for the “amusement, entertainment, -and recreation, without cost or monetary consideration, of Natchez citizens”. It -is the handsome headquarters of several distinguished local clubs.</p> -<p>The women’s clubs of Natchez have undertaken the task of furnishing the -lower floor with valuable antiques of the period of its original furnishings.</p> -<p>The acreage surrounding it is known as Duncan Park in compliment to the -Duncan family who gave it to the city. It contains huge, aged, moss-draped oaks, -alluring sweet olive trees, famous magnolias, shrubbery and vines, old-fashioned -gardens, a golf course, and playground with swings and merry-go-rounds used -every day in the year for the health and frolic of children.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div> -<div class="img" id="fig18"> -<img src="images/p10a.jpg" alt="" width="653" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">The Unsupported Spiral Stairway Rises to the Grand Hallway.</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div> -<div class="img" id="fig19"> -<img src="images/p11.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="493" height="800" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div> -<div class="img" id="fig20"> -<img src="images/p11a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="570" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">Old Milk House. Slaves pumped cool cistern water into long zinc vats providing -Auburn’s cooling system for its crocks of milk.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig21"> -<img src="images/p11b.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="537" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">Food prepared in the kitchen below the servants’ quarters was carried in -hot urns to dining rooms by servants stationed along “the ways”.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_20">20</div> -<h2 id="c7"><i>Belmont</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig22"> -<img src="images/p12.jpg" alt="Belmont" width="800" height="434" /> -</div> -<p>Sturdy as the Rock of Gibraltar stands this imposing Neo-Greek mansion. It -was known originally as “Cleremont”, and was built in the early 40’s by one -Loxley Thistle.</p> -<p>Storm and strife have beaten against the doors of this stronghold but it was -built after a disastrous tornado which put a great fear in the minds of builders -of that period, and Belmont (as it was renamed) was constructed to resist fierce -storms, although at the same time exquisite lines of beauty were maintained.</p> -<p>This place with its thirty acres of land has changed hands oftener than any -ante-bellum home in Natchez. Its history is broken and uncertain. It was undoubtedly -built by imported craftsmen who had the help of local carpenters and slave -labor.</p> -<p>Many prominent families of Natchez are identified with Belmont at some -period in its history. Within its fort-like walls Natchez elite often sipped rare old -wine from its private sub-cellar in frequent celebrations.</p> -<p>Belmont has its ghost story of whispering souls wandering through the high-ceilinged -halls—ghosts created to scare the slaves, and “whispers” which proved -to be the swishing of chimney swallows rushing in and out of their nests.</p> -<p>The approach to Belmont is a majestic line of moss-draped cedars and giant -oak trees standing sentinel-like over the gardens of days long passed.</p> -<p>Louis Fry, present owner, plans the complete restoration of Belmont. It may -soon ring with echoes of happier days.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div> -<h2 id="c8"><i>Belvidere</i></h2> -<p>On Homochitto street, in the shadow of magnificent “Dunleith”, is a simple -white cottage, “Belvidere”, which for generations has been the home of the -Henderson family.</p> -<p>Originally Belvidere was the center of a fourteen acre tract of wooded land -which was the property of Christopher Miller, who was secretary to the Spanish -Governor of Natchez, Gayoso de Lemos. The Hendersons are descendants of -Christopher Miller.</p> -<p>Simple and unostentatious this small cottage stands with her very toes, as it -were, on the street where once broad acreage spread. These acres gave space in -later years for a public school and a paved highway.</p> -<p>Belvidere is more than 100 years old, and has been for more than a century -owned and occupied by one family.</p> -<p>It is simply furnished, and much of it is the original furniture, more than 100 -years old. Two pictures of special interest adorn the walls, silhouettes of Samuel -Brooks and his wife—“the first Mayor of Natchez and his Lady”. These pictures -were made in 1753.</p> -<p>Rare Venetian glass and china and many exquisite pieces of porcelain are -found in Belvidere.</p> -<p>The property is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Florence Henderson Kelly -and her son and daughter, Thomas G. and Ellen N.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig23"> -<img src="images/p12a.jpg" alt="Belvidere" width="800" height="565" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div> -<h2 id="c9"><i>Brandon Hall</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig24"> -<img src="images/p13.jpg" alt="Brandon Hall" width="700" height="623" /> -</div> -<p>This old home is not in the immediate Natchez area but its owner and his -descendants are so closely allied with all that is Natchez that Brandon Hall is -rightfully considered a Natchez asset and is included in its list of ante-bellum -homes.</p> -<p>Gerard Brandon of Ireland came to Natchez prior to the Revolutionary War, -and more than a century ago “Selma Plantation”, from whose acres came the -grounds of Brandon Hall, was built by him. Mr. Brandon was a successful farmer -and was one of the original pecan growers in the county. He came to Natchez -from South Carolina.</p> -<p>Brandon Hall was built by Gerard Brandon the Third in 1856, and stands -today a splendid monument to a grand old family. It is sturdily constructed. Its -timbers are secured with thumb screws and wooden pegs.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div> -<h2 id="c10"><i>Cherry Grove</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig25"> -<img src="images/p13a.jpg" alt="Cherry Grove" width="800" height="561" /> -</div> -<p>Built of primeval timbers, cut and hewn by slaves on the place, the old home -at Cherry Grove plantation “sits tight” secured by dependable wooden pegs. It -was built in 1788 when time and expense of labor were of little consideration, -and nails and modern building equipment were not available.</p> -<p>Pierre Surget of La Rochelle, France, built this Spanish style house, on a -Spanish land grant, for his wife, Katherine d’Hubert, and from this couple have -come some of Natchez’ most prominent families.</p> -<p>Mr. Surget was a seaman for many years before coming to the Natchez country, -and Cherry Grove was built with the sturdiness of a seaworthy vessel.</p> -<p>The home has never passed out of the Surget family. Its present owner, Mrs. -Carlotta Surget McKittrick, now possesses the original Spanish land grant made -to Pierre Surget in the 1700’s.</p> -<p>In a small cemetery within sight of the old home, enclosed by an imported -iron fence, lie the bodies of Pierre Surget and his wife, Katherine.</p> -<p>Descendants of the Surget slaves remain in the “quarters” to look after the -place, and to plant and gather cotton from its vast acres.</p> -<p>The house is unoccupied. Much of the original furnishing remains intact, and -a Surget heir is today sole owner of the quaint old dwelling of her illustrious -forbears.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div> -<h2 id="c11"><i>The Briers</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig26"> -<img src="images/p14.jpg" alt="" width="632" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Varina Howell and Jefferson Davis Were Married in This Room.</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div> -<div class="img" id="fig27"> -<img src="images/p14a.jpg" alt="The Briers" width="800" height="427" /> -</div> -<p>Could Jefferson Davis and his beloved wife, Varina, return to The Briers -today they would be pleased to find it in a perfect state of preservation.</p> -<p>“The Briers”, a typical story-and-a-half country home, was given to Louise -Kemp at the time of her marriage to William Burr Howell, who was a cousin of -Aaron Burr. And here Varina Howell was born May 7, 1826. This home was the -scene of Varina’s marriage to Jefferson Davis on February 12, 1845. Mr. Davis -later became “President of the Confederacy”.</p> -<p>The house is situated on a knoll overlooking the Mississippi river, with a view -of the cotton lands of Louisiana. The view of the Mississippi shown in the end papers -was taken from the lawn of this house. It stands in the center of a forest of -oak, pine, and pecan trees, and can be reached by only one narrow winding roadway, -through deep woods, around bayous and ravines, hanging heavy with bushes -and brambles. The house is quite similar to the Virginia type of country home.</p> -<p>When the present owner, Mrs. W. W. Wall, purchased The Briers a few years -ago, it was in a sad state of dilapidation. By great and loving labor, and generous -expenditure of money and time, The Briers today is in perfect condition. It is -now a charming credit to Natchez and to the memory of Jefferson Davis and his -wife, Varina.</p> -<p>The early architectural lines have been followed and materials similar to -the original ones have been used. The broad veranda across the entire front, -with many small wooden pillars and hand-turned spindle bannisters, the wide -entrance steps, the quaint old dormer windows with their 12-pane sashes and -heavy green blinds, form the perfect picture of the original plantation home of -the Howells and Jefferson Davis.</p> -<p>The simplicity of the floor plan is pleasing. The furniture includes many reproductions -of rare original pieces. There is a restful, sacred serenity in The -Briers worthy of its illustrious original owners.</p> -<p>For the pleasure of visitors from the outside world, the present mistress keeps -open house throughout the year, and hundreds of interested persons from every -part of the United States pass through the portals of this home—the shrine of -Jefferson Davis and Varina Howell.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_26">26</div> -<h2 id="c12"><i>The Burn</i></h2> -<p>Another old home that was once situated in the center of vast acreage is -“The Burn”. Streets have been cut through, lots sold and residences erected until -today this quaint old home, originally the residence of John P. Walworth of Ohio, -is in the very heart of the residence district of Natchez.</p> -<p>While the “old Walworth home”, as it was so long known, was built about -1834, its most interesting history is concerned with the war of 1861-65.</p> -<p>The Burn is a homey-looking house of the story-and-a-half cottage type with -spacious halls and nineteen rooms in the main building. High ceilings, mahogany -woodwork, and wide, hand-rubbed board floors are indicative of its early period.</p> -<p>By reason of its spacious and numerous rooms, and its accessibility to the -river front and the Battery, “The Burn” was made headquarters for the Federal -Artillery in the War Between the States. With only 24 hours’ notice the family -left their comfortable home to be occupied by the enemy. Major Coleman and his -soldiers took possession of The Burn, and today on a window pane in the house -can be seen the Major’s full name as cut there by a diamond more than seventy-five -years ago.</p> -<p>Within the last few years The Burn has been purchased by S. B. Laub, who -is a direct descendant of the Beekman family. Mr. and Mrs. Laub have reclaimed -and rebuilt every part of the old house with strict observance of the original -architecture.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig28"> -<img src="images/p15.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="599" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">An Interesting Treatment Of Transom And Side Lights</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div> -<div class="img" id="fig29"> -<img src="images/p15a.jpg" alt="The Burn" width="800" height="557" /> -</div> -<p>A letter from the granddaughter of the original owner of The Burn written -to its present owners and published in the <i>Natchez Democrat</i> tells the complete -story:</p> -<blockquote> -<p>“The Burn property when purchased by John P. Walworth in 1834 extended -from Union street to Clifton Heights. The home was erected the -same year, and got its name from the Scotch, meaning ‘The Brook’, which -ran through the property where Pearl street now is.</p> -<p>“Architects and builders were brought from the East, the finest that -could be found. It took more than a year to build, and has been compared -to the Temple, for scarcely the sound of hammer was heard in its erection. -The grand old home has stood fire, storm, and war.</p> -<p>“When Grant’s army took possession of the town, The Burn became -army headquarters, and was later turned into a hospital for Union soldiers. -The wonderful old trees, the lawn and gardens fell before the axe and -sword.</p> -<p>“After war clouds rolled away it was restored to its owner in a ruined -condition. Generations have passed over its threshold loving it as a living -being. The sons of the family bravely answered their country’s call to arms -and returned with untarnished records. Many brides have left its loving -care. The mystery of life, birth and death have hallowed its walls with -pride and sorrow.</p> -<p>“We relinquish our ownership rights into other hands; our escutcheon -unsullied by debt or shame.</p> -<p>“We rejoice that it will be again a loved home, and may the happiness -of the Walworth name continue to follow and bless the present owners.”