House Tour: Longwood, Abandoned 1860 Mansion in Natchez, Mississippi

Join us on a private tour of Longwood and go beyond the first two floors usually seen on tours for a behind the scenes look at this incredible structure. Also known as Nutt's Folly, Longwood is a historic antebellum octagonal mansion located in Natchez, Mississippi.
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[@ediethomas1519]

My husband and I toured this home a couple of years ago. We were told that the carpenters and helpers absolutely layed down their tools and building materials and walked out to go join the war effort. It was assumed they would return to finish the build but in fact didn't. The most fascinating point of interest is the tools, walkboards and scaffolding remain there to this day the way they were left. I know it would be a magnificent home if finished but as it is we can see the many techniques they used and the hand tools. It's as if we are given the opportunity to literally take a look into history.

[@nurse2long]

I've been there 3 times and it's haunted. I don't care what they say. I'm glad I got to see the cupola finally. Btw, hi guys! I live in Arkansas, too. I just saw you on my feed. I'm a history buff and also love decorating. So glad you're saving these houses. The only shameful thing is the man had to own human beings in order to build this house.

[@Lorili59]

Thinking of all the years that have passed, that no one had purchased it and finished it. It would be amazing to see the final outcome!

[@fellowdesparado]

I often think, though, if someone had purchased it and finished it we probably would not be allowed to see it. It would most likely be a private resident that wouldn’t allow you to see the inside.

[@donnabigley6708]

Omg! Such beauty and grace! They just don’t have craftsmanship like this anymore.

[@jimmymags6516]

Yes they do . I do it everyday . The problem is people don't want to pay for craftsmanship anymore .

[@donnabigley6708]

I think you are right about people not wanting to pay for quality! I respect you so much that you are willing to create the same beauty! Please accept my apology for not realizing that this craftsmanship still exists!!!

[@shaneduyvenedewit5197]

Donna, they’re scares indeed.

[@jimmymags6516]

@@donnabigley6708 Please don't apologize to me . I was just reminding you that there's some of us left , but we are a dying breed . You are a lovely lady indeed .

[@adnamayak]

I toured this and the guide I had was so good. He said the portrait of the black man was a servant and he was highly respected which is why there was a portrait of him.

[@justasmalltowngirl_lynne5089]

Oh my...how I long to go back to my birth place, Natchez, Ms. This home to many living in Natchez was a crazy idea and it was called Nutt’s Folly.....Thank you for inviting me on your tour to the beautiful unique Longwood💜💜💜

[@ninnin261]

I have pretty much traveled the world since that warm sunny afternoon long ago that I first glimpsed the splendor of her majestic magnificence. She absolutely took my breath away, and I have yet to find anything else on earth that quite compares to her in beauty. I simply cannot pass through Natchez without stopping by to see her. She draws me to her like a long lost love. Long live Longwood!

[@cristobaldellacqua1095]

The magnificent Henry Flagler Mansion on opulent Cocoanut Row in resplendent Palm Beach Florida I think beats this hands down in every way. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn_HnKKrmNGsoMU

[@gracekoppenhofer5864]

I AGREE 100%! This home is unbelievable!

[@rosannehart7325]

Truly an interesting visit. Amazing that although it was never finished, it has survived. Thank you for showing it to us.

[@anitatucker8812]

Thank you for taking us along. I had the pleasure of visiting Longwood several years ago and hoped to one day return. What an amazing home.

[@kennichols1015]

Took the tour of this amazing house back in 1989. That whole area is amazing.

[@carolpipher4839]

Thanks guys for this tour!! I loved the opportunity to see this beautiful home! 👍 🌷

[@brettjohnson6807]

Thank you for putting this video up. Since I was a fairly young boy, I have been obsessed with this home. It is one of the largest so called "octagon" homes that were built in America. If I remember correctly, it was heavily influenced by the Moorish culture. Possibly where the ideas for using air for natural cooling came from, they had been using towers to capture wind for cooling for centuries by this point. I know the plans for this home existed at one point, if they still do, I feel this home should be completed. The architect and Owner had a great relationship and designed/approved the potential grandest antebellum home. I mean, seriously, who had retractable screens in 1861?

