Under the large live oaks on Biloxi’s beachfront, thousands turned out to celebrate the reopening of Beauvoir – the last home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis – on June 3, Davis’ 200th birthday. Built in 1852, the historic home has been a popular Mississippi Gulf Coast tourist attraction for many years, but has been under renovation since Hurricane Katrina.
The Beauvoir site received significant damage from the hurricane, with five of the seven buildings destroyed and many artifacts lost. The home, although heavily damaged, was restored through help from government preservation funds. According to Beauvoir Curator Richard Flowers, an ambitious five-year master plan will bring the site back bigger and better than before, as close as possible to the way it was when Jefferson Davis lived there.
French for “beautiful view,” Beauvoir had several owners before Jefferson Davis discovered the home, fell in love with it and settled there to write his papers and books, including “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.” Beauvoir was Davis’ last home before he died in 1889. In 1898, the home was sold to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans with two stipulations, including that it be used as a memorial to Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Soldier, which it has ever since.
Beauvoir has returned to being open seven days a week, 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Although the house repairs are complete, the artwork on the ceilings and walls (surface frescos) will take over a year to finish. Visitors to Beauvoir from June 3, 2008 until early 2009 will have an opportunity to see the artwork being restored and conserved. For more information on Beauvoir, please visit www.beauvoir.org.
