Longwood Hall, Natchez, MI
Free Day in Natchez, MI
Today was a free day in Natchez, Missippi. Aside from some routine maintainance on the bike, checking brakes and lubbing, the rest of the day was totally non bike oriented. After two 85 mile days in the delta heat in sticky sweaty bike gear, everyone appreciated an opportunity to do laundry, and wear normal street clothes or lounge around in a bathing suit beside the pool.
Because of the size of the group, we were split between an Inn called the Briars on the bluffs of the Mississippi, and the Eola Hotel in downtown Natchez. It made the logistics of map meetings, dinners and breakfasts tricky for our Van drivers and the SAG wagon but they handled it with grace and charm.
The Inn was lovely, a restored antebellum home whose claim to fame is that Jefferson Davis was married there. The grounds were scattered with gardens, nooks with statuary, benches overlooking the river, gracious verandahs and patios on every building and two large goofy St. Bernards that belong the to owners whose home is also on the grounds. The main house was open for the guests all of the time so we could enjoy the "amenities of the parlors" which included fresh popcorn, coffee, and provided an opportunity to just sit and download with the other ladies on the tour since we were the only guests there.
I had made arrangements with a lady I had met on a spinners' group online to meet up for lunch, but Martha very kindly drove up from Baton Rouge mid morning so that she could drive my sister Kris and I around. During the day we drove out to the Natchez Indian Mounds, an earthwork, grass covered structure that formerly housed a temple and the chiefs' house. The museum had some gorgeous and intricate baskets and artifacts.
We also got to see the historic house Longwood Place, an octangonal structure of six stories whose construction was halted by the Civil War. Only the basement was finished in time for the family to live in during the war, so the family of 9 had to make do with 16 rooms and 4 servants in 22000 square feet. If the structure had been completed it would have had 76 rooms, 34 servants, 28 fireplaces and many modern innovations including large built in closets, and shutters for the roman arch windows which slid into wall pockets because the architect felt that split shutters, showing only half an arch each would have been distracting.
Looking up inside the unfinished six story rotunda and seeing the elaborate floor plans for each floor was made more interesting by the guide, who somewhat resembled Alec Guiness in both appearance and manner, and had endless colorful commentary about what purpose each room would have served interspersed with bits and pieces of the family history and the various steps and processes the restorers had undertaken in various parts of the building. since Longwood will never be finished, it will stand as a testament to what can only be called one man's "delusions of grandeur."
Martha Schaefer and my sister Kirsten at Longwood Place, Natchez
After Longwood we had lunch and drove around Natchez a bit to get a feel for the place. Martha dropped us back at the Inn and we had our usual dinner al fresco around the van, an impressive feat of bar b ques short ribs and dutch oven bread cooked over the gill coals by Michelle the guide. A thunder storm curtailed the evening except for some final trips to the big house for a after dinner coffee and a final trip to the laundry.
Marni and Kris at Longwood Hall
Tomorrow we have another 85 mile day along the Natchez Trace, a National scenic highway, then off across country at Utica to end up in Vicksburg.