[@deidrestalvey4284]

I had read on this wonderful place several years ago. I was amazed then, and still am amazed at this very “odd” construction. Thank you for sharing.

[@mwrcrft]

Thanks for the tour we went through it in 2003 it is an amazingly original building. We also toured many of the Natchez mansions.

[@nathanbugg3221]

That was interesting. Thank you two for tye great content.

[@pineo81]

OMG This video was fantastic! I have been in love in Longwood since I was a youngin when I saw it on an episode of Americas Castles

[@betsyh2503]

Nice tour, I liked those sliding screen doors. Thanks for sharing.

[@shaneduyvenedewit5197]

Wish someone would purchase and finish it! It’s absolutely magnificent!

[@flucheaux]

It is a National Landmark and can’t be changed. But, I’d love to see someone take those plans and copy it!

[@stravagantares]

I don't know if anyone noticed already, but you both have really beautiful voice prints. The voicevers are so well done and pleasant to listen to. 🤗💚

[@OurRestorationNation]

Thank you so much!

[@sandraweaver8376]

The brick is awesome. Such a beautiful color. There were some great ideas for ventilation and the screens are a wonderful idea.

[@lynnmaupin-simpson1215]

Marvelous house. Sliding screen doors are just one of the amazing things about this house. Thank you for the video.

[@thomasmclean2494]

My dream! Thanks for sharing this absolutely unique beautiful home!

[@MelloJel312]

Beautiful home and wonderful history! I also love that your dog was enjoying the tour too! :)

[@TwilaSue]

Oh my goodness! I have a Pomeranian also! As if I couldn’t like your channel anymore than I already do! My Pom goes everywhere with me, too! this is a beautiful house!

[@georgemack120]

WOW...THAT WAS SPECTACULAR!!!

[@mamab4211]

Wow!!! Another amazing mansion!! Thank you for sharing, some of us would never get to see them in person, so Thank you!

[@OurRestorationNation]

That's exactly why we do this! Thank you.

[@mamab4211]

@@OurRestorationNation By the Way…..I love your positivity and energy 💞. I comes over marvelously through your video! Again Thank You both.. from Las Vegas NV 🥳

[@robertmoore2049]

Wow, this is a gorgeous house. I like its new unique design when you compare it to other mansions in the South which were basically the same design. But, I wouldn’t call it abandoned, but unfinished mansion. When I think of an abandoned structure, I think of it being derelict and deteriorating. I’ll go with unfinished, for is, thankfully, far from being derelict or deteriorating. Thank you for sharing this video with us. Thank you for sharing with us this wonderful place. We can only imagine what it would’ve been like if it was completed as desired.

[@fellowdesparado]

It was abandoned by the family for years, which is most likely why it says abandoned. It was left with everything inside and no one resides in it for some years. It just had a lot better bones than some other abandoned homes.

[@iseejewelz3874]

Oooohhhhh i LOVE it showing the Brick actually

[@OurRestorationNation]

I know. And it was all going to be tan color. Even the woodwork.

[@tristazerbe8119]

My absolute favorite!!!

[@OurRestorationNation]

Ours too!

[@bonniebrown6960]

One of my cousin's that lives in Mississippi went there at night a few years back. I believe it was around Halloween time. All the dust was flying. She shared some video of her visit and we asked her ....was that dust or orbs we were seeing? Haha..! It is a beautiful house. It's ashame it never was finished.

[@alliereddit3163]

Love your channel!

[@jumpinjackfishback88]

Woah! That’s an amazing house! It’s so beautiful and so grand.

[@joan8178]

Thank you so much. This is in Marc Matrana's "Lost Plantations of the South". An architectural wonder. Now I feel like I've been there!

[@abennajones6113]

We toured longwood in 2001. Also just a few miles north in Fayette, Jefferson county Mississippi , we toured the Springfield Plantation built by Thomas Green Jr. about 1786. However what is most interesting is that the 7th US President Andrew Jackson and wife Rachel Robards eloped to Springfield and married at Springfield in 1791. Thomas Green Sr. officiated the wedding.

[@rachealsmith5138]

Wow! I would love to see this finished...