</p> -</blockquote> -<div class="pb" id="Page_28">28</div> -<h2 id="c13"><i>Choctaw</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig30"> -<img src="images/p16.jpg" alt="Choctaw" width="631" height="800" /> -</div> -<p>Such dilapidated grandeur cannot be found in all the country around as one -beholds at Choctaw. “Built to endure and determined not to fall” seems to ring -from every stone and pillar of this gigantic old mansion. Once it was the center -of a city block but now on the busy corner of Wall and High streets traffic of -every sort brushes its very door.</p> -<p>Because this property was so long owned and occupied by a Natchez philanthropist, -Alvarez Fisk, “Choctaw” is known far and wide as the “old Fisk home”.</p> -<p>This stately example of classic architecture was built by one Sarah Neibert. -Records show that it was deeded to Alvarez Fisk about 1840. Fisk was born in -Massachusetts in 1788. During the early 90’s Choctaw was used as “Stanton College -for Women”, and many Natchez women were educated there.</p> -<p>Time and decay have had their turn at Choctaw. The great stone pillars stand -proudly, and boldly present a magnificent front; exquisite fanlights adorn the -great doors which were built extra wide to accommodate the hoopskirted ladies -of early days; walls and lofty ceilings stand in sturdy defiance of wind and rain -and vandalism, and yet the crumbling corners, the tumbling formal entrance, -and the rundown appearance of Choctaw produce a feeling of solemn sadness.</p> -<p>The foundation and walls of Choctaw are firm, and the day may come when -this old palace will be restored to its former beauty and glory.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div> -<h2 id="c14"><i>Concord</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig31"> -<img src="images/p16a.jpg" alt="Concord" width="800" height="590" /> -</div> -<p>“Concord” was built in 1788 by Don Gayoso de Lemos, representative in the -Natchez Territory of the King of Spain.</p> -<p>The name, “Concord”, was chosen because the Governor felt that this word -expressed the status of his people living in peace and amity.</p> -<p>The dwelling was two-and-a-half stories. The lower floor was of brick and -the upper portion was frame. There was a driveway beneath the long flight of -steps at the front entrance. The house was richly furnished with importations -from Spain.</p> -<p>A few years ago “Concord” was destroyed by fire and Natchez lost an intriguing -landmark.</p> -<p>Today the handsome iron-railed outside double stairway marks the spot that -was once the ruling center of government, and the social hub during the colorful -days of the Spanish regime.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<div class="img" id="fig32"> -<img src="images/p17.jpg" alt="" width="615" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">COTTAGE GARDENS—STAIR HALL</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div> -<h2 id="c15"><i>Cottage Gardens</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig33"> -<img src="images/p17a.jpg" alt="Cottage Gardens" width="722" height="600" /> -</div> -<p>When “Cottage Gardens” was built, some hundred and forty years ago, -Natchez was young, and homes at that time were of compact, inconspicuous -design.</p> -<p>The land upon which this home stands was a part of the original Spanish -grant to Don Jose Vidal, a young Spanish nobleman. “Cottage Gardens” was so -named because of the beautiful gardens surrounding the cottage. It is recorded -that these gardens were destroyed during the War Between the States when Union -soldiers used the grounds as a pasture for their horses.</p> -<p>Don Jose Vidal was a military governor and Captain in a Spanish army. His -duties took him across the river from Natchez to a place now known as Vidalia. -When his beloved young wife died her tomb was built on a high bluff on the -estate overlooking the Mississippi River. While engaged in official service across -the broad waters, Capt. Vidal could look out at any moment and see the spot -where his beautiful Donna Vidal was buried. Don Jose is buried in a Natchez -Cemetery. A great shaft has been erected above his grave and is inscribed with a -lengthy epitaph which mentions that “he was a friend of his Sovereign”.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_32">32</div> -<div class="img" id="fig34"> -<img src="images/p18.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="635" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">LIVING ROOM AND DINING ROOM</p> -</div></div> -<p>Cottage Gardens has been for several generations owned and occupied by the -Foster family. Although the exterior is on simple lines, the house is surprisingly -spacious. The wide hall through the center contains a stairway of unusual architectural -attractiveness. Its broad steps with mahogany handrailing lead up along -the left wall almost to the ceiling, then leaving the wall the stairway crosses the -hall in a graceful spiral curve and the ascending flight is finished along the right -wall.</p> -<p>At the rear end of the hall is a beautiful arch and doorway with fanlight above -and plain side glass. It is a facsimile of the entrance door at the opposite end of -the hall.</p> -<p>From the present owners, the Foster family, comes Mary Kate Norman, the -wife of Karl Norman, whose photographic art in picturing the old homes of -Natchez has given him a prominent place among artists of the South.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div> -<div class="img" id="fig35"> -<img src="images/p18a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="634" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">This family room in Cottage Gardens has an eight foot bed and a child’s bed.</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig36"> -<img src="images/p18b.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="665" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">THE TOMB OF DONE JOSE VIDAL</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_34">34</div> -<h2 id="c16"><i>D’Evereux</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig37"> -<img src="images/p19.jpg" alt="D’Evereux" width="800" height="593" /> -</div> -<p>By recent engineering survey Highway No. 61 from Memphis to New Orleans -passes the grounds that once formed a part of D’Evereux acres. Motorists on this -highway, when within a mile of Natchez, can see this mansion, in perfect architecture, -standing like a great Greek temple near the roadway. Sweeping tropical -moss hangs from the sentinel oaks which guard this magnificent home.</p> -<p>Built in 1840 for William St. John Elliott and his wife, it was given her family -name, “D’Evereux”, and this home, one of the most spacious in the community, -was the scene of many happy affairs for the socially prominent.</p> -<p>Great double drawing rooms and a banquet room, while not containing the -original furnishings, show woodwork and walls, hand-turned railings and doorways, -evidence of the excellent taste of the builders.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_35">35</div> -<p>After more than forty years the master-owner of D’Evereux died. The home -was closed for a long while; later the widow with some of her young relatives -opened the mansion and it became again the scene of many joyful gatherings.</p> -<p>Upon the death of Mrs. Elliott, “D’Evereux” was willed to her niece, Mrs. -Margaret Martin Shields. During Mrs. Shields’ occupancy, it was selected as the -most perfect home, in style and setting, in the entire Southland, and for this -reason it is shown in that exquisite motion picture, “The Heart of Maryland”.</p> -<p>Within the past few years D’Evereux has been purchased by Miss Myra Smith -of Chicago. With great pride in the ownership of one of the South’s most majestic -ante-bellum homes, Miss Smith has restored every portion of the old home, which -today presents such magnificent perfection as to bring forth exclamations of wonder -from all who travel that section of the Natchez Trace highway.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig38"> -<img src="images/p19a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="706" height="600" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div> -<h2 id="c17"><i>Cherokee</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig39"> -<img src="images/p20.jpg" alt="Cherokee" width="800" height="577" /> -</div> -<p>One of the most attractive of Natchez’ ante-bellum houses is the recently -reclaimed Cherokee, built in 1794 by Jesse Greenfield on land acquired under -Spanish grant.</p> -<p>In 1810 David Michie purchased the property and added the classic front. -The present owner, Mr. Charles Byrnes, has reclaimed the old Irish Manor -House and its grounds, using wherever possible the style and materials of the -original.</p> -<p>Cherokee stands on a great elevation overlooking Natchez. It is across the -street from Choctaw and within calling distance of Connelly’s Tavern on Ellicott -Hill.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div> -<h2 id="c18"><i>Dunleith</i></h2> -<p>This house, built in 1849 by Gen. Dahlgreen, is situated in perfectly kept terraced -grounds, surrounded by symmetrically planted oak trees which have grown -to giant size. A long driveway from the tall iron gate at the street entrance to -the porch steps bring one to “Dunleith”, a veritable Greek temple.</p> -<p>Dunleith is almost one hundred years old. The land on which it stands is part -of a Spanish grant of 700 acres, and was the site of the original home which was -destroyed by fire (caused by lightning) in 1845. In the rear of the present Dunleith -are the stables which belonged to the original house.</p> -<p>At the death of Leslie Carpenter a few years ago this property was inherited -by his widow and her son, J. N. Carpenter. No more perfect example of a Colonial -mansion of the Old South can be found. The house and grounds are under the -constant care of scientific gardeners and caretakers.</p> -<p>The story of Dunleith is incomplete until its legend has been told:</p> -<blockquote> -<p>“At the court of Louis Philippe, last King of France, a lady in waiting was -Miss Isabel Percy, who visited Dunleith to try to forget a terrible heart -hurt. She played the harp, and sang in a beautiful voice. At evening, just at -dusk, her sweet mournful songs can still be heard in the parlors of Dunleith. -When twilight turns to darkness, the swish of her silken skirts can be -heard as she ascends the broad stairway to her private rooms above.”</p> -</blockquote> -<div class="verse"> -<p class="t0">I know not how true this tale may be,</p> -<p class="t0">I tell it as ’twas told to me.</p> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig40"> -<img src="images/p20a.jpg" alt="Dunleith" width="800" height="512" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_38">38</div> -<h2 id="c19"><i>Edgewood</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig41"> -<img src="images/p21.jpg" alt="Edgewood" width="800" height="562" /> -</div> -<p>Edgewood, erected in 1855, shared with “Mount Repose” the distinction of -being a part of the original Bisland estate. It is a simple plantation home, located -on the Pine Ridge road, and is today occupied by direct descendants of the -original owner, who maintain the estate as nearly as possible in accord with the -original plans.</p> -<p>Situated on rolling greensward with a declivity at the rear, the house is two -stories in front and three in the back. Straight, square lines are observed in its -architecture. A porch extends across the entire front supported by double white -columns. The outlook is into a group of restful, moss-covered oaks in the midst -of which is a natural pond.</p> -<p>Edgewood is the home of Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Lamden, who with their young -sons, S. H. III and Waldo, occupy this home of their forefathers. It is kept, from -day to day, in the same style of ante-bellum home as in days gone by.</p> -<p>Many descendants of the original slaves of the Lamdens live today in the -“quarters” on the place.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_39">39</div> -<div class="img" id="fig42"> -<img src="images/p21a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="729" height="600" /> -</div> -<p>From “Beaupres” and other old plantations have come many possessions of -rarest antiquity to Edgewood. There are portraits by the famous artist James Reed -Lamden; among these is an exquisite portrait of his mother, who was Prudence -Harrison; another is of Dr. John Flavel Carmichael, a member of the original -staff of George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart.</p> -<p>Furnishings at Edgewood are of soft tones in rosewood and mahogany. Drawing -rooms, dining room, and bed rooms are filled with valuable antiques—all in -daily use by the present family. Edgewood retains today all the charm and beauty -that it had nearly a hundred years ago.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_40">40</div> -<h2 id="c20"><i>Elgin</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig43"> -<img src="images/p22.jpg" alt="Elgin" width="700" height="640" /> -</div> -<p>The history of “Elgin” dates from about 1838 when it was owned by the Dunbar -family, and was named Elgin for the Dunbar estate in Scotland.</p> -<p>It is about eight miles from Natchez, and for many years was the home of the -Jenkins family, whose descendants are prominent citizens of Natchez. Mr. Jenkins -was a member of the Academy of Natural Science, and gave much time and scientific -attention to the grounds of Elgin.</p> -<p>The old-fashioned frame building with spacious halls and wide galleries stands -on a knoll in a broad clearing surrounded by a forest of oaks and pecans.</p> -<p>In 1914 Capt. Jenkins sold Elgin to the late Thornton Green of Michigan. -Prior to that transfer “Elgin” while changing owners, each time was bought by -descendants of its original owner.</p> -<p>Elgin was far-famed for its gardens and orchards, traces of which remain today -and are being reclaimed by the latest purchasers of the property, Mr. and Mrs. -W. S. R. Beane of New York and Natchez. The Beanes will make “Elgin” their -permanent home.