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.
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.
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.
It is believed that the ground immediately back of Rosalie is the site
of the great Indian massacre of the French in 1729.
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.
Rosalie was General Grant’s headquarters during the Federal occupation
of Natchez in the War Between the States.
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.
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.
[Illustration: This Bed in Rosalie Has a Prayer Pad at Its Side.]
_Parsonage_
[Illustration: Parsonage]
Under the very eaves of old “Rosalie” with its historic background of
Fort Rosalie, stands a sturdy square structure known as “The Parsonage”.
It is a brick building with an English basement, the entrance leading by
broad steps to the elevated first floor.
While of no particular historic interest, The Parsonage has its story.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
_Stanton Hall_
[Illustration: (unlabelled)]
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.
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.
It was built during the 1851-56 period. As the building materials were
imported, the house required several years for its construction.
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.
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.
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.
[Illustration: Stanton Hall]
Woodwork and doors on the first floor are of solid mahogany, with silver
hinges and silver door knobs.
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”.
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.
_Weymouth Hall_
[Illustration: Weymouth Hall]
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.
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.
Stark Young in _So Red the Rose_ 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.
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.
This old home is now owned and occupied by the Zurhellen and Morton
families, who are lineal descendants of Mrs. John Weymouth.
_Ruins of Windsor_
[Illustration: Ruins of Windsor]
Twenty-two stone Corinthian columns stand today as remnants of a grand
example of ante-bellum Greek Revival architecture.
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.
The house and its furnishings were destroyed by fire in 1890.
_Windy Hill Manor_
[Illustration: Windy Hill Manor]
Nine miles from Natchez, on the Liberty road, in a picturesque,
moss-draped grove, stands “Windy Hill Manor”, home of the Misses
Stanton.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
It is a story-and-a-half, plantation type home, with wide porch and
large columns across the front.
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.
[Illustration: (unlabelled)]
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.
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.
[Illustration: AARON BURR OAKS]
Transcriber’s Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public
domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
dialect unchanged.
--Moved some captions closer to the corresponding pictures, removing
extraneous spatial references like “(next page)”.
--In the text versions, delimited italicized text by _underscores_.