You'll Never Believe What's Inside This One Mississippi Plantation
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
As is the case with many antebellum homes in the state, the Longwood plantation has quite an interesting history. The massive mansion, which is considered the grandest octagonal home in the nation, still stands today, telling a story of love, war, tragedy, and even the supernatural.
Longwood was the creation of Samuel Sloan, a renowned architect from Philadelphia. The northern architect was commissioned for the job after Haller Nutt, an extremely wealthy Natchez resident, saw one of Sloan’s designs (pictured above) in the book, "The Model Architect."
Construction on the Oriental Revival Style home began in the late-1850s, after years of planning, prepping, and securing materials for the six-story, 30,000 square foot mansion. Once complete, the sprawling home would include a domed cupola, a furnished basement, 32 rooms, 26 fireplaces, 115 doors, and 96 columns.
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In September of 1861, the workmen at Longwood learned about the start of the Civil War and laid down their tools where they were standing, never to return. Nutt’s slaves continued to work on the home until 1862 and were able to complete the basement. Interestingly enough, the tools on display in this picture laid in their original resting spot for over 100 years!
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Believing the Civil War would be short lived, Nutt chose to move his family into the unfinished home with the assumption that construction could soon continue. Since the basement was the only portion of the home that was complete, the family resided solely on that floor, which included nine rooms.
Even though Nutt was a Union sympathizer, he lost most of his fortune due to the war. Tragedy struck again in 1864 when Nutt died of pneumonia – although, many claim the cause of death was actually a broken heart since his dream home was never completed.
In the years following Nutt’s death, his wife and children remained in the home, still residing in only the basement as they did not have the funds to bring Longwood to its intended glory. Pictured above is one of the completed rooms. Can you imagine how amazing Longwood would have been if completed?
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The columns are absolutely exquisite.
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Longwood’s unique shape meant that the many balconies offered a variety of views.
The original 23’ oak finial, which sat atop the dome, had deteriorated and fallen off the house in 1900. Pictured above are the remnants of the broken finial. It has since been replaced by a fiberglass replica.
More than one million bricks were used to complete Longwood, all of which were produced on the plantation’s grounds.
Longwood was occupied by the Nutt family until 1970; however, many claim the Nutt’s never left. According to reports, Haller, Julia, and the children still haunt Longwood. Witnesses have reported seeing Julia on the staircase, while Haller has been spotted in the garden area.
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In 1980, Longwood was donated to the Pilgrimage Garden Club, which has taken great care to maintain the historic home. Today, Longwood is open to the public for touring. As soon as visitors step inside they are transported back in time thanks to the many original items that remain in the home, such as these shipping crates addressed to Julia Nutt.
After decades of neglect, Longwood still stands and has since been transformed into one of the state’s most popular attractions. Its exterior is as exquisite as ever and the interior remains as incomplete as it was the day Haller Nutt passed away. Even in its unfinished state, the mansion is still an impeccable sight and definitely one of the state’s grandest homes. What do you think?
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