A to Z
April (2022) Blogging Challenge
Hello, dear
readers!
I’d like to
thank you all in advance for stopping by, and I hope that at least a few on my
list of remarkable buildings pique your interest as they did mine.
“Design is not a coincidence or a formula,
it is a result of human reflection and vision in response to a specific
challenge.” ~ Unknown
L
Longwood Mansion
or Nutt’s Folly
Located in Natchez, Mississippi, and designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, Longwood is the largest octagonal house in America. Also known for its byzantine onion-shaped dome; this remarkable antebellum abode remains to this day – unfinished. Construction began on a lavish home for Dr. Haller Nutt and his wife Julia in 1860 but halted in 1861 when civil war broke out and craftsmen, dropping their tools where they were, fled the scene.
After Dr.
Nutt died from pneumonia in 1864, Ms. Julia was left to raise her children in
the home on only the ornately finished ground floor as the upper five floors
were never completed.
Since dubbed “the last burst of southern opulence,” Longwood has survived decades of neglect to become a popular attraction as a Historic House Museum owned and operated by the Pilgrimage Garden Club. It is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
According to
natcheztracetravel.com, there are many places like this, in and around the scenic
outreaches of the Mississippi River. At one point in time, Natchez was home to
the most millionaires in the entire United States. Now it is docent to most of
the antebellum homes they built.
I would love to see Longwood! Would
you visit? Have you been?
Shame it was never finished - and too late to do that now.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I don't think it would have the same appeal if they ever did finish it.
DeleteInteresting. there are two small octagonal homes near me and occasionally they are open for tours.
ReplyDeleteBeth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
I'm curious as to what prompted the octagonal design. Panoramic views, perhaps?
DeleteFascinating history and equally fascinating building. I wonder what it was like to live in this partly-built mansion in the south following the war.
ReplyDeleteI imagine even the children made memories unlike most. If any family members kept journals I'd sure like to read them ;-)
DeleteSuch a beautiful mansion, if only it was completed... What an interesting but sad story.
ReplyDeleteHope you check out my A-Z challenge posts in which I am trying to have every sentence of the story (one chapter a day) start with the letter of the day https://momandideas.com/
At least they were still able to live in the
Deletepart of the mansion.
Sounds like you have a terrific idea for an A to Z theme ;-)