The Murderous and Mysterious History of Auburn, The First Grand Mansion of Natchez, Mississippi

Auburn was built for Lyman Harding, first Attorney General of the Mississippi Territory. Harding defended Aaron Burr in his 1807 arraignment, and soon became one of the wealthiest citizens of the city during its territorial period.
The homes architect and builder was the infamous Levi Weeks. Recently arrived from New York under a cloud of scandal, Weeks was hired to design the “most magnificent building in the Territory.” Auburn introduced classical architecture to the Territory, with its classical giant-order Ionic portico, and is one of the purest forms of neo-classical Federal architecture in the city. The most outstanding feature of all the grand design is the free-standing, 360 degree staircase, one of only a few in the United States.
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[@jenihansen7201]

Now, this docent is great. He is articulate, and quite handsome to look at. LOL, I had to throw that in there. His knowledge of this property is great. Being a docent is wonderful and I hope he goes into this field.

[@marshawargo7238]

I agree! His voice was so nice to listen to & very informative! (Not bad to look at either😂)

[@Evangelionism]

Ooooo, Jeni's in luuuhvvv 🤣 jkjk

[@50Street21]

This would have to be rated as one of the best heritage home tours ever. Matthew is well spoken, articulate and undeniably knows his history. . . both architecturally as well as that of the family. Well done!

[@kch917]

I was just about to type these exact same opinions!

[@50Street21]

@@kch917 Smiling at this end. We're on the same page.

[@lisaveenstra7098]

concur

[@larrymoons2258]

This young man does an outstanding Job!!!

[@AmynAL]

Matthew makes the tour of this home extremely entertaining and interesting. A great foundation for a great tour.

[@terrihirling9965]

What an incredible young man. Great job, Matthew.

[@suzilindblad5207]

He speaks as if he lived there back in the 1800s. Very informative!

[@sylvestercunningham2102]

Wow this guy is wonderful. We live in Mississippi and grew up going to Natchez where my great grandmother lived. This young man is incredible, very well spoken and informative. He needs to have his own channel.

[@anitatucker8812]

Matthew did such a great job. He keeps you interested and he's knowledgeable.

[@robbinbruno2320]

That was WONDERFUL!!! The staircase is fantastic!! What a house and the history is great!!! Matthew does a great job!!! Fantastic tour!!! Thank you so much!!! What history!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@kellyhensley7346]

I could listen to him talk all day long! What a fascinating home & I'm speechless over that staircase!❤

[@eastcoastartist]

Same 😊

[@anitaodom5155]

It's a stunning staircase! Absolutely amazed!

[@Honeydear1971]

I learned so much through this tour and this guides soothing and articulate demeanor with cadence of joy in sharing made it a joy to watch beginning to end! Fabulous and educational with entertaining.

[@kathleenstanley6751]

I have the same thoughts, but you say it so perfectly I'll just agree 100%. Thanks!

[@kellyhensley7346]

Yes you put it so eloquently! Loved listening to Matthew

[@shelleybrandon973]

I’m so glad I got to listen to Matthew describe the history of this amazing home! I can visualize how stunning the original faux bois would have looked. Thank you for this wonderful video!❤️

[@katrinascreationscrafting]

Wonderful tour. Matthew knows so much of the history of this beautiful home. It was very interesting to watch.

[@normanfletcher8332]

Wow, What a Gorgeous house, esp the staircase...

[@sbarton291]

Mathew did an excellent job touring this home. I visited and toured with Lane and Kevin May 2023 and really enjoyed this home and the history. Loved Natchez, thanks to Lane and Kevin!

[@dave1956]

I was fortunate to have toured this beautiful home back in the 90’s. Natchez is a very unique place. Watching this video makes me want to visit again.

[@lisaveenstra7098]

The host is very good at this ..i love his voice and how he tells the story.

[@KarenWimberley]

Excellent tour. He is so knowledgeable. ❤

[@martinmolina2655]

Wow Matthew is amazing!! Very well spoken, great tour!

