Beauvoir, Greek Revival mansion in Biloxi, United States.
Beauvoir is a white Greek Revival mansion in Biloxi, Mississippi, standing on Beach Boulevard near the shore of the Mississippi Sound. The estate includes the main residence with its columned porches and tall windows, several outbuildings, a cemetery, and maintained gardens.
Beauvoir was built by planter James Brown in 1848 and completed in 1852. In 1879 Jefferson Davis bought the estate for $5,500, and he lived in the main house until his death in December 1889. In 1902 Varina Davis sold it to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who ran a veterans home there until 1957.
The library and museum on the grounds hold documents and personal belongings that offer insight into the former resident's life and political correspondence. Visitors can walk through the rooms and view handwritten letters, furniture, and family pieces from the late 1800s.
The estate offers guided tours through the rooms, library, and grounds on most days except major holidays. Visitors should plan roughly an hour for the tour and can afterwards stroll through the gardens and cemetery on their own.
Beauvoir's name means "beautiful to view". The estate once covered about 608 acres with cedars, oaks and magnolias, and an orange grove stood behind the house. Oyster Bayou, fed by natural artesian springs, still runs west to east behind the main house.
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