Longwood

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Location: Natchez

Inception: 1860s

Architects: Samuel Sloan

Architectural style: Italianate architecture, Moorish Revival architecture

Part of: Natchez On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District

Address: 140 Lower Woodville Road

GPS coordinates: 31.53667,-91.40472

Latest update: December 20, 2025 12:45