Pilgrimage Natchez

12/12/2024

Ravennaside is an outstanding example of Neo-Classical residential architecture. It js noteworthy as the former home of Roane Fleming Byrnes (1890-1970), internationally known for her promotion of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Ravennaside was built by Mrs. Byrnes' parents, Anna Metealfe Fleming and James S. Fleming. The site adjoins the property of Ravenna (ca. 1837), home of the Metealfe family since 1857. Roane,eldest child of Anna and James, was twelve in 1902 when her family moved from Ravenna intotheir new house, Ravennaside. In 1917 Roane married Charles Ferriday Byrnes, and they lived with her parents and brother at Ravennaside. In 1943 Mrs. Byrnes inherited thehouse, which she occupied until her death in 1970. Mrs. Byrnes became associated with the Mississippi Natchez Trace Association in 1934 and served as president of the organization from 1935 until a few months before her death. Onbehalf of the Trace, she wrote letters, sent telegrams, entertained whatever she felt was necessary to promote the Natchez Trace Parkway on local, state, national, and internationallevels. She was recognized in 1936 for her efforts toward getting a $500,000 bill for right-of-way purchases through the Mississippi legislature. On May 13, 1938, the Natchez Trace Parkway became a permanent part of the National Park Service. The pen used by Pres-ident Franklin D. Roosevelt to sign the bill into law was sent to Mrs. Byrnes and kept in the Trace Room at Ravennaside. The American Association for State and Local History selected Mrs. Byrnes.for an Award of .Merit in 1966. The citation read: "For the leadership that led to the creation and development of the Natchez Trace Parkway of the National Park Service." Mrs. Byrnes was also active in the areas of historic preservation and race relations. She was a charter member of the Garden Club and promoted the tour of homeswhich evolved into the annual Pilgrimage. She was instrumental in the preservation of Connelly's Tavern, the Priest House, and Lawyers' Lodge. For a woman of her time andplace, Mrs. Byrnes was advanced in her view of racial harmony. She made frequent contributions to black churches and worked with the Negro Civic and Business League in Natchez to finance a community center for young African Americans . In 1960 she called on her fellow citizens to support the Mary Lynch Fund, which sponsored a young African American woman in the Ninth International Games for the Deaf in Helsinki. Mrs. Byrnes stated her philosophy: "I hate those words communism, integration, and segregation. I like the word, friendship. That's what we are working for" (Buck Peden, "Down the Middle,, " Natchez Times, Mar. 19, 1961).At Mrs. Byrnes' funeral service in 1970, black and white members of the clergy formed the cortège. Now lovingly owned and maintained by Wanda and Ricky Smith

10/01/2024

Nineteen more golden days to enjoy our Fall Tour of Homes! Don’t miss the beauty of Natchez in this season, the stunning homes open for a limited time only, and all the fine dining and shopping that only this city can offer! Stop by our offices at 211 Main, or visit us virtually at Natchezpilgrimage.com

09/26/2024

Natchez, a bridge from the past to the future. The Pilgrimage Garden Club is honored and proud to count among our membership homes from every period of Natchez and US history. Mississippi is often referred to by historians as “The Fourteenth Colony”, so important were its contributions to the founding of the new Republic. A visit to Natchez will allow you to step back in time to the Spanish Territorial period, French and British Territorial periods, the Colonial Period. the Federal period, all the way to the Industrial Revolution, and into the modern era. Natchez has has everything a history buff could want and more, and all of it sitting on a high bluff overlooking the Mighty Mississippi. Come visit us for our Fall Tour of Homes going on now, or in spring for our upcoming Spring Tour of Homes. We can’t wait to welcome you! Tickets available at natchezpilgrimage.com

09/25/2024

The Pilgrimage Garden Club welcomes our newest member, and Spring Tour of Homes partner, Monmouth!
Monmouth is one of the most monumental, but externally austere, mansions in Natchez. Originally a Federal-style residence, the house underwent an extensive remodelling in the Greek Revival style circa 1853.

The plan of the main block has the familiar symmetry of the
period on both floors. The first-floor central hallway is flanked on the east by a parlor and a drawing room and on the west by formal and family dining rooms. Upstairs are a hallway and four bedrooms.
Interior finish is primarily Federal, with decorated door openings on
the first floor being especially noteworthy and characterized by fluted pilasters which support overdoors of friezes, pateraed
endblocks, and projecting molded shelves. Between the parlor and the drawing room is a wide arched doorway with clustered fluted pilasters, circularly carved center blocks in the archivolt and soffit, and semi-elliptical fanlight with radial and swag muntins. The double sliding doors of this opening have been removed. Wooden mantelpieces
composed of Adamesque motifs (fans, paterae, and columns) are on the second floor, with the one in the chamber parlor being most elaborate.
Downstairs the mantelpieces in the east rooms are beige-veined black marble and those in the formal and family dining rooms are white marble and white-painted wood, respectively. The stairway, offset in
the rear of the central hallway, curves in a graceful quarter-turn with winders to the second floor. Architectural detail throughout the house includes crown and picture moldings, ceiling medallions, chair rails, black-painted baseboards, paneling beneath windows and within window and door casings, and corner cupboards.
Monmouth will be a “don’t miss” stop on your spring visit with us!
PICTURED: owned and lovingly maintained by Nancy and Warren Reuther

