Imagine Running Into Another Kentuckian in Biloxi!

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Well…not exactly. But I did go see his house. Who hasn’t had the dream of retiring right on the waterfront? That’s what Jefferson Davis did, in a house known as Beauvoir (which is French for “beautiful view”). I toured it during my stay in Biloxi. For those of you who don’t know, Jefferson Davis had many hats in his life: Army cadet at West Point (where one of his classmates was a fellow named Edgar Allan Poe); officer in the Black Hawk War and later, as a colonel, in the Mexican-American War; US Congressman; US Senator; Secretary of War; and, the only president of the Confederate States of America. It’s that last one that most people remember him for, and not fondly. Davis didn’t run for the office, he was chosen because he was a popular politician. (Let that be a lesson to politicians. ) After the Civil War ended Davis was imprisoned for two years, awaiting trial for treason. The charges were later dropped because a number of political and judicial individuals did NOT want Davis presenting an argument for states’ rights. However, because of his role in the Confederacy, he was stripped of his U.S. citizenship. He died that way. Jimmy Carter re-instated his American citizen status, nearly 90 years after his death. It’s the popularity or notoriety of Jefferson Davis that draws a lot of people to Beauvoir, but let me tell you, the house is fascinating all by itself. The tour guide was knowledgeable and quite humorous as he detailed Davis’ life, the good AND the bad (such as his first wife dying of malaria three months after they married). The house was built in 1848 by a man named James Brown (”NOT the Godfather of Soul,” the tour guide assured us ) with a view of the Gulf (see lower photo in collage above), even though there were trees blocking the view at that time. The guide pointed out that taxation at that time was on the number of doors and windows a house had: the more doors, the more tax. Things like closet doors and cabinet doors counted. The guide said that one way of a person showing off his (the 19th century, so generally men) wealth was to load down a house with doors and windows. Anyway, author Sarah Dorsey bought the property and willed it to Davis, since she helped Davis write his two-volume set The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. Technically Jeff’s second wife was listed as the owner because, as a non-citizen, he couldn’t own it. So much for the background. LOOK AT THAT VIEW! (That’s allegedly what Sarah Dorsey said when she walked out the front door for the first time, having bought the house sight unseen; hence, the name Beauvoir.) And look at the “symbols of wealth! Yeah, you might have a $300,000 house but you don’t have a mural on the ceiling! The clock predates the American Revolutionary War. The guide said it needs re-winding about every eight days. It was right on time when I was there. Then there’s those nasty women I mentioned in discussions yesterday: Camille and Katrina. Part of the house is still closed to visitors because of the damage that Katrina did to the building in 2005. The guide said that Katrina, more than Camille, is what “nearly got us.” (To understand this, do note that the house is listed as an historical landmark, so historical experts have to inspect repairs.) It is a gorgeous house, and it was nice to see another Kentuckian in Biloxi! COLLAGE: (Top left) Stairs to the front porch. These had to be replaced after Katrina in 2005. (Top center) Grandfather clock, made in 1775, presented as a gift to Jefferson Davis. (Top right) Mural on the ceiling in the main room. (Bottom) View of the Gulf and the informational sign from the front lawn of the property.