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_41">41</div> -<h2 id="c21"><i>Elms</i></h2> -<p>Amid great elm trees and sturdy liveoaks is a wide, rambling house, its galleries -bannistered with graceful iron grill encircling three sides of the structure. -This is “Elms”, it is the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kellogg. It is a close neighbor -of the “Greenleaves” estate.</p> -<p>Elms was for a long time known as “the old Drake home”. Its intricate rambling -porticos, unusual stairway, and beautiful gardens came to the Kelloggs by -fortunate inheritance. Mrs. Kellogg is a direct descendant of the Drake family. -Benjamin Drake was president of Elizabeth College, which has the distinction of -being the first college in the United States to permit the teaching of branches of -higher education to women.</p> -<p>With the home and its acres of lovely gardens Mrs. Kellogg inherited a house -filled with rare antique rosewood furniture.</p> -<p>The main building of Elms, a two-and-a-half-story structure, was built in the -late 1700’s. The exact date is not disclosed by available old records. As the property -passed from descendant to descendant rooms have been added.</p> -<p>A striking feature of the house is a lacy wrought-iron stairway unlike any other -in all America and believed to have been imported from Portugal. The stairway -is built in a corridor, and is in harmony with the generous display of dainty, hand-turned -work around the outer galleries.</p> -<p>Ceilings are low and give Spanish atmosphere to the architecture.</p> -<p>A series of old call bells, each with a different tone to indicate the location, -are still in use in the various rooms.</p> -<p>The famous gardens in the rear have been reclaimed by the present mistress -of Elms. Winding walks lead along flower beds of old-fashioned petunias, brilliant -verbenas, phlox, roses and azaleas, edged with prim cut boxwood, while giant -yuccas stand stiff as formal guards with white plumed headdress.</p> -<p>A great part of the original Elms estate has been sold, and today one of -Natchez’ modern school buildings stands across the street, giving the children of -this school a daily picture lesson of home and life of the proud Old South.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig44"> -<img src="images/p22a.jpg" alt="Elms" width="800" height="462" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_42">42</div> -<h2 id="c22"><i>Ellicott Hill</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig45"> -<img src="images/p23.jpg" alt="Ellicott Hill" width="800" height="544" /> -</div> -<p>Artists and architects from far and near come to see the quaint old house, -known as “Connelly’s Tavern”, on Ellicott Hill. It is a sturdy, perfectly proportioned -old house, built of brick and wood, its timbers said to have come from -abandoned sailing vessels.</p> -<p>The style of architecture is early Spanish. It stands on a high elevation, overlooking -with aristocratic disdain the industrial enterprises which have come in -during the years to supplant the once exclusive neighborhood of its original outlook. -In early days, about the end of the Civil War, the place was known as -“Gilreath’s Hill”.</p> -<p>The tavern was built in 1795. It has been occupied by many distinguished -families.</p> -<p>The records show that at one time it was the home of “The Natchez High -School”. It was so used just after the War between the States, when it was -purchased by Wilson R. Gilreath.</p> -<p>Within the last few years the old building has commanded the greatest degree -of public interest. Its historic value is unmatched. In addition to serving as the -abode of many celebrated men, it attained fame as Connelly’s Tavern when -Aaron Burr and Blennerhasset met therein for secret conferences.</p> -<p>The most outstanding historic fact of the old Hill, itself, is that it is the spot -whereon Col. Andrew Ellicott raised the first United States flag in February 1797 -over the District of Natchez. Since that episode the spot has been known as -“Ellicott Hill”.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div> -<p>Dilapidation followed the wake of time. However, so sturdy were its timbers -and so solid its foundation, it was possible to restore the old building on the hill.</p> -<p>The work of restoration has been accomplished by the Natchez Garden Club. -Every old line has been carefully retained. Concrete floors of the kitchen and -Tap Room, plastered walls, cypress grill work, solid doors, and roof are exact -replicas of the originals. The old retaining walls and moats of brick have been -replaced as originally at great cost. Today Ellicott Hill is shining in the full -resplendency of its original glory. It is the present home of the Natchez Garden -Club.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig46"> -<img src="images/p23c.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="749" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">FIREPLACE IN OLD TAVERN ROOM AT CONNELLY’S TAVERN</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_44">44</div> -<h2 id="c23"><i>Elmscourt</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig47"> -<img src="images/p24.jpg" alt="Elmscourt" width="800" height="365" /> -</div> -<p>A short drive from Natchez, over a modern highway which was originally an -Indian trail, through iron gates into a virgin forest, brings one a first glimpse of -Elmscourt.</p> -<p>This mansion was erected about the year 1810 by Louis Evans, who was the -first Sheriff of Adams county. He occupied it until 1851, at which time Frank -Surget bought it for his daughter Jane as a gift when she married Ayers P. -Merrill. It is said that Frank Surget was one of the three multi-millionaires in -the United States at that time.</p> -<p>Jane and her husband opened wide the doors of their palatial home. General -U. S. Grant was a frequent guest of Elmscourt, and by reason of this friendly -contact, Ayres Merrill was appointed Minister to Belgium when Grant became -President.</p> -<p>Elmscourt was originally Colonial in architecture but to please his wife Mr. -Merrill changed it into an Italian Renaissance villa. The exquisite lacy iron work -around its long galleries was imported from Belgium.</p> -<p>The dainty antique furnishings in parlors, library, and dining room are in -perfect harmony with this period of architecture. Many original pieces are -retained. At the death of Ayres P. Merrill “Elmscourt” descended to his son, -Ayres P. Merrill Jr., and was sold by him to James Surget, who gave it to his -daughter, Carlotta, on the occasion of her marriage to David McKittrick. Thus -Elmscourt was again the property of a Surget.</p> -<p>The McKittrick family have lived in Elmscourt many years. They have added -to the valuable collection of antique furnishings, Mrs. McKittrick bringing in -superb pieces from Surget heirlooms.</p> -<p>An outstanding piece of Elmscourt’s furnishing is a serving table, made for -the Duke of Devonshire and bearing his coat-of-arms. It was a gift to Mrs. -McKittrick.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_45">45</div> -<p>In the dining room still swings the old hand-carved punka of colonial days. -At every meal, a servant stands at the end of the long dining room and by rope-and-arm-power -keeps the great fan (punka) gently stirring, or creating, refreshing -breezes for the comfort of the diners.</p> -<p>The lighting of Elmscourt is the early designed candle arrangement. Over -doorways, in chandeliers, sconces, and wall brackets hundreds of candles cast -their welcoming, soft glow, and add undying romance to the family portrait -gallery and rich rosewood furniture.</p> -<p>Each Spring season when tourists wend their way to Natchez for its Spring -festivities, the McKittricks of Elmscourt give their famous “Ball of a Thousand -Candles”. Lords and Ladies, the elite of Natchez, in costume of days of long ago, -greet their guests, and Elmscourt becomes today what it has been in the past, an -alluring setting for colorful gatherings of notables.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig48"> -<img src="images/p24a.jpg" alt="" width="739" height="600" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">The Table is a Present From The Duke of Devonshire.</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div> -<div class="img" id="fig49"> -<img src="images/p25.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="799" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">THE HALL OF GLENFIELD</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div> -<h2 id="c24"><i>Glenfield</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig50"> -<img src="images/p25a.jpg" alt="Glenfield" width="800" height="509" /> -</div> -<p>Turn to the right on the first gravel road leading from Canal street and within -a stone’s throw of the paved highway nestles a quaint old brick cottage surrounded -by giant oaks and cedars. It is “Glenfield”, the home of Mrs. Lee Field and her -family.</p> -<p>Glenfield was built in 1812 by Charles B. Green. It is of Gothic design and is -constructed of red brick and hand-hewn timbers. Like many of the old homes, -“Glenfield” demonstrates two distinct types of architecture. One part is low ceilinged -with brick floors, while another part has high ceilings, broad board floors, -and ornate windows with heavy hand-made blinds.</p> -<p>Glenfield contains many rare pieces of antique furniture. A most interesting -piece is an old spinning wheel, a family heirloom. It is made of hickory and is -brown with age. Charred spots bear silent evidence to the old wheel’s narrow -escape from destruction when Indians set fire to the covered wagon bearing it -while its pioneer owner was bringing his family and household goods to this -section. Everything was destroyed except a few choice pieces. As one turns the -wheel today it seems to hum a chant of toil, trials and tribulations.</p> -<p>Glenfield was originally “Glencannon”, named for its former owner, William -Cannon. The property is part of an original Spanish grant to John Gerault under -Don Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, who was then governor of the Natchez Territory.</p> -<p>During the War Between the States “Glenfield” was a scene of battle, and -bullet holes made in that conflict can be seen today in vivid contrast to the peace -which now pervades the restful old home amid vine-covered bayous and hills.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div> -<h2 id="c25"><i>Glenwood</i></h2> -<p>Conditions at Glenwood are not conducive to pride in the hearts of Natchez -people, and yet it is doubtful if any tourist leaves Natchez without hearing, in -some way, about this dilapidated old place. As all things are good or bad by -comparison, it may not be amiss when depicting the glory of Natchez to glimpse -the other side.</p> -<p>A Northern tourist upon seeing Glenwood (known today as “Goat Castle”) -said, “Well, I don’t know whether to cry or swear.”</p> -<p>Glenwood is the home of Richard Dana, a man of aristocratic breeding and -birth, and of his guardian, Miss Martha Dockery, a stalwart, dark-eyed woman -who has been for many years in charge of Mr. Dana and the house.</p> -<p>“Dick” Dana, as he is called, and Miss Dockery are probably in their late -sixties.</p> -<p>Dick is the son of the late Charles B. Dana, an Episcopal clergyman, and -Elvira R. Dana. The Rev. Dr. Dana was from Massachusetts.</p> -<p>Richard was given a splendid education. He was a pianist of exceptional -ability. As years passed he spent much of his fortune, living a great part of the -time in the East. When he returned to Glenwood, he seemed to live the life of a -hermit, living alone with his piano and his music. Gradually gray locks reached -his shoulders, and long whiskers covered his face.</p> -<p>County officials decided it would be best to appoint a guardian for him and -Miss Dockery was named. The Dana and Dockery families had been friends for -generations. Miss Dockery, who was alone and growing old, was glad to accept the -charge of her old friend.</p> -<p>A few years ago there was a murder in the neighborhood. There had been -some trouble between the murdered woman and the Dockery-Dana people because -of trespassing goats. The two recluses were accused of the murder. They were -taken into court, held in prison, stood trial, and finally were declared “not -guilty”. Dana proved that at the time of the murder he was playing the piano -and was not near the scene of the crime.</p> -<p>During the period of their incarceration, vandals ransacked “Goat Castle” -and carried away many valuable relics. A guard was finally placed over the place -to prevent souvenir hunters from taking the remainder of the valuable pieces. -Public sympathy was aroused, and for a short time Dana and Miss Dockery were -lionized. They seemed to take a new lease on life. They improved in personal -appearance. They often came to town, but conditions in “Goat Castle” changed -little.</p> -<p>Goats roam the place in undisturbed joy. Chickens roost on the foot of the -great mahogany bed while Dick plays his old piano for curious tourists who pay -twenty-five cents to see the old aristocrat, and Miss Dockery tells stories of -the former wealth and prestige of her friend, who desired to withdraw from the -world.</p> -<p>Glenwood is falling. Neglect and age are causing decay. The stables and outhouses -are piles of mortar and decayed timbers, though the grounds are still -beautiful with majestic moss-draped oaks and flowering magnolias.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div> -<div class="img" id="fig51"> -<img src="images/p26.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="564" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">GLENWOOD (known today as “Goat Castle”)</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div> -<h2 id="c26"><i>Gloucester</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig52"> -<img src="images/p27.jpg" alt="Gloucester" width="800" height="585" /> -</div> -<p>A mile drive from the city limits of Natchez, along a roadway where moss-draped -boughs overlap into a verdant shelter, brings one in view of a stately red -brick mansion. It is Gloucester. Still half concealed by giant oaks and tropical -growth, it seems a great ruby in a gray-gold setting.