Rosalie Built In 1820

Rosalie Built In 1820

A Federal Style Home

Occupied By Union Soldiers During The Civil War.

Original Furnishings Saved From Destruction By Considerate Union General.

Today Owned By The Daughters Of The American Revolution.

***

Jack and I are posing for the camera by the front entrance.

So many of these homes have a curved front entrance staircase.

I like that.

There were tour guides in every room of this home. I mentioned to this lady that I loved her dressed. She was so sweet. She volunteered to step out on to the front porch so I could take her picture.
Look at all the pink snapdragons in bloom in beds edged with liriope. Jack and I loved seeing all the spring blooms after our long and cold winter months.

Flowers. They are good for the soul!

View of the flowerbeds from the second floor porch.

Notice the view in the photo above. This home had the best view of the naval war traffic flowing in both directions along the Mississippi River so it was an ideal military site. That's why the union forces gave the owners of Rosalie twenty four hours to vacate the property. How would you like to be forced to move from your residence in just twenty four hours?

Across the river is the state of Louisiana where many of the Natchez cotton growers owned extra plantations growing cotton.

This home has all its original furnishings including some rare handmade French rococo furniture by John H.Belter in what is now known as the famous "Rosalie" style because of the carved roses on the frames. The beautiful gold pier mirrors in this home were saved during the civil war occupation by being wrapped in blankets and buried in the ground on the plantation. Years later when they were rescued from the earth the mirrors were discovered to be in fine shape and were returned to their places of honor on the walls of the parlours. Like other antebellum homes the house sports silver plated doorknobs that I guess were polished like all the other silver items in the home by the house slaves/servants. The two major families associated with this home were the Littles and the Wilsons.

We learned on our house tour that since this home had been bought and sold several times and since the last occupants of the home were two Wilson family descendants who could not afford to keep up this huge house. Consequently these two spinster ladies sold the home to the Mississippi Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution in the 1930's with the stipulation that they be allowed to live in the home for the rest of their lives. These two women then became for the DAR the first tour guides for the plantation house. This unique arrangement continued until the the last Wilson lady died in the 1960's, just over one hundred years after the home was built.

This ship's bell was rescued from the fourth naval ship commissioned as the USS Mississippi. This twentieth century ship served in the gulf war of the early 1990's and when it was later decommissioned as a naval ship its bell was given to Rosalie Plantation.

Yes, Jack had to ring the bell. It had a very long vibrating ring!

This honeysuckle vine is growing on a wall connecting the brick outdoor kitchen to the plantation house by a covered walkway that you can just see in the far right of this photo. This walkway allowed the slaves/servents to deliver the food to an open window in the dining room.

I love this pretty hunensuckle vine in bloom.

These spring flowers looked like purple lily of the valley. What are they? Anybody know?

Another view of the grounds with blooming azaleas in the foreground and the Mississippi River in the background.

The grounds at Rosalie that were surrounded by the old brick wall were so beautiful. See above and below. I think this would be a beautiful place to visit in any season.