This Fascinating Mississippi Mansion Has Been Abandoned And Reclaimed By Nature For Decades Now
By Jackie Ann|Published January 30, 2023
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Jackie Ann
Author
Louisiana native and LSU Alum (Geaux Tigers!), Jackie has lived in Louisiana for over three decades and currently lives in New Orleans. She's been writing for OnlyInYourState since 2016 and can often be found with a coffee at her side, dreaming of her next adventure.
Overflowing with history, beautiful scenery, and incredible small-town restaurants, Natchez, Mississippi is one of the most charming small towns in the country. If you find yourself exploring this historic town, you may be tempted to check out this abandoned place in Mississippi. Once a mesmerizing mansion, this historic property now sits abandoned, slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature.
There is little documentation for that, but what we do know is that the land was purchased in 1806 by a local planter, Lewis Evans, who built a plantation on the property. He sold a portion to Jonathan Thompson in 1814, who sold it to Jane and John White in 1818. Unfortunately, John White died of yellow fever in 1819. To further the mystery, many believed Jane passed away on the first night she lived in the house, but her gravestone tells a different story, saying she died in 1825.
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The property spans 55 unmaintained acres, completely abandoned.
After Jane White died, the property stayed in the family until somewhere in the mid-1800s, when a supreme court judge purchased it. There have been a few owners over the years, and generally speaking, most sought to preserve the house as well as its contents. Many of the furnishings were original to the house. Jane White apparently had exquisite taste and had money to spend, so it came as no surprise that future homeowners would want to keep many of her possessions and decorations.
At this time, it was in excellent condition. Its unique Federal-style build was pretty rare, and it’s this particular style that laid the groundwork for similar Antebellum houses to follow.
The last homeowners to live on the property passed away in 1991 when ownership shifted to their son.
Jack and Ann Vaughan were very careful to preserve as much of the house as possible during their time there, and it’s their conservation efforts that helped the house get on the Register. When they died, their son inherited the property, and that was the beginning of the end for this historic property.
With no one living in the house and no caretakers for the land, it didn’t take long for the house to deteriorate.
A devastating fire destroyed much of Arlington in 2002. The Historic Natchez Foundation replaced the roof, but the damage was too extensive. The city has reached out to the owner, but he’s been unresponsive, so the building continues to deteriorate.
As you can imagine, decades of neglect and a destructive fire have made this a very unstable, dangerous building to enter. Hopefully one day, restoration efforts can bring this old broad back to its glory days, but for now, Mother Nature is reclaiming this abandoned place in Mississippi.
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