Magnolia Hall

Magnolia Hall is one of the grandest of the Greek Revival mansions clustered in the historic district, a five-bay Italianate building on Pearl Street with elaborate plasterwork cornices and original interior fittings largely intact. It was built by Thomas Henderson, a wealthy merchant, in 1858 and survived the Civil War largely because Union officers found it suitable for their own use.

The Natchez Garden Club operates it as a house museum, with period furnishings and a collection of historic costumes from the Natchez Pilgrimage. Tours are offered year-round; spring and fall coincide with the Pilgrimage events when the house is at its most atmospheric. The garden is worth a walk-through.

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A story
Magnolia Hall was completed in 1858 — three years before the Civil War — and features one of the more unusual stories of mansion preservation: during the war, a Union officer selected it as his headquarters, and the owner hid the house silver in the mattresses. The silver was discovered, but most of it was returned — a relatively civil outcome by the standards of occupied Natchez.

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