Part 2

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.

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.

A letter from the granddaughter of the original owner of The Burn written to its present owners and published in the _Natchez Democrat_ tells the complete story:

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“We relinquish our ownership rights into other hands; our escutcheon unsullied by debt or shame.

“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.”

_Choctaw_

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

_Concord_

“Concord” was built in 1788 by Don Gayoso de Lemos, representative in the Natchez Territory of the King of Spain.

The name, “Concord”, was chosen because the Governor felt that this word expressed the status of his people living in peace and amity.

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.

A few years ago “Concord” was destroyed by fire and Natchez lost an intriguing landmark.

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.

_Cottage Gardens_

When “Cottage Gardens” was built, some hundred and forty years ago, Natchez was young, and homes at that time were of compact, inconspicuous design.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

_D’Evereux_

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

_Cherokee_

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.

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.

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.

_Dunleith_

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.

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.

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.

The story of Dunleith is incomplete until its legend has been told:

“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.”

I know not how true this tale may be, I tell it as ’twas told to me.

_Edgewood_

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.

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.

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.

Many descendants of the original slaves of the Lamdens live today in the “quarters” on the place.

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.

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.

_Elgin_

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

_Elms_

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.

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.

With the home and its acres of lovely gardens Mrs. Kellogg inherited a house filled with rare antique rosewood furniture.

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.

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.

Ceilings are low and give Spanish atmosphere to the architecture.

A series of old call bells, each with a different tone to indicate the location, are still in use in the various rooms.

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.

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.

_Ellicott Hill_

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.

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”.

The tavern was built in 1795. It has been occupied by many distinguished families.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

_Elmscourt_

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

_Glenfield_

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

_Glenwood_

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.

A Northern tourist upon seeing Glenwood (known today as “Goat Castle”) said, “Well, I don’t know whether to cry or swear.”

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.

“Dick” Dana, as he is called, and Miss Dockery are probably in their late sixties.

Dick is the son of the late Charles B. Dana, an Episcopal clergyman, and Elvira R. Dana. The Rev. Dr. Dana was from Massachusetts.

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.

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.