Thursday, July 7, 2016

Exploring The Historic Waverly Mansion

By Peter Powell


While once only viewed in newspaper articles and history books, tours are now being offered at a national historic landmark near West Point, Mississippi. The site is that of the Waverly mansion, a plantation home that first received national historic status in 1973. While the original construction occurred between the early 1840s and 1852, the property fell into disrepair once the original owner and descendants had passed on.

Construction on the mansion began in the early 1840s and took up until 1852 to complete. After which, the rotunda with an octagon shape, an open cupola on the ceiling and unique stairway were favorite aspects of the design. Built in the Jefferson tradition, the home combines early American architecture with ornamental beauty, history, technology and other elements.

The unique staircase, cupola and hallway are often the first things visitors notice after proceeding through the rotunda. These features, many of which have been restored all reflect the original aspects of the mansion. Robert Snow, who purchased the property in 1962 is responsible for remodeling and restoring the property to its original glory. After which, the property became eligible for listing on the national historic register.

In the late 1800s, the original owner George Hampton Young, a colonel from Georgia passed down the property to descendants. During early days at the mansion, the plantation was self sufficient. At that time, the owners grew or made everything which was considered necessary. Some of which included energy, textiles, meat, produce and other items such as clothing and home decor.

Now, nearly 150 to 200 years later, some local plantations are still operating. Whereas, there are also a number of modern families living in the area. As such, many now visit West Point, Mississippi, eight miles to the east for all these necessities and more. For those traveling with children, it can often be good to explain the past and present history of the area before arrival.

The city of West Point, Mississippi provides the area with necessities. As the city offers a number of job opportunities, schools and colleges, these outlying areas have recently become more popular with families. As such, while the population is still quite small, current real estate trends suggest that it will continue to grow over time.

With all the dark history, there has been new light shed on the area. For, each Labor Day Weekend, a blues festival paying homage to Howlin Wolf occurs in West Point on Friday night. After which, the Prairie Arts festival happens on Saturday. While Friday focuses on music, amusement park rides, local music, shopping and a car show often take precedent on Saturday.

With that being said, a good time for families to visit the area may be over the course of Labor Day Weekend in the United States. For, on this weekend, the area pays tribute to Howlin Wolf, a blues musician many blues fans and music lovers hold sacred. While most of the festival is focused on Howlin Wolf on Friday night, Saturday gives way to the Prairie Festival, a festival which features amusement park rides, shopping, a 5K run and car show.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment