Auburn is a Federal mansion in Duncan Park in
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...
. It was designed and constructed by
Levi Weeks in 1812, and introduced academic Classical
order architecture in the Mississippi territory. Its prominent two-story portico served as a model for the subsequent architectural development of local and nationally important mansions. It was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1974
[ and ] and a
Mississippi Landmark in 1984.
[
]
Description
Auburn is a two-story brick building, with a Palladio exterior and Regencia interior, constructed of a central core and flanking symmetrical wings. A four-column temple front adorns the center of the block, with modified Ionic columns supporting an entablature and fully pedimented gable. The gable has modillioned cornices and an oval window at its center. The main entrance is set in a segmented-arch opening along with flanking sidelight windows and a transom window above. Sheltered by the temple portico is a second floor balcony, which is accessed via a three sash window, the earliest of the type in the city.
History
In 1811, Lyman Harding, the first Attorney General of Mississippi, hired Levi Weeks, a young architect, to design and build the mansion. The original building was by with a two-story portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...
supported by four columns and includes an unusual floating spiral staircase between the first and second floors.secession
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
tensions just before the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, and the house was placed in the care of his descendants.
The building and was donated by the family to the city of Natchez in 1911 and is now a historic house museum in a public park. The donation also included the Duncan family furnishings, which the city quickly and unfortunately sold. [ The grounds were converted by the City of Natchez into Duncan Park.]
See also
* List of National Historic Landmarks in Mississippi
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, Mississippi
References
External links
*
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
Historic house museums in Mississippi
Museums in Natchez, Mississippi
National Historic Landmarks in Mississippi
Houses in Natchez, Mississippi
Houses completed in 1812
Mississippi Landmarks
Historic American Buildings Survey in Mississippi
National Register of Historic Places in Natchez, Mississippi