Melvin Bayou

Today we toured Longwood (aka Nutt's Folly), the largest octagonal home in America. The home was built by Haller and Julia Nutt. Haller was one of the wealthiest men in the country. In 1860 he owned 42,947 acres of land and 800 slaves. He was a cotton planter and plantation owner. In addition to Longwood he owned 5 plantations. He developed the variety of cotton seed still used today. Construction on the 30,000 sq ft Oriental Revival home began in 1860, work stopped in 1861 with the start of the civil war. Only the 9 rooms on the first floor were finished. If completed the home would have 32 rooms with an estimated cost of $200,000 (including furnishings) that would be 35 Million today. Natchez did not succeed with the southern states and joined forces with the North. They believed they would be saved from the North destroying their property but that did not happen, although Nutts home was spared. Nutt along with most southern planters lost his fortune during the war. He died in 1864 from pneumonia. His family was able to stay in Longwood, Julia died in 1897 and the home stayed in the family until 1968. The home was restored to its 1861 state and donated to the Pilgrimage Garden Club in 1970 with the stipulation that is be used as a museum and never finished, to preserve history.En savoir plus