Beauvoir in Biloxi, Mississippi - Final Home of President Jefferson Davis

Beauvoir, Final Home of Jefferson Davis

One of the most beautiful landmarks of the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the appropriately named Beauvoir, the last home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The home survived the brutal winds and storm surge of Hurricane Katrina and his been restored to its pre-storm beauty. It faces across US 90 to Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico in the popular resort city of Biloxi.

Beauvoir in Biloxi, Mississippi

Built in 1848, the same year as the nearby Biloxi Lighthouse, Beauvoir originally was known as Orange Grove. Satsuma Oranges then grew in profusion on the grounds, as they once did across the entire northern Gulf Coast, giving the summer home of the James Brown family its name. Brown died in 1857 and his widow later sold the home to a real estate speculator who, in turn, sold it to Mrs. Sarah Dorsey.

Bedroom of Jefferson Davis

Mrs. Dorsey renamed the home Beauvoir (French for "Beautiful View") and in 1877 invited former Confederate President Jefferson Davis to use a pavilion on the grounds as a writing retreat. Two years later she agreed to sell the entire estate to Davis for $5,000, to be paid in three payments. Mrs. Dorsey died after receiving the first payment from Davis and the Southern leader was surprised to find that she had left Beauvoir to him in her will.

It was at Beauvoir that Davis completed his monumental work, The Rise and Fall of the Conferate Government and a shorter volume, A Short History of the Confederate States of America.

Now owned by the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Beauvoir is open to the public daily and is a great place to explore the final years in the life of one of the most prominent Southerners of all time. The home features original furniture and other items that once belonged to the Davis family and the guides provide one of the best tours of a historic home that I've ever experienced.

To learn more about Beauvoir, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/beauvoir.

Washington, Georgia - Historic Antebellum City

Founded as a frontier fort before the American Revolution, the charming small city of Washington, Georgia, is a jewel of antebellum architecture and history.

Home to over 100 antebellum homes and structures, Washington was the economic, social and political center of a large plantation district during the years leading up to the Civil War. It was the home of U.S. Senator Robert Toombs, who went on to become the first Secretary of State of the Confederacy and a Confederate general, as well as Porter Alexander, who gained fame as the commander of artillery in the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

As the war drew to a close in 1865, Washington became the focal point of great drama. Varina Howell Davis, the First Lady of the Confederacy, arrived there and spent several nights at Holly Court, a beautiful antebellum home that is now a bed & breakfast end. Richmond had fallen and the Davis family and other elite members of Confederate society were fleeing south to Florida in hopes of finding a way to escape the Federal soldiers on their trail.

President Jefferson Davis held his final conference with other key Southern leaders in Washington before beginning a final attempt at flight that ended with his capture at Irwinville, Georgia, a few days later.

The city also figures prominently in the mystery of the missing Confederate treasury. Vast quantities of gold and silver spirited away from Richmond at the end of the war were last seen in Washington and there are many legends of buried treasure in the area.

The city today is a remarkable place with a charming downtown and oak-shaded streets lined by historic homes and churches. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/washingtonga.