What Is Melrose?
Melrose is the most intact antebellum estate in Mississippi!
What Makes It Historical?
In 1825, Mr. John T. McMurran moved from Ohio to Natchez, where he met his wife, Mary, and they had three children, Mary Elizabeth, John Thompson McMurran, Jr., and, after the first Mary Elizabeth died, another Mary Elizabeth. So I guess that’s two children. Anyway, Mr. McMurran was a successful lawyer and either owned or held interest in five plantations in the area. That gave him the resources to have a grand Greek Revival home designed for his family by architect, Jacob Byers.
Their estate was run largely by slaves, and Melrose still has the last intact slave quarters in Natchez. Because of their reliance on slavery, the McMurrans were hit hard by the Civil War and the collapse of the Confederate economy in 1865. They sold their land to a woman named Elizabeth Davis and moved to Maryland. Mr. McMurran died in a steamboat accident before the move was complete, and John, Jr. ended up as a clerk for the Union Army!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Natchez National Historical Park!
- Donate to Eastern National!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
1 Melrose-Montebello Parkway
Natchez, MS 39120
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The grounds are open daily from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM! You can also take a tour at 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 PM!
More Photos
Just want to clarify some things for you Melrose is not and was never a plantation it was an estate. The difference being is that a plantation grows Cash Crops such as Cotton, Sugar, or Tobacco, whereas an estate does not grow those. There are other homes in the area that still have intact slave quarters, the home however does have more intact buildings than any other home in the area missing just two a greenhouse and a chicken coop.