Dani C.
Yelp
Monmouth (Natchez, MS)
The house is absolutely stunning!!! The staff there is so freaking friendly. And the food,... omggggg it was so good. I got the pork chop and *starts drooling* it was fantastic!!
The home was built in 1818 by John Hankinson, a postmaster, lawyer and, steamboat entrepreneur, during the depression that followed the War of 1812. The mansion was a brick two-story in the Federal style. Hankinson and his wife died soon after completing the house and the house was sold at a public auction to Calvin Smith, who one year later sold the property to John Anthony Quitman, the future Governor of Mississippi.
John Quitman, originally of New York City, was a partner in a successful Natchez law firm and married Eliza Turner, a member of one of the most prominent families. Quitman purchased Monmouth in 1826. The house was extensively renovated in 1853 in the Greek Revival style. The original brick was covered by stucco, scored to look like stone, and the portico was added to the front, along with the four square columns supporting it.
John A. Quitman died at Monmouth on July 17, 1858, apparently a victim of what was then called the National Hotel Disease an ailment similar to Legionnaire's Disease, which many American politicians contracted after staying or dining at the National Hotel in Washington, D.C. His wife died a year later and their children took control of the home.
In 1862, when Natchez was attacked by the Union army, most of the slaves fled. Most of Quitman's original possessions were either stolen in 1863 or sold by Quitman's daughters in 1865 due to financial difficulty. The house was spared from further damage during the war, as the daughters befriended a Union general and pledged loyalty to the United States. In 1866, three of the daughters purchased their siblings' share of the property, and by 1890, Annie Rosalie was the sole owner of Monmouth. In 1914, she died and left the home to her nieces, who sold it in 1924. For the next half century, the house was severely neglected with the house and other surviving structures filled with litter and the grounds overgrown.
After several changes of ownership, Ronald and Lani Riches of Los Angeles, California, purchased the property in 1978 and restored it to its original condition. The restoration took 3 years. In 1982, after archaeological research determined the location of two small houses used as slave quarters, the buildings were reconstructed on the original sites. Though most of John Quitman's original furnishings had been lost, the house still contained a few pieces such as a sofa, a carved settee, and several chairs. The Riches searched for other furniture and memorabilia from Quitman, and they were able to recover his desk, two four-poster beds, and the Quitman family Bible. Other memorabilia now include the gold sword presented to Quitman by James K. Polk and the United States Congress for his services in the Mexican-American War, as well as the red handkerchief Quitman used to rally his troops.
