National Register of Historic Places

Briars

Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi
Listed
August 23, 1977
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
77000778

About this property

The Briars is a historic house in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. It was built in 1818 for a large planter. Varina Davis, the First Lady of the Confederate States of America, spent her adolescence in the house. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The land was granted by Spain to Richard Bacon in 1784; it was purchased by Arthur Mahan in 1814. The house was built in 1818 for Judge John Perkins, a large planter. It was designed by architect Levi Weeks. When his wife died in 1824, Perkins tried to sell the house, but he rented it to William Burr Howell, the son of New Jersey Governor Richard Howell, and Margaret Kempe Howell from 1828 to 1850 instead. Howell's daughter, Varina Howell, grew up at the house. She married Jefferson Davis at the Briars on February 26, 1845, later becoming the First Lady of the Confederacy. The house was purchased by Walter Irvine in 1853, whose heirs sold it to Emma Augusta Wall in 1927. By the 1970s, it belonged to Robert E. Canon and Newton Wilds. It was subsequently repurposed as a bed and breakfast. in January 2023 The Briars was sold to Chip and Clara Newman of Flora Ms., and will be fully restored for tours and special events The house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since August 24, 1977.

Location

Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi
31.55209, -91.41993

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Ailes, William, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Glencannon
Colonial
0.7 mi
Richmond
Pre Contact
0.7 mi
Ravennaside
Industrial
0.7 mi
Downriver Residential Historic District
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Briars listed on the National Register?

Briars was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 23, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Briars?

Briars is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Briars?

The period of significance for Briars is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Briars?

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