[@tango2paris]

I've been there twice. The first time I went I distinctly remember having the hair on the back of my neck raise up and my arms prickle with goosebumps when I first saw it . I came back the second time because it haunted me for almost 30 years. I still got those same Sensations when I saw it the second time. What I know from the books that I purchased, It was built by a man for the love of his wife and never finished. While technically it was built by skilled labor from the north the bricks were all made by slaves from my understanding. And for me that's the draw, it's a testament to their spirit that even though they were enslaved, their work is still standing 160 years later. Both times I went were in the summer , it's so green and hot , so sticky and humid. My second tour where I literally spend 5 hours there taking pictures, with the idea that I would sit down and do a series of paintings about it . I asked to go to the second floor and I thought they were going to have a cow? Lucky you!! I'm so jealous you got to go up the staircase to the third floor. The view from the cupola was to be of the Mississippi River and what a view it would be!! I wrote a poem while I was there, daydreaming under the Giant oak trees. It's a great place for an artist to get their creative juices flowing for sure. I walked the grounds to the Family Cemetery, the headstones covered in Moss. I never painted the paintings, so I guess this means a third trip needs to happen so I can sit on the lawn and paint this amazing place.

[@maryvasquez2515]

Is this the same cemetery that a slave is buried there with the family because they loved her so much? My son and l couldn't find the cemetery we are from Texas.

[@tango2paris]

@@maryvasquez2515 it's down from front of the house it's a little bit of a walk.

[@marilynmourdock3688]

I have toured this house as well. It makes me sad that it was never finished but it is a museum of sorts for construction details.

[@davidhennen7045]

Wonderful, now finish it!

[@chucksuter6551]

The shoo fly fan has got to make it into one of your projects! They’re my favorite antebellum home feature

[@OurRestorationNation]

Aren’t they the best! I would love to have one.

[@marelinem541]

Can you find a link to show us what a 'shoo fly fan' is?

[@WhatSarahLikes1]

Dude. Wow ..... just wow.

[@ML-xi2rt]

MAGNIFICENT

[@kippen64]

Fascinating. Thanks for the video.

[@Siansonea]

I love that this house stands as a monument to the last stage of the history of the antebellum South. This splendid, spacious home was built so it's owners could live in "convenience" and "comfort", while hundreds of enslaved people toiled in the scorching hot cotton fields of Louisiana under the whip. It is fitting that the mansion was never completed, that it is frozen in time at a pivotal moment in the nation's history.

[@Therebesquare]

Mississippi*

[@Siansonea]

@@Therebesquare they mentioned in the video that the plantations where the enslaved persons labored were in Louisiana. Only 30 or so enslaved persons were kept at the house in Mississippi.

[@Therebesquare]

@@Siansonea you were referring to this house, so the 30 or so slaves are in Mississippi.

[@Therebesquare]

@@Siansonea no, all southern states had slavery.. Louisiana might be the most well-known, but it was in every state up to Maryland.

[@Siansonea]

@@Therebesquare I was referring to the family that owned the house, who were in Mississippi. While they lived in the house, they owned plantations and enslaved people in Louisiana. It was the disconnect between these two conditions that I was drawing attention to. Wealth and privilege in Natchez, Mississippi, and enslaved conditions in Louisiana.

[@connieliscio5593]

Beautiful house! Love the cupola!

[@iwishiknew10]

Wow, just wow

[@shelleycrotty1726]

Thanks for sharing your tour.

[@infinitelightcouncil]

This home has the most interesting affect on those who see it. I once suffered through a 3 hour car ride back to New Orleans with several folks I'd taken to see it for the first time who began the finish it/leave it alone debate. One tiny corner of the exterior did get stuccoed with golden sand before construction stopped. It gives you an idea of how spectacular the exterior was meant to be- appearing to be made of large blocks of sand stone. Fun fact.

[@wendymacmullen6480]

I got pinged and opened the newest Restoration but when I saw the featured home my heart dropped. My mother's maiden name was Nutt from Princeton NJ. Our history is traced from Scotland to US but the Scottish brogue shortened MacNaughton to Nutt. Rumor had it our family settled both in the south and in the north dividing the family. We never acknowledged our southern ancestors because they were slave owners but knew there had been a physician in the family. Our family bible followed abolitionists and farmers from PA NY and NJ most being buried in Dutch Neck. It amazes me that my mother loved and studied early American colonial

[@wendymacmullen6480]

Architecture throughout New England as well. But she steered clear of Southern buildings. Ironically one of our family homes Putnam Valley NY had an underground passage but the Civil War never progressed this far North. I wish my mother and grandmother were alive to share the other half of Nutt history.

