A visit to Beauvior - Jeff Davis's House.

Near Biloxi, MS, is the retirement home of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. The house is the location that Davis used to write his memoirs and had many interesting historical facets for use to learn.

The house was built the mid 1800's right on the Gulf of Mexico and had a beautiful setting. However, this setting also was vulnerable to hurricanes and Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage to the area and the house in specific as you can see from the picture. The storm surge was over 15' high and blew through the entire house, while the wind removed part of the slate roof.

Amazingly, the house was fully restored after this disaster and once again shows how Jefferson Davis lived in the 1870's period.

One of the most remarkable things about the house is the painting that was done inside. The ceilings were carefully painted and gave the impression of a tiered ceiling. The spectacular painting took a couple almost three years to complete (which is about the same time that it took the original artist to do when the house was first built.

There are two cottages on the property, one that was used for a guest house and the other for Jefferson Davis's office where he worked on his writing. The view over the bay is fantastic and you could easily imagine Davis reflecting on the Confederacy and the related challenges in his life.

Orinda thought this staircase was just about right for her next house! Hard to imagine that the flood waters from Katrina were well above the top of the stairs. We were very happy to see the restoration work going so well. In addition to the house, a Presidential Library is being completed to house Jefferson Davis's papers. Davis was a very accomplished statesman in addition to serving as the head of the Confederacy. He graduated from West Point and after his military service, served as both a senator and congressman from Mississippi.

This gives you an idea of the magnificent beach that runs over 25 miles from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi. While the beach is in great shape, many of the homes and businesses near the beach were destroyed and have not been replaced. We hope that the recovery in this area will continue in the future.