09/22/2024

We know you come to Natchez for the architecture; where else would you go? There is nowhere else in the US with a higher inventory of historic homes from all periods of America’s built environment than Natchez, and within such close proximity to one another. But how many of you are lovers of historic ? Natchez is also your ! So many of our glorious homes are filled with family collections of priceless items, many of which are still in their original locations. Greenleaves and Landsdowne house two of the finest collections of family treasures in the nation, and YOU can see them and hear the family lore attached to each piece during our fall and spring tour of homes! Information and tickets available at natchezpilgrimage.com

09/21/2024

Concord Quarters is an 1820’s original slave quarters that sits atop a knoll overlooking its natural park-like landscaped setting. This was a popular design of the 19th century. Concord Quarters is the ideal place to take in Mother Nature. Beautiful massive oaks, garden areas and magnolias make this setting a truly magnificent place.

Concord Quarters is one of the two matching brick buildings that originally flanked the rear courtyard built circa 1820 for the Minor family. The grandest building of Natchez colonial period (1716-1798-1901) was Concord, built for Spanish Governor Manuel Gayoso de Lemos. And what remains of Concord today to interpret its significant Spanish history? Remaining on the site are a deteriorated small building whose use is unknown and a two story brick building that originally served as one of two matching quarters for enslaved people. Remodeled and enlarged to function as a single family residence in the early 20thcentury, the house was badly deteriorated when recently purchased by Gregory and Deborah Cosey, but has since been completely restored.
Come enjoy a look inside this incredible piece of American history! Buy your tickets now at Natchezpilgrimage.com

09/19/2024

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!! September 19,2024 marks the start of our FALL TOUR OF HOMES!!! Don’t miss the first day of our fabulous month long celebration of America’s Built Environment!!! We begin our Fall Tour featuring homes built from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. These are truly three of the finest private homes you’ll have the opportunity to view; Sweet Auburn, Rip Rap, and Propinquity! Come see us, then leave us a comment letting us know which of these homes was your favorite. Can you choose just one? We can’t! Tickets and scheduling information available at natchezpilgrimage.com

Natchez Pilgrimage Tours is your source for planning a Natchez visit. We offer tours of historic homes, interactive historical presentations, and more. Book now!

09/18/2024

THE TIME HAS COME!!! Our FALL 2024 TOUR OF HOMES begins September 19th!! That’s THIS THURSDAY!! We have the most spectacular selection of private homes open for you to see. Only twice a year are these stunning residences open to the public, and this is a glorious time of year to see them. The last blooms of summer are putting on a show, the sweet olives are scenting the air, and the hummingbirds are migrating through by the thousands. Come spend your days touring homes, shopping our downtown boutiques, eating at our fantastic world class restaurants, and enjoying the hospitality you’ll only find from The Pilgrimage Garden Club and Natchez, Mississippi! Tickets available for our tour homes at 211 Main Street, by calling, 601-653-0919, or at the door of any of our tour homes!

09/14/2024

It may be Friday that 13th, but your luck is all good around here!! Why? Because the stunning Myrtle Terrace is open tomorrow and EVERY Saturday for tours at 10 am and 2 pm. So, even if you can’t make it for our Fall or Spring Tour of homes you can still visit this private home every weekend!

This welcoming home was built by Nathaniel L. Carpenter beginning in 1844 and completed in 1851 when purchased by steamboat captain, Thomas P. Leathers.

Although Nathaniel L. Carpenter came to Natchez as a builder, no building other than Myrtle Terrace has been documented as having been built by him. The house is a good example of transitional architecture with the earlier Federal Style surviving in the delicately runed columns and the later Greek Revival style employed in the entrance and interior millwork. The interior plan is. A double-pile plan, two rooms deep, with a center hallway.