[@coolbeans8407]

Don't lose sight that slavery was part of 5he entire world structure and AMERICAN REPUBLICANS were the first to abolish it. No shame is something you had NOTHING to do with.

[@marelinem541]

@@coolbeans8407 "AMERICAN REPUBLICANS were the first to abolish it [slavery]." That's a lie, and you know it! Enslaving people was abolished in many place before it was abolished in the USA. And the Republican party of Lincoln was nothing like the racist 'Proud Boy,' 'Oath Keeper,' and confederate flag waving Republicans of today.

[@Dixie_Belle]

Your purse pup is adorable!!!!!

[@shellydehart8217]

That was magnificent!! Unbelievable n oh so beautiful. Though it was started before the Civil War n never got completed it still stands with beauty. Your right about the craftsmanship, amazing work. Curious though , would Mississippi ever complete it or leave it as is? I’m still trying to pick my jar up from the floor LOL. Thank you so much for sharing this magnificent mansion to us viewers. I loved it! ♥️♥️😊👍great!

[@OurRestorationNation]

It was left to the trust with the express instructions that it be left as a time capsule and never completed

[@jeanettenfreeland1408]

A very beautiful home

[@romet0211]

My wife wrote a book about Longwood. It is from the viewpoint of Julia Nutt. Titled "Julia Mistress of Longwood"

[@melindadouglas1673]

I’ve been to this home. It was a fascinating to hear about the family. There was a shipment of cotton that was confiscated and burned by the Union Army valued at millions of dollars (at that time) and they never recovered financially.

[@janaprice2493]

Hi ya’ll, I just stumbled upon your channel & LOVE IT! I grew up in beautiful historic Thomasville Ga in a 4 square craftsman & have always loved historic architecture. My mother passed away last year & she hoarded houses. I am now left with 3 older homes. One Victorian in downtown Bainbridge Ga (severely compromised), one in downtown Thomasville, (the one I grew up in) in fairly good shape, & yet another that was moved from downtown Thomasville to 18 acres in Thomas county. Needless to say, I’m a bit overwhelmed. Interested? Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for saving our history. ~ Jana

[@MsMollah]

Wow, loved it!

[@kirstensocialbutterfly6025]

Very stunning.

[@bethmann3283]

What's shame that it was never finished. Its stunning!!!

[@lallred1911]

A quick shot of the slave quarters might show an interesting contrast of dwellings.

[@OurRestorationNation]

There are no extant slave quarters. As the tour guide mentioned this house was built at the literal beginning of the civil war. This would be considered a suburban villa, and any enslaved peoples that did live here would have been meant to reside in the lower level that is completed. There is a two story very nice period residence to the rear of this home where servants lived, but I don’t think it would have provided the contrast you are hoping for. It’s a finer residence than many of us live in today. The emancipation proclamation freed all enslaved peoples just 6 months after this home was completed to this point, and the civil war began within one month.

[@14wheels75]

I toured this place years ago. I was told that Nutt went into a major depression because he could not finish the house due to the Civil War. His depression led to his death. His wife sued the Federal Government for restitution but I don't recall if she won her case.

[@daniel_sc1024]

From an architectural viewpoint, I think it is interesting and noteworthy that the house was left unfinished and methods of construction are exposed to view (on the inside, at least). There are numerous finished plantation houses that have been preserved or restored, to give a glimpse of how the wealthy lived at that time; do we really need another? But this house is unique in its unfinished state.

[@OurRestorationNation]

I totally agree.

[@normanfletcher8332]

Abandoned? House is Gorgeous. Just sad upstairs incomplete..

[@jimbrown8313]

About 40 years ago I toured it. It was then estimated that it would take 22 million to complete it.

[@gwenmoody8323]

Love this house

[@deborahlynnxyz]

There's an Octagonal House not far from Bowling Green, KY. I got to see it and walk around the whole place, didn't go in.

[@mena94x3]

5:28 . . . and this is what inspired the winding staircase in National Treasure.

