Natchez

Old Images of Natchez

Connelly's Tavern, built ca 1798, on Ellicott's Hill, is above and the four interior photos below are rooms in the tavern (taken ca 1950's). It was on this hill, in 1797, that Maj. Andrew Ellicott, on orders from George Washington, raised the American flag, in defiance of the Spanish authorities. The Natchez Trace ends directly below the tavern. Restoration is a project of the Natchez Garden Club.

Above and below, Concord, residence of the first Spanish Governor, Don Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, who built the house in 1794. After he became Governor-General of Louisiana, he sold the house to Stephen Minor, who took over his former post. The Minor family moved after the Civil War and the home fell into a long period of deterioration. It burned in 1901, just as new owners made plans to refurbish it. Click here for an interesting story about Mrs. Stephen Minor and a photo of her gravesite. Photo on right, below, shows only front staircase remaining after the fire.

On left, Auburn, photo ca 1950's. On right, Priest House, built ca 1783. Originally on Market St., it's been moved next door to Connelly's Tavern---a restoration project of the Natchez Garden Club. During the Spanish era, the house belonged to a much loved Catholic priest, Father Lennan. He lived there for 15 years, but sold the house in 1798, when the Americans took over the city. The Priest house was the first house in Natchez to change hands under the American regime. With many thanks to Marie Bailey for sharing this info about the Priest home. It came from The Majestic of Natchez by Reid Smith and John Owens.

Above, Melrose, still standing, postcard ca 1935; below, Melrose's dining room in the 1950's. The house was built in the 1840's by John McMurran.

Above and below, Windy Hill Manor was constructed in the 1790's by Benijah Osmun. It was made famous by guest, Aaron Burr, who traveled to Natchez shortly after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Washington. While staying at Windy Hill, awaiting a trial on charges of treason, he began a courtship with a neighbor's daughter, Madeline Price. Before they could marry, sentiment in the area turned against him and he had to escape in fear of his life, with an angry mob not far behind him. In 1817, Windy Hill was sold to Gerard Brandon, who would later become Mississippi's first native-born governor. The home stayed in the hands of daughter, Elizabeth's (Stanton) descendants until the 1940's, when the last of the line, 3 spinster sisters, struggled to keep the home together. However, as you can see below, it literally fell down around them. The last sister died in 1945 and it sat abandoned until 1965, when it was demolished. The photos below were taken in the 1940's.

Above, Longwood, below, its dining room. One of the best known houses in Natchez, it was being constructed when the Civil War started and northern workmen dropped their tools where they stood and left to go back home. It was never completed and Dr. Haller Nutt, wife, Julia, and family, moved into the only finished area, which was the basement. Dr. Nutt died before the war was over and his family and descendants occupied the basement for several generations (but, a very grand basement!) . The family cemetery is on the grounds.

Above and below, Gloucester House, still standing, built 1798-1803, the home of early Mississippi Territorial Governor, Winthrop Sargent, who died on a riverboat near Natchez and is buried on the grounds.
Photos below taken in 1940, top right is of rear of house.

Cherokee was built by Ebenezer Ross in 1794; it's still standing.

Above and below, Greenleaves, built in 1838;
home of Koontz family and descendants since 1849.

Above, Homewood, one of the grandest of Natchez mansions, was a wedding gift from David Hunt to his daughter, Catherine (Balfour). Construction took over 5 years; it was completed just before the beginning of the Civil War. Four of Catherine's children died in the home while their father was away at war. In 1907, it was sold to the first of many owners and in 1940, it burned down. Photos below were taken in 1940, just before it burned.

Vintage photos and postcards of some of the old homes of Natchez, Mississippi.
If you find errors in any of this information, please let me know! Nancy

My G-Grandfather's Attic Index

List of Debtors to Monsanto & Co., Natchez, 1794

Above, side view.....below, rear.

Side view, 1940.

Saragossa Plantation, above and below, was established in the 1820's by Stephen Duncan, who became one of the wealthiest cotton planters in the world. Originally, the house was the overseer's and consisted of just two rooms. When the Smith family purchased Saragossa in the 1850's, the house was enlarged.

King's Tavern is the oldest building in Natchez, it is thought to have been standing for several years by 1789. It's first owner was Richard King. It was a tavern, stage stop and mail station, the first U.S. mail to reach Natchez was brought there. Photo ca 1940.