</p> -<p>Gloucester is surrounded by 250 acres of farm land and virgin timber. It was -built about 1800, and is of solid brick construction. Huge Corinthian columns -support spacious galleries across the broad front. The windows are iron barred -and shuttered.</p> -<p>This mansion is of historic interest. It was the home of Governor Winthrop -Sargent, who was the first Governor of Mississippi Territory.</p> -<p>Front twin doorways are an unusual feature. Inside these doors are the heavy -wooden bars, the original fastenings against unfriendly Indian tribes and traveling -bandits, who were not infrequent during the early days of life at Gloucester.</p> -<p>The twin doors open into a wide hallway which contains a graceful curving -stairway leading to hall and bedrooms above.</p> -<p>Gloucester has a splendid library of rare first editions and valuable old books. -The drawing room contains Colonial furniture and paintings by masters.</p> -<p>Upon the death of Governor Sargent, Gloucester became the property of his -wife, who, in turn, willed it to her son, George Washington Sargent.</p> -<p>During the occupation of Natchez by Federal troops, the young Sargent was -called to the doorway of Gloucester, and shot by two soldiers to whom he had -given greeting. Stains of the life-blood of this George Washington Sargent are -still visible on the doorway of Gloucester. The murdered boy was buried beside -his father in the family burial ground across the road from the home.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div> -<div class="img" id="fig53"> -<img src="images/p27a.jpg" alt="" width="686" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">GRAND HALLWAY OF GLOUCESTER</p> -</div></div> -<p>In the Negro quarters there are weird tales of ghosts wandering over the -premises. “Two tall ghosts, in uniform, carrying guns, come on dark rainy nights -when the owls hoot in the oaks above the graves.”</p> -<p>Records show that in 1877 Gloucester was sold to James Surget, who was one -of Natchez’ earliest and most affluent citizens. This home was continuously owned -by the Surget family for sixty years, until the recent death of Mrs. Katherine Boyd -Surget, when the property was bequeathed to its present owner, Lenox Stanton.</p> -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Stanton hold dear every Gloucester tradition and take pride in -maintaining the home and grounds in their original state of perfection.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_52">52</div> -<h2 id="c27"><i>Hawthorne</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig54"> -<img src="images/p28.jpg" alt="Hawthorne" width="800" height="606" /> -</div> -<p>On the famous Natchez Trace Highway, within calling distance of the Lower -Woodville road, through a narrow gateway flanked by giant oaks, is a quaint -little cottage, “Hawthorne”.</p> -<p>It is the old Southern Planter type home, a story-and-a-half.</p> -<p>A beautiful double front door with panels of early period thin glass and an -exquisitely wrought fanlight above give an atmosphere of friendliness to the -entrance.</p> -<p>Architects interested in the unusual find charm in the hand-hewn stairway -which rises from the broad back hall to the rooms above.</p> -<p>“Hawthorne” more than a century ago belonged to a family named Overaker -who sold the place with its sixty acres of wooded land to the Dunbar family, -under whose regime this quaint old home sheltered and entertained the elite of -the South as early as 1837. It is believed that Hawthorne was built by the Tichenor -family about 1825.</p> -<p>For many years this old place was vacant. Lumber mills and grist mills crowded -too near, but the property was recently bought by the family of William McGehee, -who are reclaiming “Hawthorne”. Every line of the period architecture is being -followed, and “Hawthorne”, its meadows and gardens, will soon be restored as in -stage coach days to greet today its motor car visitors. The history of Hawthorne -is a sad story with a hopeful ending.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_53">53</div> -<h2 id="c28"><i>Hope Farm</i></h2> -<p>A few years ago when “Hope Farm” fell into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. -Balfour Miller it was truly “getting a break” for rehabilitation. Today when one -steps into this old Spanish house, built about 1775, there breathes from every -crevice and corner the true atmosphere of the Old South.</p> -<p>The original portion of Hope Farm, its English wing, is believed to have -been built by Marcus Haller. The front, the straight, low, Spanish portion, was -built by the Spanish Governor, de Grand Pre, about the year 1790.</p> -<p>The low sweeping roof extending over a broad portico across the entire front -of the house is upheld by seven hand-hewn cypress columns. Broad steps lead -from the driveway to the terraced yard. This yard is a veritable bouquet of old-fashioned -small flowers, bordered by boxwood and flanked by syringa, japonica, -and other old-fashioned evergreen shrubs. A radiant variety of orchid-like irises -dot the entire approach to the old brick steps of the terrace.</p> -<p>For ninety years Hope Farm belonged to the Montgomery family; of the last -generation of ten children (seven girls and three boys) two of the sisters lived in -spinsterhood at Hope Farm until within the last few years when the property was -acquired by the Millers.</p> -<p>Restoration of exterior and interior has been done with exceeding care to -hold every line of the original house. There were no nails in the day when Hope -Farm was built and its timbers are held together by wooden pegs.</p> -<p>The front door leads directly into a huge living room, which opens through -an archway into a large dining room. These two rooms extend across the entire -front.</p> -<p>The welcoming gate of Hope Farm opens at the intersection of Homochitto -street on the drive to Duncan Park.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig55"> -<img src="images/p28a.jpg" alt="Hope Farm" width="800" height="509" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div> -<h2 id="c29"><i>Homewood</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig56"> -<img src="images/p29.jpg" alt="Homewood" width="700" height="656" /> -</div> -<p>It required five years to build this palatial mansion of brick, cement, and iron -grill, and until recently “Homewood”, exterior and interior, was in a perfect -state of preservation—just as it was the day of its completion, more than 75 years -ago. Homewood was destroyed by fire, January 2, 1940.</p> -<p>By reason of its solid masonry (built to withstand the storms), its architectural -lines, and the grace and magnificence of its iron trimmings, architects of -note from all over the country came to inspect and to study “Homewood”.</p> -<p>One million home-burned brick were used in the main structure. Copper -pipes laid in cement supplied the huge cisterns throughout the years with cold -drinking water. This construction represented the work of hundreds of slaves. -All locks, hinges, and door knobs were of silver. The fluted Ionic columns and -grill work were imported from Spain.</p> -<p>Approaching Homewood by the magnificent forest driveway, it was a wonderfully -imposing structure with a front of thirty-foot columns, an upper balcony of -cast iron grill, and massive double panel entrance doors flanked on either side -by expensive ruby glass which was imported from Belgium.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div> -<div class="img" id="fig57"> -<img src="images/p29a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="498" /> -</div> -<p>There were six rooms on the ground floor, connected by huge sliding mahogany -doors, making it possible to open the entire floor into one immense room, -80 feet long. Leading to six rooms and cross halls above was a fan spread stairway. -The top floor was a peculiarly constructed octagonal hall surrounded by eight -large closets or storage rooms with cedar linings.</p> -<p>The mantels in Homewood attracted much attention because of their delicate -beauty and apparent value. In the drawing room the mantel was of white marble, -while in the dining room stood one of pink marble with deep rose tracings.</p> -<p>Homewood had no historic interest but it was an outstanding example of the -advanced architectural ideas of the builders of Southern ante-bellum homes. It -was built for a gift from David Hunt to his daughter, Catherine, and her husband, -William L. Balfour.</p> -<p>The most recent owners, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsly Swan, spared no expense in -maintaining this magnificent home and its spacious grounds in model perfection.</p> -<p>Homewood was the scene of the famous double wedding so effectively described -in Stark Young’s <i>So Red the Rose</i>.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig58"> -<img src="images/p29b.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="427" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MAJESTIC RUINS OF HOMEWOOD</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_56">56</div> -<h2 id="c30"><i>Inglewood</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig59"> -<img src="images/p30.jpg" alt="Inglewood" width="800" height="473" /> -</div> -<p>A Southern planter’s typical home, “Inglewood” stands today as the perfection -of a beautiful dream recalled from crumbling ruins of years long gone. More than -a century ago this quaint old story-and-a-half house was built by Gustavus -Calhoun, who practiced medicine in Natchez Territory in 1829—back in the days -when calls were made on horseback and the doctor carried along his miniature -drug store in his “saddle bags”. Dr. Calhoun was a friend and contemporary of -Dr. Stephen Duncan of “Auburn”.</p> -<p>In 1858 “Inglewood” became the home of Edward M. Blackburn through his -marriage into the Calhoun family. It has been for many years known as “the old -Blackburn place.” Here the last member of the Natchez Blackburn family lived -until the old house was about to tumble down. Then the place was purchased by -Dr. Wallace Smith, a young physician who came with his bride to reclaim and -rebuild Inglewood along the exact lines of its original architectural design.</p> -<p>The old gardens of Inglewood were once as famous for beauty as those of -“Arlington” and “Melrose” but the gardens too passed with the old families. -Doctor and Mrs. Smith are replanting, and are replacing walks and borders of -old-fashioned boxwood, everything to conform as nearly as possible to original -design.</p> -<p>Inglewood, like all Natchez homes, is off the highway, secluded by forests, and -only by careful observation can one glimpse the gleaming white outlines of this -beautiful old plantation home.</p> -<p>The approach to the house is marked at the public highway by a wrought iron -replica of the old-fashioned doctor’s horse and buggy. Inglewood is today, as -it was originally, the property of a practicing physician’s family.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_57">57</div> -<h2 id="c31"><i>Jefferson College</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig60"> -<img src="images/p30a.jpg" alt="Jefferson College" width="793" height="600" /> -</div> -<p>Founded in 1802, Jefferson Military College is the oldest college for boys in -the State of Mississippi, and one of the oldest in the United States.</p> -<p>It was here that the South’s beloved Jefferson Davis, who became President -of the Confederacy, attended school when he was ten years old.</p> -<p>After the battle of New Orleans Gen. Andrew Jackson rested his victorious -army on the campus of this college, which is located six miles from the city of -Natchez.</p> -<p>Mississippi was a territory when the college came into existence. On the spot -where the constitution of the State of Mississippi was adopted is a marker commemorating -the birth of Mississippi as a State. The marker was erected May 14, -1935, the 119th anniversary of the State.</p> -<p>Near the front gate of the college there are two giant gnarled liveoaks, known -as the Aaron Burr oaks because they stood in front of the old courthouse where -Aaron Burr was tried for treason against the United States. The old courthouse -was demolished ages ago but the oaks stand sentinel with wide spreading boughs -marking the spot famous in history and in story.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div> -<h2 id="c32"><i>King’s Tavern</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig61"> -<img src="images/p31.jpg" alt="King’s Tavern" width="800" height="595" /> -</div> -<p>In the days when Indians roamed the territory of Natchez, block houses were -built by the white settlers who came that way. These were sturdy, well-fortified -houses built to protect occupants against Indian outbreaks. Such is King’s Tavern—an -inconspicuous, faded, old wooden structure on a high brick foundation.</p> -<p>Although unostentatious, King’s Tavern is important. According to the records -it is the oldest building in this part of the South. Parts of St. Augustine, -Florida, are somewhat older. Its very atmosphere breathes of days and people long -dead; of Indians, of Spanish and English and French noblemen; of weary travelers -over foot paths or by river boats, wandering into the old Tavern, resting, -and then departing, disappearing from the face of the earth.</p> -<p>The house is more than 170 years old. Records show that “the first United -States mail brought over the Natchez Trace was delivered to King’s Tavern by -an Indian runner and was distributed from this point.