Day 31
Nov. 11
Gulfport, Mississippi
My Dearest Miss Smith,While I’m writing to you from Gulfport, we spent the day in Natchez.
It is a fascinating city established in 1716 as a French fort. Later, during the 1790s, the Spanish laid it out as a new town. The city was the site of the first Mississippi capital when, in 1817, Mississippi was admitted to the United States. One thing that I felt was quite interesting was that it was not a place of many battles during the Civil War thus leaving more than six hundred antebellum mansions and buildings for the enjoyment of many generations.
In the morning, the four of us visited the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Visiting the museum and the reconstructed home of a Natchez Indian was fascinating, but we didn’t linger long as there were other things to occupy our time.
After stopping for lunch, we took the Antebellum Mansions tour. Though we were not able to visit all the houses that are in the Natchez Pilgrimage Tour, we were able to visit three of them. It was difficult to decide which ones, but at last we settled on Longwood, Rosalie, and House on Ellicott Hill. They were quite intriguing; each with a unique history of its own.
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| Longwood |
Can you imagine, Miss Smith, living in a six-story home where only the bottom floor was finished and decorated? That is Longwood. The reason it was never finished was the outbreak of the War Between the States which caused the workman to drop their tools and depart for home. Haller Nutt, the owner of Longwood, died a year before the War ended leaving his wife, Julia, to live in the finished first floor. The other floors, though completely finished on the outside, remain unfinished inside; a magnificent beginning, yet giving a glimpse of where time had stopped and stayed. Oh, Miss Smith, imagine a mansion six-stories high filled with rooms. Think of all the books it could have, the friends that could stay, the music rooms, the sewing rooms, the scrapbook rooms. Ah, it sounds delightful. Let me assure you though that I was not the only one thinking of uses for all those many unfinished rooms. Amy was just as imaginative and as for Lydia and Natalie, there was no limit to their ideas!
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| House on Ellicott Hill |
The House on Ellicott Hill, though not as unique on the outside as many of the other old homes in Natchez, had quite an interesting bit of history. It is named Ellicott Hill in honor of Andrew Ellicott who, under President George Washington’s orders, raised the American flag on that hill in defiance of the Spanish authorities. The architecture is of the West Indian Caribbean whose trade with Natchez no doubt influenced its building. It was during the Great Depression that the Garden Club of Natchez began restoring this old landmark.
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| Rosalie Mansion |
Our favorite home to visit was the Rosalie Mansion. It was the simple grandeur of the front, with its sweeping stairs leading up to the porch, the four white pillars, the balcony above and the red brick walls which drew us to the house. The house was named for the French Fort Rosalie that had stood on the site and had in turn, been named for the Duchess of Ponchatrain. Lydia informed me that she has told you the history of the mansion, therefore, it is up to me to tell you about the rest of it. Miss Smith, I would, if I were able to make my pen describe its loveliness; however, how does one describe rooms of such beauty and charm?
The red velvet curtains, the chandeliers, the furniture, the paintings, all speak of times long past, of those who have come and gone before us,
of meals enjoyed with the orphaned children Peter Little and his wife Eliza gathered about them,
the old fashioned beds where one might expect to sleep and dream of bygone days in the house; when children were loved and raised;
to hear their joyous laughter, their childish voices calling to one another. Ah, one can give full rein to their imagination in that wonderful old mansion.
After our tour ended, we got out our bicycles and took the dogs for a run about the city. It was delightful though a bit chilly. After all, it is November even if we are down south.
But I must not linger with this letter, for already darkness has settled and we are off for a new kind of adventure tomorrow. I do hope all is going well, Miss Smith, and that you are able to handle all the cares of the house. Give my love to Bekah the next time you see her, and tell Amy’s family that her wrist is like new.
Much love,
~Priscilla
