Beauvoir
About this property
The Beauvoir estate, built in Biloxi, Mississippi, along the Gulf of Mexico, was the post-war home (1876–1889) of the former President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis. The National Park Service designated the house and plantation as a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Samuel Dorsey, a planter, purchased the estate in 1873. After Dorsey died in 1875, his widow, Sarah Dorsey, learned that Davis was facing difficulties. Dorsey invited Davis to visit the plantation, offering him a cottage near the main house where he could live and work on his memoirs. Davis ended up living there the rest of his life with his wife, Varina Davis, and his youngest daughter, Varina Anne Davis (known as "Winnie"). Ill with cancer in 1878, Dorsey remade her will, bequeathing Beauvoir to Jefferson Davis and making Winnie the residuary legatee, inheriting after her father died. The three Davises lived at Beauvoir until Jefferson Davis died in 1889. Varina and Winnie moved to New York City in 1891. After Winnie died in 1898, Varina Davis inherited the plantation. Davis sold it in 1902 to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans with the stipulation that it be used as a Confederate States Army veterans home and later as a memorial to her husband. Barracks were built nearby, and the property was used as such a home until 1957, with the death of the last Confederate veteran in Mississippi. At that time, the main house was adapted as a house museum. In 1998, a library was completed and opened on-site. Beauvoir survived Hurricane Camille in 1969. The main house and library were badly damaged, and other outbuildings were destroyed during Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The house was restored and reopened while work continued on the library.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Beauvoir listed on the National Register?
Beauvoir was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 2, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Beauvoir?
Beauvoir is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Beauvoir a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Beauvoir has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Beauvoir?
The period of significance for Beauvoir is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Beauvoir?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Beauvoir will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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