Historic Homes & Buildings

LONGWOOD - Natchez

Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is a historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez. The mansion is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and is a National Historic Landmark. Longwood is the largest octagonal house in the United States.

The mansion is known for its octagonal plan, byzantine onion-shaped dome,[6] and the contrast between its ornately finished first floor and the unfinished upper floors. The inspiration for Longwood: Sloan's "Oriental Villa" as it appeared in his 1852 book, The Model Architect. Samuel Sloan, a Philadelphia architect, designed the home in 1859 for cotton planter Haller Nutt. Work was halted in 1861 at the start of the American Civil War. Nutt died of pneumonia in 1864, leaving the work incomplete. Of the thirty-two rooms planned for the house, only nine rooms on the basement floor were completed.

Haller Nutt's never-finished Natchez home, Longwood, was the last burst of Southern opulence before war brought the cotton barons' dominance to an end. Longwood survived decades of neglect and near-abandonment to become one of Natchez' most popular attractions. Longwood is owned and operated as a historic house museum by the Pilgrimage Garden Club.

Kid-friendly features: No elevator, limited handicapped-accessibility (only first floor), limited stroller-accessibility (only first floor), restrooms, gift shop, large grounds

Admission: Adult- Ages 18+: $25
Youth- Ages 12-17: $25
Child- Ages 11 & Under: Free

Hours: Monday - Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday - Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tour lasts approximately 45 minutes

Address: 140 Lower Woodville Rd, Natchez, MS 39120

Phone: (601) 446-6631

photo courtesy of Allan Innman

Mississippi Capitol Building - Jackson

The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Mississippi, intended to house all three branches of government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive.

Designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1986 and a National Historic Landmark in 2016, the Mississippi State Capitol has been the seat of the state’s government since 1903.  The National Park Service describes the building as “…an exceptional example of the Beaux Arts style, vividly illustrating the nationwide spread of academic classical revival architecture in the early 20th-century.”

While Governor Andrew Houston Longino was in office (1900-1904), the decision was agreed upon to construct a new Capitol, a design was chosen through an architectural contest, and the Capitol was built between 1901 -1903 in 28 months on the site of the old state penitentiary.  The 171,000 square-foot building was designed by Theodore Link, an architect from St. Louis, Missouri, and was constructed by the Wells Brothers Company of Chicago.   Construction cost more than $1 million, which was funded by back taxes from a lawsuit settlement with the Illinois Central Railroad.  

Kid-friendly features: Stroller-friendly, handicapped-accessible, self-guided tours, elevator, restrooms, gift shop

Admission: Free

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM
Closed Saturday & Sunday.
The gift shop is open Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 4 PM

Tours: Guided tours are conducted free of charge by staff and volunteers. Tours are given Monday - Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and​ 2:30 p.m., or visitors are welcome to do a self-guided tour anytime between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Group and school tours are available by reservation. To schedule a tour, contact Visitor Services at the Mississippi State Capitol at (601) 359-3114 or tours@house.ms.gov.

Address: 400 High St., Jackson, MS 39201

Phone: (601) 359-3114

photo courtesy of Allan Innman

ROWAN OAK - Oxford

Home to William Faulkner and his family for over 40 years, Rowan Oak was originally built in 1844 and stands on over 29 acres of land just south of the Square in Oxford. It is a primitive Greek Revival house built by Robert Sheegog. Rowan Oak was the family home of the Faulkners until 1962, the year of William Faulkner’s death. In 1972, Jill Faulkner Summers sold the house to the University of Mississippi to secure it as a place for people worldwide to learn about her father and his work.

Kid-Friendly Features: Large grounds, Bailey Woods walking trail nearby, bathrooms on-site. Parts of the house may be stroller-inaccessible

Admission: $5.00 for home tour (CASH ONLY)
The grounds are free to visit and are open dawn till dusk every day.

Non-Summer Hours:
Tuesday–Saturday: 10am – 4pm
Sunday: 1pm – 4pm
CLOSED every Monday.

Summer Hours:
June 1 through August 1, Monday through Saturday, 10am-6pm, and Sunday 1pm-6pm
Holiday schedules: Closed on: July 4th, Thanksgiving, December 24, 25, 31, and January 1.