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div> -<p>The timbers are held together by wooden pegs and beams. The heavier timbers -are of the type used in the construction of large ships of that period. Ceilings in -the rooms are low. Doors and windows are heavy with narrow frames. The sills -and sleepers of the building show the rope holes, again indicating that timbers -came from old sailing vessels.</p> -<p>The earliest official record of transfer of this property shows 1789 as the year -it was granted to Richard King, a member of the King family of Long Island, -New York, and by him it was given the name “King’s Tavern”. Formerly it had -been known as the Bledsoe House.</p> -<p>For a period of about 115 years the property has been owned and occupied by -the descendants of Mrs. Elizabeth Postlethwaite.</p> -<p>An interesting relic of bygone years is a portrait in oils of the late Samuel -Postlethwaite III, who was Mayor of Natchez in 1825 when the great Lafayette -visited the little village. This portrait is signed by the artist, Benjamin West.</p> -<p>Mrs. A. C. Register and Mrs. Jean Register Modsett, descendants of the -Postlethwaite family, are the present owners and occupants of King’s Tavern.</p> -<p><i>Legend:</i></p> -<blockquote> -<p>At night, when all’s dark and quiet at King’s Tavern, ghosts of Indian -warriors, in full dress of their native tribe, wander through the old Tap -Room, loll and lean against the old bar, peer out through small crevices, -and then disappear through the heavy doors which lead onto the street.</p> -</blockquote> -<div class="img" id="fig62"> -<img src="images/p31a.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="589" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Main Door at King’s Tavern Where Indian Runners Left the Mail</span></p> -<p class="capbody">Bullet holes in the door are from an Indian attack during the early days of Natchez.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_60">60</div> -<h2 id="c33"><i>Lansdown</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig63"> -<img src="images/p32.jpg" alt="Lansdown" width="800" height="466" /> -</div> -<p>Lansdown has been the home of the Marshall family for more than eighty-five -years. Like many other magnificent plantation homes around Natchez, -Lansdown was a wedding gift to Mr. and Mrs. George Marshall, whose descendants -of the same name own and occupy today this comfortable Georgian type -house.</p> -<p>Lansdown is an unpretentious but quite substantial structure with a broad -front portico enclosed by artistic grill bannisters fashioned in Greek pattern. -Broad, spreading steps lead down to a brick walk, and on each side stand the old -carriage blocks of yesteryear.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig64"> -<img src="images/p32a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="414" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div> -<div class="img" id="fig65"> -<img src="images/p32b.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="700" height="553" /> -</div> -<p>Portraits by famous artists of earlier generations of Marshalls, including a -portrait of Levin R. Marshall by Sully, look down on gorgeous rosewood and -mahogany furnishings of their own selection placed in Lansdown.</p> -<p>The china and silver in this home are the pride of the present generation of -Marshalls. Much of the original china is in use today. Many pieces of the original -Robert E. Lee furnishings of “Stratford Hall” are now in Lansdown. Within the -past few months the younger generation at Lansdown discovered several pieces -of silver bearing the unmistakable mark of Robert E. Lee.</p> -<p>Lansdown came to the Marshalls through Mrs. Charlotte Hunt Marshall. -Natchez had a great benefactor in David Hunt, the father of Charlotte Hunt -Marshall. It was he who made possible the Chamberlain-Hunt Military Academy -at Port Gibson, Mississippi, one of the first schools for boys in the Southland. It -is still an excellent school for young men.</p> -<p>Today Lansdown is owned and occupied by George Marshall III and Mrs. -Agnes Marshall Ward, lineal descendants of the original owner, who named the -place “Lansdown” by virtue of his friendship for the celebrated Marquis of -Lansdown, England.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_62">62</div> -<h2 id="c34"><i>Linden</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig66"> -<img src="images/p33.jpg" alt="Entrance" width="689" height="700" /> -</div> -<p>The origin of Linden seems lost to history although it is known to have -existed as early as 1790. It came to ancestors of the present owners a hundred -years ago, and has been owned and occupied by the A. M. Feltus family for several -generations.</p> -<p>Nature seems to exert herself to give to Linden a perfect setting. Surrounding -the magnificently constructed house, with its 98 feet of gallery, are dozens of oak -trees, draped in long gray moss which sweeps the very eaves of the dwelling. Standing -in the artistic entrance of Linden one sees the outside world through growing -draperies of swaying gray lace.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div> -<div class="img" id="fig67"> -<img src="images/p33a.jpg" alt="Linden" width="800" height="478" /> -</div> -<p>The architecture of Linden is as unusual as it is simple. The center portion is -two stories, flanked on each side by single-storied rooms. A gallery runs the entire -width of the building. To the rear of the single-storied rooms is a long two-storied -wing. Each wing is a complete apartment.</p> -<p>The furnishings are rare and exquisite, producing a feeling of restfulness -and satisfaction. “Linden” has three paintings by Audubon, and an interesting -portrait of the song-bird, Jenny Lind.</p> -<p>The driveway through the grounds of Linden leads past the front entrance -entirely around the house and passes its beautifully kept gardens. A circle driveway -which leads out through the bricked entrance affords a final glimpse of the -stately white house in the distance, not unlike “Mount Vernon”. The view across -the hill brings “Monmouth”, a neighboring mansion, to the eye as another -delightful prospect.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig68"> -<img src="images/p33c.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="527" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_64">64</div> -<div class="img" id="fig69"> -<img src="images/p34.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="757" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">LINDEN—<span class="sc">Dining Room With Punka</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div> -<h2 id="c35"><i>Greenleaves</i></h2> -<p>“Greenleaves”, built prior to 1812, is a town house—a great rambling cottage -type of architecture in the very heart of Natchez. It is as sturdy as the old gnarled -oaks which seem to hold it in their protecting boughs. It represents comfort, -luxury, and beauty without ostentation or pretense.</p> -<p>The halls and rooms are palatial in size and appointments. The house as -originally constructed shows that it was built to endure. It was remodeled in the -early 40’s by the grandfather of the present owners.</p> -<p>A wealth of the original furnishings in solid mahogany and rosewood and -many rare museum pieces have remained in Greenleaves throughout generations, -and are today as beautiful as the day they came from foreign shores.</p> -<p>The present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Melchoir Beltzhoover, the third generation -of the Koontz family to occupy Greenleaves, grace this ante-bellum home with -pardonable pride of possession.</p> -<p>The family of the original owners of Greenleaves was wiped out during a -yellow fever epidemic, the entire family filling one grave. Eventually Greenleaves -was bought by George Washington Koontz of Pennsylvania, who became a leading -influence, financially and socially, in Natchez. Children of the present occupants -of Greenleaves are the fourth generation of the Koontz family to enjoy -this luxurious home.</p> -<p>Mr. Beltzhoover’s ownership of this property is shared with his sister, Mrs. -Guy Robinson, who is a resident of New York state.</p> -<p><i>Legend:</i></p> -<blockquote> -<p>Under the giant liveoaks at the rear of Greenleaves the Natchez tribe of -Indians held their annual pow-wows and decided all momentous questions.</p> -</blockquote> -<div class="img" id="fig70"> -<img src="images/p34a.jpg" alt="Greenleaves" width="800" height="517" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div> -<h2 id="c36"><i>Longwood</i></h2> -<p>Longwood stands in a moss-tangled forest. It is a monument to a dream that -was interrupted by the tragedy of the War Between the States in 1861-’65. It was -to have been a gorgeous structure of Moorish design, planned by Sloan of Philadelphia, -who in those days had no equal as artist-architect.</p> -<p>Longwood was being built for Dr. Haller Nutt. Landscape gardeners came -from abroad, and even today rare imported shrubs and trees form a part of the -dense growth around the unfinished gardens.</p> -<p>When the house reached its present point of construction, with more than a -hundred thousand dollars already invested, there came the cry of war and the -call to arms. Workmen laid down their tools and took their guns and never -returned to the task of completing Longwood.</p> -<p>The deep concrete foundation, the outside framework, and some of the trimmings -of the house were well under way. Today there are huge sections of carved -moulding, old paint buckets and brushes, tool boxes, and carpenter’s implements -scattered about the upper floors—just as they were left almost 75 years ago.</p> -<p>The house, begun in the late 50’s, is of brick, burned by slaves on the place, -with columns and grill work of hand-carved, time-enduring cypress. The ground -floor contained a nursery and an adjoining apartment for a white housekeeper -and governess, a card room, a billiard room, wine cellar, and heating plant. This -floor is the only part of the building that reached anything like completion. The -upper floors were boarded up. All orders for materials, marble stairway, mosaic -floors, and elaborate furnishings were canceled. Many of these orders had been -placed in Italy and France. Some costly pieces were en route on the high seas. -A few items were returned and others are now in national museums.</p> -<p>Dr. Nutt died in 1864, survived by his wife and a large family of children. -One of the descendants of these children now occupies the finished lower floor -or basement of Longwood. There is on this floor a huge rotunda and eight large -rooms, surrounded by a moat. Many relics of past generations adorn these quarters, -including antiques from different branches of the family.</p> -<p>There are several pieces of richly carved rosewood furniture, an exquisite old -grand piano, and oil portraits of Dr. Nutt and his beautiful blonde wife by -famous old-world artists.</p> -<p>James and Merritt Ward of Natchez and Mrs. Julia Ward Blanchard of New -York City are the present owners of Longwood.</p> -<p>Planned as a palatial home for a family of eleven children and eight hundred -slaves, today Longwood (often referred to as “Nutt’s Folly”) is occupied by -Merritt Ward and one servant.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div> -<div class="img" id="fig71"> -<img src="images/p35.jpg" alt="" width="637" height="799" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">LONGWOOD—“<span class="sc">Nutt’s Folly</span>”</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_68">68</div> -<h2 id="c37"><i>Magnolia Vale</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig72"> -<img src="images/p36.jpg" alt="Magnolia Vale" width="800" height="463" /> -</div> -<p>A few hundred feet below the city of Natchez, along the river edge, is an -extension of land on which the first Natchez was situated. This old town was -known as “Natchez Under the Hill”. The commercial center of the old Natchez -has passed into decay. The buildings that sheltered the river men, the gambling -“joints” that housed the riff-raff of those steamboat days, have long since tumbled -into the river. Driving down a long and steep shelf of land, at the north end of -what was old Natchez, one comes to the gate of a castle-like home in the heart -of a garden which is always beautiful with blossoms. It is “Magnolia Vale”.</p> -<p>This house was built about 110 years ago by Andrew Brown and is owned -today by Andrew B. Learned, a direct descendant.</p> -<p>Andrew Brown was a native of Scotland, and a great lover of flowers. After -building a home of the early American type, with wide galleries, handsome Doric -columns, spacious halls and large rooms, he found self-expression in creating a -garden which has been famous for generations, from St. Louis to New Orleans, as -“Brown’s Gardens”.</p> -<p>A formal driveway, bordered with Louis Philippe roses, leads to the mansion. -Giant magnolias and evergreen laurimundi splash the landscape with white and -green. Formal flower beds, with boxwood borders, cover the entire acreage of -the foreground to Magnolia Vale.</p> -<p>The Mississippi River has continuously eaten into the grounds of Magnolia -Vale until much of this promontory has vanished into the waters. Although the -great house shows marked evidence of “settling” from year to year, and is occupied -now by a caretaker only, the gardens are given constant attention. The same -trim boxwood hedges, the same formal walks and beloved flower beds, the same -shrubs, the same tall trees, and the maze of gardenia and japonica greet the -visitor and shed perfume across the broad and mighty river, which ravenously -eats at the very roots of these gorgeous plants.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_69">69</div> -<h2 id="c38"><i>Mount Repose</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig73"> -<img src="images/p36a.jpg" alt="Mount Repose" width="800" height="383" /> -</div> -<p>Here is a huge, comfortable, old-fashioned, country gentleman’s home—in -appearance and in literal fact “Mount Repose”. The name aptly describes the -first impression of every visitor.</p> -<p>The house is situated on an elevation, surrounded by broad green acres.