Arriving in the mid-1820s from Pennsylvania, McMurran established a successful law practice, was elected to the state legislature, married into a respected local family, and acquired the first of five plantations and slaves. Purchasing 132 acres in 1841, he had this Gothic Revival style mansion and several outbuildings constructed. Guided tours by park rangers are available and tickets ($10/adults, $5/seniors) can be purchased at the visitor center/gift shop behind the house. A two-story colonnaded porch spans the rear of the mansion. This is where we met to begin our tour.
Walking around to the front of the house, our guide provided some history McMurrans. They moved into the house in 1849 with their two children. Fine furnishings were purchased from Northern states and various European countries. Many original furnishings can still be seen today. After the death of their daughter and two grandchildren (by disease) during the Civil War, the McMurrans sold the estate to the Davis family. Descendants of the Davis family owned the property until 1976 when it was sold to local residents, John and Betty Callon. The National Park Service purchased the house in 1990.
On the first floor were two parlors, the dining room, and a library containing thousands of books. With 20’ ceilings and a huge hallway from the front to the rear, pocket doors connected the large rooms on either side. Below is a parlor with ornate furniture, marble-topped tables, and gold leaf accents.
The kitchen was in a separate building behind the mansion and meals were served in the dining room by slaves who accessed it via a “hidden” hallway. The large mahogany “punkah” was operated by a slave child and was intended to shoo flies away from the food on the table. The china was purchased by the McMurrans from England and the silver tea service from NY.
A rococo-style conversation couch (for two) and fine-grained oak pocket doors can be seen in the second parlor. McMurran’s portrait and desk are in the library. The beautiful light fixtures in the house are original.
Scenic painted wallpaper adorned the hallway walls. Below is a view from the rear of the hallway to the front door.
On the second floor are four bedrooms. The first was the master bedroom used by John and Mary Louisa McMurran. Because the mattresses on the bed were “fluffed” by the servants each morning, a “daybed” was used for afternoon napping.
The other bedrooms were used by the children and eventually grandchildren.
From the second floor porch we had a clear view of one of the two buildings behind the mansion. They housed the kitchen, carriages, tools, and the estate’s slaves.
By 1861, there were 25 slaves that served the family and maintained the estate (gardens, orchard, and grounds). A bell system was installed enabling family members to ring for servants in the slaves quarters from various rooms in the house. By the age of 8, slave children worked side-be-side with their parents to learn the skills needed to serve their master (just heartbreaking...)
Our tour guide was very informative and we enjoyed learning more about Natchez prior to the Civil War. Melrose is one of the most completely preserved antebellum estates in Natchez. For additional information Melrose and the Natchez National Historical Park, go to www.nps.gov/natc.
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