Address: 916 Old Taylor Rd, Oxford, MS 38655

Phone: (662) 234-3284

photo courtesy of Marilyn Innman

EUDORA WELTY HOUSE AND GARDEN - Jackson

For 76 years, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty lived and wrote in her Jackson home at 1119 Pinehurst Street. Her parents finished construction of the house in 1925, when Eudora was 16 years old and had recently graduated from high school.

Restored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History after her death in 2001, the Eudora Welty House and Garden is open for tours by reservation Tuesday - Friday, four times a day at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and 9 and 11 a.m. the second Saturday of each month. To make a reservation for individual or group tours, email tours@eudoraweltyhouse.com.

The Eudora Welty Collection, which consists of manuscripts, papers, and photographs donated by Welty, is available to researchers in the William F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jackson. For more information on the Welty Collection, email refdesk@mdah.state.ms.us.

Admission:
Eudora Welty House Admission:
Adults - $5.00
Adult group rate (13 or more) - $4.00
Students - $3.00
Children under 6 - Free
13th day of each month - Free, when the 13th falls on a day the museum is open to the public.

The Eudora Welty Visitors Center is free: Visitors are welcome to visit the EVC, watch the orientation film and stroll through the garden at no charge.

Hours:
Tours of the Eudora Welty House and Garden are given Tuesday - Friday, four times a day at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and 9 and 11 a.m. the second Saturday of each month.

Eudora Welty Visitors Center: Tuesday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m
8:30 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of each month.

Address: 1109 Pinehurst Street, Jackson, MS 39202

Phone: 601-353-7762

photo courtesy of Eudora Welty House and Garden

MCRAVEN HOUSE - Vicksburg

McRaven was built ca.1797 by Andrew Glass in a town called Walnut Hills, which is now Vicksburg, Mississippi. In the Civil War era, it was known as the Bobb House, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as such. McRaven got its current name from the street it is located on, which was formerly called McRaven Street, but is now Harrison Street. McRaven has been on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History's Historic Preservation list since January 8, 1978. It is also believed by many to be haunted, and has been called "the most haunted house in Mississippi."

Step back in time to Vicksburg's finest, totally authentic, pre Civil War home with the most complete way-of-life tour. Built and remodeled in three different time periods, every room is lavishly furnished and reserved with museum-quality antiques including a pioneer kitchen. National Geographic Magazine has labeled the McRaven Tour Home the "Time Capsule of the South." Enjoy strolling through the three-acre gardens, once a Confederate campsite and field hospital. Discover and experience the famous and infamous people of McRaven, and why their spirits have never left.

Admission:
History Tour - Adult: $15, Student (6-18): $10, Five and Under: Free
Haunted Tour - Adult & Student: $25, Five and Under: Free
Combination Tour: History & Haunted Tours- Adult: $35, Student: $30 (6-18), Five and Under: Free

Hours: Sunday: 1:00pm - 4:30pm, 7pm & 8:30pm
Monday - Saturday: 10am - 4:30pm
Friday & Saturday: 7pm & 8:30pm

Address: 1445 Harrison Street, Vicksburg, MS 39180

Phone: (601) 501-1336

photo courtesy of Zamburak

MERREHOPE HOUSE - Meridian

One of the first settlers in Meridian, Richard McLemore, owned 700 acres where Merrehope now stands. In 1858, he deeded 160 acres to his daughter Juriah as a wedding gift. She and her husband, W. H. Jackson, built a Greek Revival cottage in 1858. This is the antebellum part of Merrehope.

During the war between the States, in December 1863, General Leonidas Polk- who was known as “the fighting bishop” because he was the Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana before the War- moved into the cottage with his family and used the cottage as his Confederate headquarters.

Admission:
$10 For both houses, $5 for one house
Children: $5 for two houses, $3 for one house
Children under six admitted free
Senior citizen discounts over 55
Special rates for groups of 10 or more

Hours:
WINTER HOURS: January through March
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday

REGULAR HOURS: April 1 through November 14
Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Closed Sunday

TREES OF CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY TOURS: November 21 - December 28
Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Sunday – December 7th, 14th, 21st, 1–5 p.m.
Opening Gala: Thursday, November 21st, 6–8 p.m.
Arrangements for Sunday and evening events by appointment only,
call 601-493-8439.

Address: 905 Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Drive, Meridian, MS 39301

Phone: 601-483-8439

photo courtesy of Visit Mississippi