</p> -<p>Built in the early 1800’s, Mount Repose has been the scene of much that is -interesting in the story of Natchez. It is part of the original estate of William -Bisland, a Scotsman. From this family comes the author Elizabeth Bisland who -through close association with Lafcadio Hearn, when both of them worked for the -old New Orleans <i>Picayune</i>, was able to write the interesting life of that genius. -This book and many others by Elizabeth Bisland, including <i>Candle of Understanding</i> -and <i>The Case of John Smith</i>, can be found in public libraries today.</p> -<p>The present owners of Mount Repose, Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Baldwin of New -York, are direct descendants of the Bisland family. Its present occupants, the -J. D. Shields family are also descendants of the Bislands. Mrs. Shields is a -descendant of the renowned English beauty, Margaret Watts, who married the -Spanish Governor, Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, who is prominently identified with -Natchez’ earliest history.</p> -<p>The original furnishings of Mount Repose have gone out to Bisland heirs, -and yet valuable antiques and family portraits remain in the old house.</p> -<p>An interesting story is told of a wager expressive of the loyalty of William -Bisland to Henry Clay.</p> -<p>Mr. Bisland believed that Henry Clay should be, and would be, the next -president of the United States. He laid a wager in accordance with his belief. -He had just planted a formal line of sentinel trees along a driveway to the main -entrance of Mount Repose. He openly declared that this driveway would be -closed until Clay was elected. He then proceeded with great preparations for its -formal opening, but history tells why today there grow two long lines of well-spaced -trees from the big front gate to the house—that gate unopened through -the years! The entrance to Mount Repose is through the side gate. Henry Clay -was never elected president.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_70">70</div> -<h2 id="c39"><i>Melmont</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig74"> -<img src="images/p37.jpg" alt="Melmont" width="800" height="626" /> -</div> -<p>’Way back in 1839, when Henry Basil Shaw married Mary Elizabeth Lattimore, -profound consideration was given to naming the homes and estates of Natchez. It -is almost certain that the mistress of Melmont pondered long and consulted her -family before deciding the name. She chose to use the three initials of Mary -Elizabeth Lattimore to form the first part of the name, “Mel”, and added “mont” -because the mansion stood mounted on a rolling acreage. Thus “Melmont” -was coined.</p> -<p>Melmont is unlike other Natchez homes. The architecture is its own peculiar -type. A sturdy, well-built house, it has for almost a century cared for Natchez’ -foremost citizens and their illustrious guests. Claiborne, the historian, Judge -Samuel Brooks, and other prominent men spent much time at Melmont.</p> -<p>The acreage around Melmont has been sold and modern homes have been -built on the land. Melmont is now a palatial town house, no longer a -country home.</p> -<p>Melmont was within the Federal lines during the War Between the States. -When Natchez was shelled from the river in 1862 shells fell in the yard and gardens -and destroyed giant oak trees and landscaping.</p> -<p>The interior decoration and furnishing are to a great extent from the original -family although many handsome pieces have been added by subsequent owners. -Mrs. John Ayres and her sister, Miss Corinne Henderson, have occupied this -home for many years. Mrs. Ayers especially prizes a mahogany bureau which has -chests on either side for storing wigs.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div> -<div class="img" id="fig75"> -<img src="images/p37a.jpg" alt="" width="654" height="700" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MELMONT—<span class="sc">Drawing Room</span></p> -</div></div> -<p>A valuable Hepplewhite desk in the drawing room attracts much interest. It -belonged to the renowned John Henderson, and it was here he is believed to -have written an appeal to Congress in 1798 “for schools for the education of -children and provision for regular ministry of the Gospel.”</p> -<p>Melmont is well preserved, exterior and interior, and holds great charm for -all who come within its portals.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_72">72</div> -<div class="img" id="fig76"> -<img src="images/p38.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="513" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Melrose</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig77"> -<img src="images/p38a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="531" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Pond on Driveway to the House</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div> -<h2 id="c40"><i>Melrose</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig78"> -<img src="images/p38b.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="739" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">The Drawing Room.</span> The old-fashioned -“courting set” had a center seat for the chaperon, -who was ever present during boy and girl visits.</p> -</div></div> -<p>Melrose, called “the perfect ante-bellum home”, is located about a mile from -Natchez city limits. This model mansion, built in the early 40’s, owned and -occupied by Mr. and Mrs. George M. D. Kelly, is, by courtesy of the owners, -opened for inspection during the annual Pilgrimage celebration of the Natchez -Garden Club. In an entire day one can only glimpse Melrose and its treasures. -Another full day could be well spent in the surrounding woodlands and boxwood -bordered gardens.</p> -<p>Built in 1845 by Judge Edward Turner for his daughter, Mrs. McMurran, it -was purchased immediately after the War Between the States by George Malin -Davis, grandfather of the present owner, George Malin Davis Kelly. Mr. Kelly -has with great pride of possession kept the Melrose home and estate in its original -perfection.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div> -<div class="img" id="fig79"> -<img src="images/p39.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">PUNKA OVER DINING ROOM TABLE</p> -</div></div> -<p>The approach to Melrose is through acres of lawn as smooth as stretched -velvet. The house is an imposing brick building of the square Georgian architectural -design, with upper and lower porticos, and supporting Ionic columns.</p> -<p>The front door is of attractive Colonial style with diamond shaped sidelights. -A broad sweep of steps lead to the wide portico.</p> -<p>A spacious hall runs through the lower floor. It is appropriately furnished in -rare old pieces; among these is an unusual table which is set with semi-precious -stones, and an ancient grandfather’s clock. The lighting for this grand hallway is -provided by numerous rows of candles, held in dainty but substantial frames. -The floor covering (which is the original) attracts immediate attention by reason -of its beauty, unique design, and quality. It can be best described as a striking -inlay of unknown origin.</p> -<p>To the right of the hall is the front drawing room. The rosewood furniture is -Empire style, and is in as perfect condition today as on the day of its purchase.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_75">75</div> -<div class="img" id="fig80"> -<img src="images/p39a.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="709" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">TYPICAL BEDROOM PIECES—MELROSE</p> -</div></div> -<p>To the left is a dining room 20 feet square. Black marble mantels add dignity -to the room. A handsome mahogany punka swings over the dining table. This -bespeaks undeniable antiquity. Until quite recently the owners of Melrose cared -for several old slaves who pulled the punka to create breezes for the comfort of -the family during meals.</p> -<p>Melrose still uses its outside brick kitchen, reached by a broad brick walk -from the main house. Above the kitchen are quarters for the house servants.</p> -<p>The upper floors of Melrose contain bedrooms, halls, and a sewing room. -Massive beds so high that occupants must climb in by a set of specially made -mahogany steps; heavy bureaus, armoirs, dressing tables, tilt top tables, and -day bed—all are heirlooms of the original owners and of the present owners.</p> -<p>Mr. Davis (the grandfather of the present owner) came South from Pennsylvania -many years before the war of ’61, and was educated at Sewanee College, -Sewanee, Tennessee. His only daughter married Dr. Stephen Kelly of New York, -and that daughter became the mother of George M. D. Kelly, the present owner -of Melrose mansion.</p> -<p>George M. D. Kelly and his wife, who was Miss Ethel Moore, are members of -old New York families but have long since adopted the Southland as their home.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div> -<h2 id="c41"><i>Monmouth</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig81"> -<img src="images/p40.jpg" alt="Monmouth" width="800" height="547" /> -</div> -<p>Near “Linden”, on a velvety lawn guarded by great oaks, stands a Grecian-type -mansion. This is Monmouth, now owned and maintained by Mrs. Hubert -Barnum. Mrs. Barnum, owner of “Arlington”, the adjoining estate, is probably -the only Natchezian who owns and operates two great ante-bellum homes.</p> -<p>Historically Monmouth is known as the home of John A. Quitman and his -wife, Eliza. General Quitman, a hero of national renown, raised the first American -flag in Mexico. He purchased this mansion and fifteen surrounding acres about -the year 1826.</p> -<p>Edith Wyatt Moore in her story of Monmouth says: “John A. Quitman and -Eliza Turner drew a marriage contract prior to their wedding. He relinquished -all right of inheritance to her property in case of her death without children. -He gave her the right to handle slaves and property or dispose of same without -his consent.” General Quitman was a native of New York.</p> -<p>A man of great popularity and military distinction, General Quitman’s home -became the scene of many gatherings of the notables of America. Monmouth was -classed among the most perfectly appointed homes of its day.</p> -<p>General Quitman died in 1859 from what was suspected as the effect of slow -poison administered at a banquet given in honor of President Buchanan.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div> -<p>For a period following General Quitman’s death his beloved Monmouth was -vacant. It became dilapidated from disuse, and after passing through many -hands was purchased by Mrs. Annie Gwynne, who is now Mrs. Barnum. Every -part has been repaired or renewed and the old mansion stands today in majestic -perfection.</p> -<p>Great square pillars support the upper portico, which is encircled by attractive -lattice grill work. The walls are of brick. The doors, with fan transoms and -side-lights, and the window frames are made of hand-carved wood. Spacious halls, -huge rooms with high ceilings, and a pervading air of solid, substantial structure -make Monmouth a monument eternal to a man whose memory shall never die—a -man of whom it was said, “He is Mississippi’s best-loved citizen.”</p> -<p>The original furnishings of Monmouth are long since gone. These were supplanted -by rare antiques from the superb collection of Mrs. Barnum’s family, the -Greens, who founded Greensboro, North Carolina.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig82"> -<img src="images/p40a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="615" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MILK HOUSE AND SERVANTS’ QUARTERS—MONMOUTH</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_78">78</div> -<h2 id="c42"><i>Monteigne</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig83"> -<img src="images/p41.jpg" alt="Monteigne" width="800" height="526" /> -</div> -<p>“Monteigne” is a recently acquired possession of one of Natchez’ most valued -families, Mrs. Mary Worrell Kendall and Mr. and Mrs. William Kendall. It was -built in 1855 as the home of Gen. William T. Martin of the Confederacy, whose -features are carved on Stone Mountain as a representative of the State of Mississippi. -Hand-hewn timbers discovered when excavating the foundation for -“Monteigne” lead to the belief that this was the site of a home destroyed during -the Indian Massacre of 1729.</p> -<p>The place bears the French Huguenot name for Martin, “Monteigne”. It is -unlike any of the old homes around Natchez. Predominantly Georgian in appearance, -Monteigne stands out distinctively. A solid, two-story structure, built of -sturdiest timbers, this home has withstood the ravages of time and the desecration -of opposing forces during the War Between the States.</p> -<p>It is said that horses were “stalled” in the parlors by Yankee soldiers, rosewood -furniture used for kindling fires, and valuable silver and brass melted and lost.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div> -<div class="img" id="fig84"> -<img src="images/p41a.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="550" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MONTEIGNE—<span class="sc">Patio</span></p> -</div></div> -<p>Upon his return from the war, General Martin saw the destruction of the -beauty of his house and its grounds. With the undismayed courage of a great man -who knows how to overcome defeat, he began the restoration of his home and its -eleven acres of yard and gardens.</p> -<p>When Leslie Carpenter bought Monteigne in 1928 Natchez was assured -another perfect estate. Terraced lawns and rose gardens were brought to life; -driveways, trellises, shrubbery, and flagged walks were restored to this classic -home.</p> -<p>The interior of Monteigne is stately—formal and yet inviting—with the -black and white mosaic floor in its great entrance hall.</p> -<p>Monteigne recently passed from the Carpenters to the present owners, Mrs. -Mary Worrell Kendall, her son, William, and his wife and their two little -daughters.