Stable, Natchez National Historical Park Travel Guide

Melrose stands as one of the best-preserved antebellum estates in the South, a testament to the wealth generated by cotton and slavery in the mid-1800s. Located in Natchez, Mississippi, the 80-acre estate is now part of the Natchez National Historical Park. The main house, a 15,000 square foot Greek Revival mansion, was built for John T. McMurran, a successful lawyer and planter from Pennsylvania. McMurran, seeking opportunity, moved to Natchez in 1824 and built Melrose between 1841 and 1848, naming it after Melrose Abbey in Scotland, a place the family had visited.The estate comprises not only the mansion but also a carriage house, a two-story brick kitchen, a dairy barn, and slave quarters. The grounds feature outbuildings including the two-storied kitchen and dairy buildings, octagonal cistern houses, a smoke house, a privy, one of the last remaining slave quarters in Natchez, a barn, and a carriage house. Inside, the mansion boasts ornate plasterwork, marble mantels, and original furnishings, offering an authentic view of antebellum wealth and culture. Interior doorways are framed by Ionic columns and sunburst-type woodwork above. The rooms also feature plaster ceiling medallions and solid pocket doors. Bedrooms, many with original furnishings, are found on the second floor. Above, Melrose possesses an unusually large widows walk.During the Civil War, the McMurran family faced challenges, and Melrose was temporarily used as a Union Army headquarters and hospital. In 1865, the McMurrans sold the home and its furnishings to George and Elizabeth Davis. The National Park Service purchased Melrose in 1990 and has since maintained the property, preserving its rich history. Today, visitors can tour the mansion and grounds, gaining insight into the lives of the planter class and the enslaved people who worked there.