[@janespurgeon3658]

I just wish I had money. Mine mine mine. And I would open for show. This should be shared!

[@OurRestorationNation]

It’s available for tours. Not sure if they’ve reopened after Covid or not but I’m sure they will be.

[@linoshiddencats]

I wish I could live in this

[@thomasmccabe8455]

Has there ever been any discussion of finishing the construction?

[@OurRestorationNation]

No. It is preserved as is and presented as such on tour.

[@kaybonette]

Sad to think people lived in houses like this built on the backs of slaves.

[@OurRestorationNation]

So sad.

[@coolbeans8407]

American Republicans were the first in the WORLD to abolish slavery. Go have a talk with the Black tribal chiefs in Africa who brutally captured their own people and continued to sell them for decades after. Learn history before you write a racist comment.

[@sjastram]

@@jflo7674 Hahahahahahaha! The parties "switching" is a baldfaced lie. If you are a democrat, own up to the racist past of your party instead of trying to gaslight the party the freed the slaves.

[@christinecarson1104]

Is it sad? Yes!! It is horrible what happened in the past but it is done and over. We can’t change the past. To keep condemning and hating architectural beauty because it was done during a time we had no control does no one any good.

[@1976mcfarlane]

@@jflo7674 all politicians , currently, are all currupt crooks. Underneath their party title they're all the same party with the same agenda. Good guys don't last long

[@pamhutzell8268]

Did you get a date when you are moving the house? Love your videos!

[@OurRestorationNation]

It’s not really a “get a date” issue. We have to get the foundation poured, coordinate with the electric company,, have the deconstruction completed and get the route approved. There is just a LOT of red tape we have to get through!

[@corgimel]

@@OurRestorationNation I must have missed something. This house is being moved?

[@OurRestorationNation]

No no. Not this house. The house we own in Louisivlle, Georgia.

[@pamhutzell8268]

@@OurRestorationNation i am praying for you's . I know red tape always takes forever! I can't wait, I am like little kid. People neat us moved a church and it was only maybe not 100 feet and then they had someone bull dose it! Thank you!

[@KMF3]

You guys should buy it and restore it

[@ElenaRose725]

Longwood is, indeed, a beauty. I can only imagine what it would have looked liked completed. Did I hear correctly that it was just abandoned some time after the Civil War? The family didn't sell it? I read in the comments that they had a large shipment of cotton destroyed by the Union Army which pretty much destroyed them financially. I'm surprised the family didn't sell the property but am glad they didn't (leaving the property intact).

[@fellowdesparado]

Construction was vaulted by the civil war as, I believe, the men had to go fight in the war. I think they lost most of their money during the war and at some point the father passed away. The bottom floor was complete so the family lived there. I assume the probably had no where else to go.

[@marelinem541]

@@fellowdesparado halted*

[@Mitzuoyan]

Architecturally, it's a really interesting house but please illuminate me because I'm not an American. How do the common people feel about these kind of houses built by the hands of slaves? It's an amazing house and all but watching it as a foreigner hearing about slavery like some kind of "commonplace" history is so novel to me.

[@OurRestorationNation]

Technically this house wasn’t built by the hands of slaves, but rather skilled craftsmen brought in by the Northern architect. Slavery, sadly, is very commonplace history, You are unlikely to find one organized civilization that has not enslaved people to create a labor source. It’s been rampant throughout history on every continent on the planet, and in many areas continues to this day. The enslavement of Africans by the British colonies is probably the most widely discussed slavery, but is by no means the only instance. The abomination of slavery has been a plague on humanity from day one.

[@rubyoro0]

Ken, I thought people were once enslaved everywhere.

[@Mitzuoyan]

@@OurRestorationNation Thank you for educating me on this topic! It's a delight to find well written answer in a youtube comment section in this day and age. And also thank you for always pointing out the deep history of these houses (even the past ones) because they share to us viewers the painful and joyful sides of the people who lived inside them. I love how the house seemingly come alive. Thank you very much!