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_80">80</div> -<div class="img" id="fig85"> -<img src="images/p42.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="564" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MONTEIGNE—<span class="sc">Rose Garden</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig86"> -<img src="images/p42a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="546" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">MONTEIGNE—<span class="sc">Lily Pool</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div> -<h2 id="c43"><i>Myrtle Terrace</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig87"> -<img src="images/p42b.jpg" alt="Myrtle Terrace" width="800" height="590" /> -</div> -<p>Substantial and compact, this Colonial cottage is one of the reclaimed small -ante-bellum homes of Natchez. Built in the 1830’s, it is more than a century old.</p> -<p>In 1844 Myrtle Terrace was purchased by the late L. N. Carpenter, who, in -turn, sold it to the renowned Captain Thomas Leathers of steamboat fame. The -agreement to buy stipulated in minute detail that the property must be put in -“ship shape”, carefully specifying “hinges on the windows, fastenings on the -cellar door, latches on the gates, blinds on all windows except the dormers, -building a stable and a carriage house”.</p> -<p>Captain Leathers was identified with the famous <i>Natchez-Robert E. Lee</i> steamboat -race from New Orleans to St. Louis, on the Mississippi river, in 1870. The -prize was $20,000. The race has become an epic. So thrilling is it in the history of -river traffic it was dramatized in a recent celebration on the Pacific Coast.</p> -<p>Captain Leathers of the <i>Natchez</i> lost the race to Captain Cannon of the -<i>Robert E. Lee</i> not because he had a slower boat but because of his over-confidence. -He traveled nonchalantly and made all his regular stops. In the pinch he would -not jeopardize the safely of his passengers by pressing his boilers beyond the -safety point.</p> -<p>Captain Leathers lived in Myrtle Terrace for many years, and the place is still -known as the “home of the Captain of the steamboat <i>Natchez</i>”. It is now owned -and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Dan Tucker, who have reclaimed the old lines of -the house and have added modern interior improvements.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div> -<h2 id="c44"><i>Propinquity</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig88"> -<img src="images/p43.jpg" alt="Propinquity" width="800" height="524" /> -</div> -<p>In the long ago, when each Southern plantation was identified by a specially -chosen name, the naming of homes around Natchez was a great event. When land -was opened and a home built, a recorded name was given, and neither time nor -change of owner or occupant changed the name of that plantation. Interesting -indeed are the stories of the names selected.</p> -<p>“Propinquity” was named in 1810 by its owner, Brigadier General Leonard -Covington, and was so named because its lands adjoined Fort Dearborn where he -was in command of a troop of Light Dragoons. Today Propinquity is appropriate -as “near to nature”.</p> -<p>The plantation belonged originally to one William Belk. The records shows -that in 1797 a committee met at this place for the purpose of appointing a Public -Safety organization, the first American political assembly held in the Lower Mississippi -Valley.</p> -<p>For several generations Propinquity has been owned by the descendants of -Jane Long, the famous “Mother of Texas”, who spent many happy days in this -quaint old home. It is still a reliquary for interesting possessions of the Texas -heroine.</p> -<p>Situated on a side road off the original “Natchez Trace”, this old house is -built on simple early American lines. A wide center hall with a deep mahogany -stairway runs the length of the two huge rooms on either side. Green shuttered, -small pane windows, a solid three-panel front door with straight glass sidelights, -and a small upper and lower portico complete the simple picture of this old home.</p> -<p>The furnishings are of the original purchase. There is a tiny melodeon in -the parlor. Its quaint type indicates very early “vintage”—a rare museum piece.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div> -<div class="img" id="fig89"> -<img src="images/p43a.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="536" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">PROPINQUITY</p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig90"> -<img src="images/p43b.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="572" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Spinet</span></p> -<p class="capbody"><span class="sc">Hand Made Wax Fruit Under a Glass Globe</span></p> -</div></div> -<p>Bedrooms where rested the nobility of the land in earlier days are still prim -and precise with poster beds in their original draperies, mahogany armoirs, -bureaus with numerous side compartments and many mirrors to please the fancy -of milady of the early fifties.</p> -<p>In the dining room there is an exquisite set of china, and despite the fact that -it has been in daily use for more than one hundred years, only two small pieces -are missing from the set of 200 pieces. This gives an idea of the order and system, -and the appreciation for the valuable and beautiful at Propinquity.</p> -<p>The house is occupied by Miss Rebecca Miller and Mrs. M. E. Fauntleroy, -who are descendants of the renowned Jane Long.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_84">84</div> -<div class="img" id="fig91"> -<img src="images/p44.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="687" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">RAVENNA (<i>front</i>)</p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig92"> -<img src="images/p44a.jpg" alt="" width="676" height="600" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">Azaleas, Little Ravenna</span></p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div> -<h2 id="c45"><i>Ravenna</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig93"> -<img src="images/p44b.jpg" alt="Ravenna" width="800" height="572" /> -</div> -<p>At the end of Union street, on ten acres of ground which edges a great ravine -or bayou, stands Ravenna, the present home of Mrs. Richard I. Metcalf.</p> -<p>Ravenna was built more than one hundred years ago by the Harris family. -It has stood the test of time and of the tornado of 1840. It stands today in the -superior dignity of perfection. The property was acquired by the family of its -present owner about eighty years ago.</p> -<p>Ravenna shows every evidence of an inherited love of flowers. This comes -from Andrew Brown of “Brown’s Gardens”, and Mrs. Metcalf, a direct descendant, -has expressed that inherited taste and talent in the beautification of Ravenna.</p> -<p>The house is the large Colonial type. An outstanding feature of the interior -is an exquisite stairway and a great assembly of unusual, massive antiques.</p> -<p>The charm of Ravenna is its setting. Facing a great ravine, the old home -is surrounded by flowers. A huge wisteria vine covers the front of the house with -purple blossoms. The side of the place toward the town is enclosed by a high iron -fence of massive design. The main entrance is through heavy iron gates that lead -along the winding tulip bordered driveway to the front portico. Bordering this -driveway are radiant azalea bushes and japonicas, while at certain seasons of the -year the deep pink of flowering peach trees and almond trees give vivid color -splotches which intensify the beauty of these grounds.</p> -<p>A point of interesting antiquity at Ravenna is the name “Caroline Harris” -scratched with a diamond into a window pane. This proves conclusively that the -windows were there in 1840 when the Harrises owned Ravenna.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_86">86</div> -<div class="img" id="fig94"> -<img src="images/p45.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="601" height="700" /> -</div> -<p>During the War Between the States the peace of Ravenna was greatly disturbed -by Federal soldiers who ordered the Metcalfs to leave this home. Mrs. -Metcalf was suspected of communicating with the Confederate soldiers through -the bayou.</p> -<p>Alter the war Ravenna was reclaimed and again occupied by the Metcalf -family.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div> -<div class="img" id="fig95"> -<img src="images/p45a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="483" /> -</div> -<p>“Little Ravenna”, the cottage home of the late Mrs. Zulika Metcalf Lawrence, -stands on the Ravenna grounds, as does also a palatial residence occupied by -Mrs. Roan Fleming Byrnes, who is a leading spirit in promoting the great Natchez -Trace highway project.</p> -<p>This group of family homes, under the sheltering eaves of the parent home, -Ravenna, eloquently bespeaks that close and lovable family life of the South as -it has existed for generations.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig96"> -<img src="images/p45b.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="560" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div> -<div class="img" id="fig97"> -<img src="images/p46.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="623" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">The lyre motif in mirror and table -is unusual. Tester bed is typical.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="img" id="fig98"> -<img src="images/p46a.jpg" alt="" width="536" height="700" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">Queen of a recent -Confederate Ball, -Miss Roane Adams, -poses beneath the -portrait of her -grandmother in the -drawing room of Ravenna.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div> -<h2 id="c46"><i>Oakland</i></h2> -<p>Among the numerous ante-bellum homes of Natchez which are today owned -and occupied by lineal descendants of the original owners “Oakland” stands -preeminent. Built in 1838 for Catherine Chotard Eustis, the granddaughter of -Major Stephen Minor, this home remains in the possession of the Minor family. -The present owner is Mrs. Jeanne Minor McDowell. Major Minor was the last -Governor of the Natchez District under Spanish rule.</p> -<p>Oakland is located in secluded grounds, and, as its name implies, stands in -a land of oaks.</p> -<p>The house is a substantial brick building with a wide front portico and broad -brick steps. The spacious center hallway opens with heavy mahogany entrance -doors into an old-fashioned parlor on the right and a large dining room on the -left. The walls are covered with the original paper.</p> -<p>Many pieces of the original furnishings remain. Several rare pieces were -brought to Oakland from “Concord”, which was the Governor’s official mansion -and was destroyed by fire.</p> -<p>The Minors were lovers of race horses, and valuable paintings of beautiful -horses owned by the family adorn the walls. Two especially fine horse pictures -are by Troye. Many silver trophies of racing victories form an interesting part -of Oakland possessions.</p> -<p>In this house is a bed of unique type, known as “a family bed”. It is a huge -four-poster with silken tester. As broad as it is long, there is plenty of room for -six persons to sleep comfortably!</p> -<p>Ante-bellum gardens wherein grow verbena, gardenia, and sweet olive, with -clipped boxwood borders, complete the handsome setting of Oakland.</p> -<div class="img" id="fig99"> -<img src="images/p46b.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="558" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_90">90</div> -<h2 id="c47"><i>Richmond</i></h2> -<p>Life at Richmond today seems a continuous house party. The present owners -(seven daughters, one son, and one granddaughter of the late Shelby Marshall) -are the fifth and sixth generations of the illustrious Levin R. Marshall family to -own and occupy this old and hospitable mansion. It contains 41 rooms.</p> -<p>The architecture of Richmond shows three distinct styles. The original center -building, 153 years old, is of Spanish design; the front, 105 years old, is of Greek -design; and 77 years ago the square English portion of the house was built.</p> -<p>The Spanish part, constructed of sturdy hand-hewn timbers, brick, and -cement, is in an excellent state of preservation. It has stood without reconstruction -throughout the years. There is a cement patio on the ground level, and cypress -steps with artistic iron grill rails reach the main floor from the outside. Here one -can sound the door knocker, and soon hear heavy wooden bars being lifted. This -was the security against Indians and other intruders of early days, and such protection -remains intact at Richmond.</p> -<p>In 1832 Richmond became the property of Levin R. Marshall, great-great-grandfather -of the present owners, and it was he who added the lovely Greek -portion. This addition contains six large rooms on the main floor and four in -the basement.</p> -<p>Twenty-eight years later, in order to accommodate a rapidly growing family -and numbers of guests, the red brick English addition was built in the rear.</p> -<p>The main entrance has a front portion with classic Corinthian columns supporting -the roof. A broad hall, the length of two twenty-foot rooms, runs through -the center to a formal dining room. This formal room opens with four tall folding -doors into a smaller family dining room. There are double drawing rooms on the -left side of the great hall.</p> -<p>The massive old furniture remains today in Richmond, as does the family -silver, which is the most ornate and beautiful silver service in the entire South.</p> -<p>The front drawing room harbors a greatly prized relic of the past—the quaint -concert grand piano which was used to accompany the famous song-bird Jenny -Lind when, under the management of that superb showman, P. T. Barnum, she -toured the South. A beautiful portrait of Jenny Lind hangs near the old piano.