Myrtle Terrace is famous as the home of Thomas P. Leathers, who was a steamboat captain. He was born in Kentucky in 1816 and began his river career on the Yazoo River in 1836. He captained the famous “Natchez”, one of the boats in the legendary steamboat race of 1870 where Leathers squared off against the “Robert E. Lee”, whose captain was John W. Cannon. After retiring to New Orleans, Leathers died at the age of 80 after having been run over by a hit-and-run bicyclist, thus ending one of the most successful careers in steamboat history. Another important person in the Natchez community who lived in this home was John Hunter, who was mayor in 1862 when the naval forces of the U.S. demanded the surrender of the city. The home has a beautiful garden with fountains surrounded by an ornate iron fence. Behind the house is a carriage house built in the 1850s.
Pictured: Myrtle Terrace interior and exterior grounds. Myrtle Terrace also has a fabulous guest house which serves as an AirBNB for your next visit! Tickets available for Myrtle Terrace tours and for Fall Tour of Homes available at natchezpilgrimage.com

09/13/2024

We survived the hurricane! All the magnificent architecture of Natchez is intact and waiting for you! Our Fall Tour of Homes begins in just SEVEN DAYS!!! Let’s look at another of the magnificent homes that will be open for tour!
Situated on a high knoll rising from the western side of North Union Street in the northern suburbs of the old town area of Natchez, The Burn is a story-and-a-half frame Greek Revival house set upon a brick basement half raised in the front and fully raised in the rear. The gabled roof is pierced by four inside end brick chimneys,and by two gabled dormers on the front slope, and a large shed dormer on the rear slope, added ca. 1940. The easterly facade is a five-bay composition. The weatherboarded end bays are defined by pilasters with applied
rectilinear bands of Grecian design resting upon a wide molded base and supporting an
elaborately enriched full entablature of the Greek Doric order. The base and the entablature break forward before the three plastered central bays to define a pedimented portico supported by fluted Greek Doric columns. The columns are linked by a railing of rectangular sectioned
balusters with richly molded hand and base rails. The portico is adorned by molded panels set into the soffit of the entablature and by a window set into the matched boards of the tympanum.
The outstanding architectural feature of The Burn is the staircase, which rises in a short
straight flight along the southerly hall wall before making a graceful half-circular turn
through space to terminate in the upstairs hall. The newel is composed of a series of
turned balusters, and the stair is adorned with ornamental brackets. Upstairs, the four
bedrooms and the portico room have two-panel molded doors, architrave door and window surrounds, and simply beaded bases. The front two bedrooms have wooden architrave mantelpieces, while the larger rear bedrooms have finer pilastered mantelpieces.
Pictured: The Burn, exterior and interiors. Owned and lovingly maintained by Dr Terrel Williams. The home is also an operating Bed and Breakfast
Book your tickets NOW at Natchezpilgrimage.com

09/11/2024

Fall is an absolutely splendid time of year no matter what part of our great country in which you are fortunate enough to reside. But nowhere is fall quite so spectacular as it is in Natchez, Mississippi! Cooler temperatures, changing foliage, fantastic dining and shopping and of course the Fall Tour of Homes hosted by the Pilgrimage Garden Club are the reasons you should make Natchez your fall vacation destination. Starting September 19 many of our private homeowners will be opening their doors to visitors from across the globe, welcoming them in to otherwise private spaces. Our homeowners will walk you through the architectural history of their homes, and will share personal and family collections of decorative arts and oral history. There is no other city in the US that can offer what Natchez can offer the architecture buff! Get away from the hustle and bustle of over-crowded, commercialized cities with less to offer and higher prices, and join us where the pace is slower and the hospitality is genuine. We welcome you to Natchez and can’t wait to share this 300 year old city’s amazing architectural past with you!
Pictured: a selection of spectacular homes that will be open for you during our Fall Tour of Homes. See natchezpilgrimage.com for open days and times,

09/11/2024

The fine and unusual elements of the local vernacular Federal style found at Routhland in combination with well-detailed features of the mid-nineteenth century give it architectural significance in addition to its historic significance. Stylistic and documentary evidence suggest that Routhland was probably constructed c.1815. The present Routhland is the third Natchez house to be called Routhland, and all three were constructed on the same 180-acre plantation near downtown Natchez.

Routhland's present architectural character is a blend of the Federal and Greek Revival styles with minor elements of the Rococo and Gothic Revival. However, the basic floor plan of the original house (56' by 46') is evident. The original house had a center hall plan, two room deep. From the back gallery, a door in the rear wall opens onto a narrow straight flight of stairs which leads up to two unequally sized rooms. The upper-story rooms are lighted by two original rear dormers containing sash with semi-elliptical heads of a naïve design. These dormers are matched by two others on the front, which are walled off from the interior and hidden on the exterior by the portico, which was obviously an early addition. Although the house has been enlarged and remodeled, much of the early delicately molded, Federal-style millwork survives. The house enjoys a park-like setting in landscaped grounds, and almost all the property historically associated with the house is intact.
Pictured: Routhland and its interiors, lovingly owned and maintained by Catherine and Everette Ratcliffe

09/09/2024

When you think about architectural tourism where does your mind go? Charleston? Savannah? Williamsburg? It shouldn’t; it should go no further than Natchez, Mississippi!! With more homes open daily to tour and less traffic and tourist traps, there is NO place better in the nation to visit incredible historic homes than Natchez! America’s built environment from Territorial to Victorian sits in one place, within blocks of each other! Come see us during our bi-annual tour of homes!