[@Mitzuoyan]

@@rubyoro0 Well, you are not wrong, I worded my comment poorly. I'm from a past colony of two Western countries so that can qualify as slavery of indigenous people, but in my point of view, the Transatlantic slavery is just a whole different kind. In our country, we had a postcolonial rupture with the colonisers, meaning we decided to cut down any connection with the former colonisers. And we decided to redeem the nation by removing/appropriating the colonial master's buildings/architecture/culture. Since it's technically a foreign country and not by displaced people, we had a chance for a do-over. On the other hand, I think the Transatlantic slavery is far more vicious in its scale of deaths and ethnic uprooting, that basically spanned 3 continents. That's the kind of slavery that I never experienced.

[@traderkaz]

The exterior of this mansion was used in the show True Blood as Russell Edgington’s mansion. 😆

[@hulee1968]

Beautiful home but is it haunted?

[@rupertjoseph5066]

Is it for sale?

[@OurRestorationNation]

No

[@debracarey2129]

I realize the history behind this magnificent building. However, some rich billionaire ought to finish is and live in it, it deserves that much.

[@OurRestorationNation]

It was sold to the Foundation under the codicil that it never be completed.

[@thecocktailian2091]

It was laid out like a castle and not a home. Incredibly inconvenient when one of its two purposes was convenience. I would not wish to see it finished, but i sure would like to have a seance and ask the dude his plan for all the rest and what exactly he was thinking. Clearly in its unfinished state there are just too many question marks left.

[@melanienajera146]

I love your channel but the background music is way too loud it's hard to hear the people speaking and distracting had to change it

[@OurRestorationNation]

We invite you to come produce our videos

[@SeaMistLights]

@@OurRestorationNation 😂😂👍🏻

[@livethelawofone27]

@@OurRestorationNation Why the snark? The woman started out by saying "I love your channel". I've read many of your replies, and quite a few are rude toward well-meaning feedback which can be helpful.

[@terrythomas2735]

It is sad it wasn’t finished. It looks like a government building it’s so big. I would think that most of the trades men died in the war and the slaves where set free so the money would no longer be there to finish it anyway.They where very smart putting in sliding screens in the doors but not smart enough to see that slavery was wrong at least half the people felt that way.

[@OurRestorationNation]

I don’t think that they weren’t smart enough, they just turned a blind eye to the travesty because it was making them rich.

[@trevormcmullin4274]

Russell Edgington’s house

[@mmdaisylover64]

It’s too bad it was never finished .

[@darcyadelle]

I wonder why no one ever finished it over the years.... it would make a great Inn or Museum or government building or something....🤷‍♀️ seems such a waste...

[@OurRestorationNation]

It serves the city of Natchez well as a tour home as is.

[@darcyadelle]

@@OurRestorationNation I guess, but I find it sad to think of it sitting forever unfinished... so much wasted potential. 🤷‍♀️ The person who designed that home was clearly SO passionate about its aesthetic, flow and structure... They designed something TRULY beautiful, and I think they would have wanted someone to finish it, so everyone could see it in its full glory eventually.

[@assassinspoiler3488]

Can't hardly understand him

[@patriciagriffith7402]

Find out the name of the brother

[@fellowdesparado]

Haller Nut Jr?

[@ryanholmes4027]

Just about every culture was built on slavery & or a fuedal system not defending slavery just being point blank. Every society white asian middle eastern native american african had slavery used & traded them.

[@janellekerns6485]

Take off the masks, you're outside.

[@kingsdaughter777]

masks. gross.

[@HeidisHereAndThere]

Considering it's bad enough you all have those dreaded useless masks on; why have music playing when we can't understand what's being said behind the muzzles?? 🤔 There's PLENTY going on in this video to keep our attention, and one of them is trying to HEAR what the guide is saying!

[@OurRestorationNation]

Well then we invite you to give your time for free to produce our videos for us.

[@nurse2long]

No Q people invited.

[@laineeden]

You know my favorite thing in the whole wide world? Internet trolls like you who nit-pick the FREE content they are enjoying that they no doubt are incapable of producing themselves.

[@rubyoro0]

Seven people carpooled 3 hours round trip to work. The two persons that didn’t contract Covid were the only ones that wore masks.

[@andiebluetaylor]

Hey! Don't be rude! This is free content provided by Laine and Kevin, and they are being socially responsible by wearing masks. Go spread your bullshit somewhere else, we play nice here.