</p> -<p>Richmond contains a rich treasure store of old laces, quaint costumes, and -queer candelabra. Quite recently there was discovered an assortment of pans and -plumber’s equipment. When assembled this “find” proved to be a bathtub of -probably the 1850 model. The fastidious bather stood in a tin basin, pulled a -curtain for privacy, while a slave by means of a small hand pump pumped water -from a two-gallon tank overhead; this water ran over the bather, down into the -basin, and was, in turn, pumped up and the bather reshowered.</p> -<p>Fortunes have been made and lost by Richmond owners. The generosity of -Levin R. Marshall extended to the State of Texas and the town of Marshall, in -Texas, is named in honor of this family.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_91">91</div> -<div class="img" id="fig100"> -<img src="images/p47.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="574" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">Three of the cultures that have contributed to the charm of Natchez are -represented in Richmond. Post-Colonial Neo-Greek is shown at the left, -Spanish in the center, and English Georgian on the right.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_92">92</div> -<div class="img" id="fig101"> -<img src="images/p48.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="800" height="578" /> -</div> -<div class="img" id="fig102"> -<img src="images/p48a.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="675" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">FORT ROSALIE -Built by the French -in the early 18th -century, it was the -scene of the Indian -massacre of 1729.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div> -<h2 id="c48"><i>Rosalie</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig103"> -<img src="images/p48b.jpg" alt="Rosalie" width="800" height="440" /> -</div> -<p>In the Natchez country “Rosalie” is a magic name. It conjures up memories of -startling days that were, and stimulates the imagination to see Indians and soldiers -and people from foreign lands.</p> -<p>The home, “Rosalie”, bears the name and is situated near the site of Fort -Rosalie, which was built by the French in the early 1700’s.</p> -<p>No home in Natchez is of greater historical importance than Rosalie. The -building was started about 1820 by Peter B. Little, and required seven years for -completion. All materials are of the choicest selection. Home-burned bricks and -hand-hewn timbers were used in its construction.</p> -<p>Rosalie is situated 200 feet above the Mississippi River. It is now the home of -Miss Rebecca Rumble and Mrs. James Marsh. It contains many original pieces -of furniture, carpets, and exquisite chandeliers. A valuable piece is the mahogany -table at which Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, and U. S. Grant -dined.</p> -<p>Mr. Little married his thirteen-year-old ward, and sent her to Baltimore to -be educated. It was while she was in school that he built this mansion in which -to receive her when she returned.</p> -<p>It is believed that the ground immediately back of Rosalie is the site of the -great Indian massacre of the French in 1729.</p> -<p>Railroad tracks and driveways have cut through the acres that were originally -Rosalie private grounds, but the yard and gardens of the old home are well kept -and are filled with old-fashioned flowers and shrubbery of days long gone.</p> -<p>Rosalie was General Grant’s headquarters during the Federal occupation of -Natchez in the War Between the States.</p> -<p>The present occupants display with much pride the huge four-poster mahogany -bed in which General Grant slept during his stay at this old house.</p> -<p>Rosalie has been purchased by the Daughters of the American Revolution, -and will be maintained as a public shrine. Many of the encroaching industrial -buildings will soon give way to the original acreage that formed the gardens of -Rosalie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_94">94</div> -<div class="img" id="fig104"> -<img src="images/p49.jpg" alt="" width="681" height="800" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead"><span class="sc">This Bed in Rosalie Has a Prayer Pad at Its Side</span>.</p> -</div></div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div> -<h2 id="c49"><i>Parsonage</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig105"> -<img src="images/p49a.jpg" alt="Parsonage" width="800" height="575" /> -</div> -<p>Under the very eaves of old “Rosalie” with its historic background of Fort -Rosalie, stands a sturdy square structure known as “The Parsonage”.</p> -<p>It is a brick building with an English basement, the entrance leading by -broad steps to the elevated first floor.</p> -<p>While of no particular historic interest, The Parsonage has its story.</p> -<p>It was built by Peter Little, the owner and builder of Rosalie, and bears the -same evidence of sturdy construction exemplified in the larger home.</p> -<p>Like most men, Mr. Little wanted the privacy of his own home, while Mrs. -Little, due to religious enthusiasm, felt called upon to entertain every preacher -and his family who passed that way. By reason of this devotion to religious duty, -“Rosalie” was kept filled with ministerial guests.</p> -<p>Following a long siege of such guests Mr. Little declared to his wife, “I am -going to build a home for your church friends and their families”. True to this -decision he built a lovely home, and in November 1850 deeded it to the Methodist -Church and called it “The Parsonage”.</p> -<p>After the death of his young wife Mr. Little lived on at Rosalie, a brokenhearted, -lonely old man, until, tradition tells, while ill and alone, in the dark -hours of night, the master of Rosalie and builder of The Parsonage which he -designed to insure his seclusion, was murdered by one of his own slaves.</p> -<p>Later The Parsonage was sold. Today, with its exquisite antique furnishings, -it is the property of the Orrick Metcalfs, who are descendants of one of Natchez’ -oldest and most respected families.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_96">96</div> -<h2 id="c50"><i>Stanton Hall</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig106"> -<img src="images/p50.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="796" height="591" /> -</div> -<p>In the heart of the city of Natchez stands an imposing mansion, “Stanton -Hall”. It is surrounded by a half-acre of rolling lawn which is enclosed by an -iron fence. This strong iron fence is in a delicate design and is itself worth a -small fortune.</p> -<p>Stanton Hall is the most handsome old home, and probably the most expensive, -in the entire Natchez area. It is not of great historical value but it well -represents the architectural grandeur of the Old South.</p> -<p>It was built during the 1851-56 period. As the building materials were imported, -the house required several years for its construction.</p> -<p>On the first floor there are four tremendous rooms and a broad hall. Hand -carvings for doors and windows, Carrara marble mantels, silver and bronze hinges, -bronze chandeliers, and exquisite over-size mirrors required a specially chartered -ship for their delivery to complete this handsome home. It was built for Frederick -Stanton of Belfast, Ireland, and his young wife, Hulda Helm Stanton, a lady of -the Natchez neighborhood.</p> -<p>The spacious grounds resemble a well-kept park. Aged oaks spread their -moss-draped boughs in a latticed shield, as it were, across the front where white -Corinthian columns support the massive portico which is outlined by iron grill -railings of intricate lacy pattern.</p> -<p>To the right of the entrance is a large drawing room, and back of this, through -an elaborate archway, is a very unusual music room. This room is decorated with -murals of musical instruments on which appear the names of the great old music -masters.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div> -<div class="img" id="fig107"> -<img src="images/p50a.jpg" alt="Stanton Hall" width="694" height="800" /> -</div> -<p>Woodwork and doors on the first floor are of solid mahogany, with silver -hinges and silver door knobs.</p> -<p>After Stanton Hall passed from the original owners in the year 1894, it was -used as a select school, known as “Stanton College for Young Ladies”.</p> -<p>In August 1920 Robert T. Clarke bought Stanton Hall and has occupied it -since that date. He recently sold the property to the Pilgrimage Garden Club.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_98">98</div> -<h2 id="c51"><i>Weymouth Hall</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig108"> -<img src="images/p51.jpg" alt="Weymouth Hall" width="800" height="532" /> -</div> -<p>Unusual and peculiar is the construction of Weymouth Hall. It was purchased -by Col. John Weymouth in 1821 and was rebuilt in 1852 by the Bullock family. -It is a three-story brick building overlooking the Mississippi River, and has for -its back view acres of Natchez cemetery.</p> -<p>The upper stories are reached by a winding stairway. The third floor is a -ballroom. During the War Between the States this room was used as headquarters -for Union soldiers because it gave a perfect view of the river and surrounding -country.</p> -<p>Stark Young in <i>So Red the Rose</i> refers to Weymouth Hall and the death of -Mrs. John Weymouth in the room below the Union headquarters. He gives a -vivid description of the agony of the family as they watched a loved one slip -away forever amid the hostile booming of drums above her bedroom.</p> -<p>The furnishings, woodwork, and mantels in Weymouth Hall are fascinating -in perfection and antiquity. In the living room on the second floor is a black -marble mantel inlaid with colored roses of mother of pearl. Fabulous offers have -been declined for this mantel. There is probably not another like it in the entire -South.</p> -<p>This old home is now owned and occupied by the Zurhellen and Morton -families, who are lineal descendants of Mrs. John Weymouth.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_99">99</div> -<h2 id="c52"><i>Ruins of Windsor</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig109"> -<img src="images/p51a.jpg" alt="Ruins of Windsor" width="800" height="640" /> -</div> -<p>Twenty-two stone Corinthian columns stand today as remnants of a grand -example of ante-bellum Greek Revival architecture.</p> -<p>Windsor was built in 1861 by S. C. Daniel, a wealthy Mississippi planter who -also had large land holdings in Louisiana. It had five stories, topped by an -observatory. It is said that Mark Twain, when a Mississippi steamboat pilot, -charted his course at this point by the lofty tower of Windsor.</p> -<p>The house and its furnishings were destroyed by fire in 1890.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_100">100</div> -<h2 id="c53"><i>Windy Hill Manor</i></h2> -<div class="img" id="fig110"> -<img src="images/p52.jpg" alt="Windy Hill Manor" width="800" height="572" /> -</div> -<p>Nine miles from Natchez, on the Liberty road, in a picturesque, moss-draped -grove, stands “Windy Hill Manor”, home of the Misses Stanton.</p> -<p>The records show that Windy Hill originally belonged to Joseph Ford. It was -under the ownership of Benjamin Osmun, a close friend of Aaron Burr, that the -place received its great historical interest.</p> -<p>After Aaron Burr had been accused of treason against his own country and -released on $5,000 bail, he was invited to be the guest of his old friend Benjamin -Osmun at Windy Hill.</p> -<p>One hundred and twenty years ago Benjamin Osmun sold this plantation to -General Brandon, great-grandfather of the Stanton sisters who now occupy it. -The Stantons gave the property the name of “Windy Hill Manor”.</p> -<p>Architecturally this house, like many of the cottage type ante-bellum homes, -is a surprise, when upon entering it is found to be of commodious proportions.</p> -<p>It is a story-and-a-half, plantation type home, with wide porch and large -columns across the front.</p> -<p>There is a beautiful spiral stairway in the wide front hall. To the left is a -large drawing room containing numerous relics of days long gone; portraits of -past generations; antique furniture, and a most interesting collection of Indian -relics. Also, an unusual fireplace and mantel are in this room.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div> -<div class="img" id="fig111"> -<img src="images/p52a.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width="671" height="800" /> -</div> -<p>Time has marched on but Windy Hill Manor remains a living, vibrant picture -of the days of the ease and graciousness of the Old South. The Misses Stanton -complete the perfection of this period picture.</p> -<p>Here our visit to the old estates comes to an end. Lack of space has prevented -inclusion of all of the ante-bellum homes, but we hope that we have nevertheless -captured the charm of Natchez.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_102">102</div> -<div class="img" id="fig112"> -<img src="images/p53.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="675" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="caphead">AARON BURR OAKS</p> -</div></div> -<h2>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> -<ul> -<li>Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.</li> -<li>Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.</li> -<li>Moved some captions closer to the corresponding pictures, removing extraneous spatial references like “(next page)”.</li> -<li>In the text versions, delimited italicized text by _underscores_.</li> -</ul> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Natchez, Symbol of the Old South, by -Nola Nance Oliver - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NATCHEZ, SYMBOL OF THE OLD SOUTH *** - -***** This file should be named 53830-h.htm or 53830-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/8/3/53830/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> |