Longwood, Octagonal mansion in Natchez, United States.
Description
Longwood is an octagonal villa in Natchez, Mississippi, topped with a Byzantine dome and planned for 32 rooms across several levels. Today only the basement floor is fully furnished and habitable, while the upper stories remain unfinished.
History
Work on this villa began in the late 1850s and stopped abruptly in 1861 when northern craftsmen left the site after the Civil War broke out. The estate has remained in this unfinished state ever since, a frozen witness to the antebellum era.
Culture
The name Longwood recalls Napoleon's estate on St. Helena, a choice reflecting owner Haller Nutt's European tastes. Visitors today notice the original workers' tools lying on the floors of the unfinished upper stories, exactly as they were left in 1861.
Practical
Tours through the furnished and unfinished areas run daily and last about one hour. The grounds include outdoor spaces and gardens that can also be explored on foot.
Did you know?
With its octagonal footprint, this estate is the largest residential structure of its shape in the United States. The upper floors still display bare wooden frames and unplastered walls from the 1860s, exactly as the craftsmen left them.
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Mississippi preserves sites that trace the state's history from indigenous settlements through the Civil War and the civil rights movement. The Windsor Ruins stand as remnants of an antebellum mansion, while the Old Capitol Museum documents legislative history. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in...
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