Homewood Plantation, Antebellum plantation building in Natchez, United States
Homewood Plantation is a large mansion in Natchez with five stories that spans approximately 72 by 96 feet across its footprint. The structure features thick brick walls, ionic columns, and imported marble fireplaces in different colors, with a center hall and cross hall that could be converted into a ballroom by opening solid mahogany pocket doors.
The mansion was built in 1860 as a wedding gift from millionaire planter David Hunt to his daughter Catherine and her husband William S. Balfour. It sat on approximately 600 acres of land and represented the wealth and architectural ambitions of the antebellum South.
The mansion served as a filming location for the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and appeared in Stark Young's 1934 novel So Red the Rose. These connections to cinema and literature made the house a notable location in American cultural history.
The mansion no longer stands, having been destroyed by fire in 1940. Visitors interested in the site today are drawn to its history and cultural significance in the region rather than viewing the structure itself.
During the 1940 fire that destroyed the property, Mrs. Swan interfered with firefighters' efforts in an unusual way. Her unexpected actions during the disaster sparked questions about the fire's true circumstances and remain a topic of local discussion.
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