[@tracyriordan7011]

This staircase is phenomenal! Wow! ( : The carvings throughout are absolutely amazing by Levi Weeks! ( : Thank you for such an informative and wonderful tour of this amazing home! ( :

[@MediocreComedian]

Awesome video! Great job Matthew!

[@davidfaulkner8201]

A very informative tour . The docent Matthew gave a excellent and enjoyable presentation . A beautiful house that has survived time and any tribulations .

[@jasonwilkes1857]

I was able to tour several homes this spring in Natchez, and this tour led by Matthew was by far the most informative. Historic Auburn is lucky to have him!

[@HiSummerWasHere]

SO excited to see this video! That staircase, y’all!!

[@ruthiewilliams3482]

What a incredible staircase!!! Reminds me of the one in Santa Fe

[@davidolien2828]

The docent does an incredible job of informing visitors.

[@melaniederima2314]

Stellar job by Matthew on this house tour!

[@NaomiPalmer-c5v]

My grandmother lived down the street. So we would walk down to Duncan park to play. There were huge trees to climb out in front of the house. The playground and baseball fields were there but not any tennis courts. It was one of my favorite childhood memories to play there. This was during the 1960’s. I am thrilled to finally see the inside of the house!

[@repoocyhtorod3741]

Well done, Matthew (and, Kevin and Laine)!! Such a wonderful, insightful tour!!!

[@cynthiaivy9846]

Wow!! So so interesting!! Loved listening to the history. Thank you!!

[@AlohaLowah]

Matthew does such an amazing job!!!! Congratulations on the promotion, I'm gonna miss his selfies from Auburn lol.

[@bocachucka]

Promotion? You mean to say Auburn is losing Matthew?

[@karenlynn7731]

Good job, Matthew!! You are an asset to Natchez & have taken such good care of Auburn in your time there.

[@Kentuckygal7303]

He is amazing!! Of course I’d go for a tour of the house, but also to see Matthew! What a wealth of information he is! You can tell he truly cares about this home, land and history.

[@fireorb2]

This house is simply amazing. I started watching your videos here and there on plantation homes, and the history with enslaved persons. I will say you guys are thorough with your information.

[@sharonalexa]

Such a knowledgeable & interesting man. Ty Matthew!

[@jrn2217]

Excellent tour. Thank you!

[@michaelcheli5842]

Excellent, knowledgeable tour of such a beautiful historic home. Thank you for sharing.

[@Evangelionism]

Y'all gotta bring this brotha back sometime! Man is amazing! On a roll right from beginning to end.

[@cynthiastratton1034]

What a treat to have the tour done by mathew!!!

[@David-tm8sl]

I have photos of my mother and grandmother touring Auburn around 1939 and a great family portrait of everyone sitting on a low limb of the great live oak that once stood on the front lawn. It’s always been a gorgeous place.

[@OurRestorationNation]

How cool!!!

[@robinbirdj743]

Clearly, Matthew is very knowledgeable and full of passion about historical architecture; he made this home‘s history accessible and delightful. ❤ WELL DONE!

[@joanpellillo2981]

Thank you for the tour, very informative.

[@amandacutcher9962]

Matthew does a fantastic job sharing this beautiful home.

[@adiemarie]

Extra points to Laine for convincing Matthew to move to Natchez. Well done, Matthew!

[@tristazerbe8119]

Oh Jesus!!! I opened this video and saw the gorgeous MATTHEW CHARLES MCGINNLEY and about fell out my chair! 😍😍😍😍 Ok, I’ll go back to watching now. Sorry Laine but you have a very very handsome “internet son”. 😉

[@lbladner3855]

Great job, Matthew!

[@ja-gz8ix]

Thank you, Matthew, Laine, and Kevin!!!

[@pathamm5834]

What is so amazing about these old buildings are all the beautiful unique handmade features that the craftsman of ancient architecture managed to achieve. Today there is no pride or desire to build or make anything that will last or be unique.

[@beth-ann9940]

Fantastic tour! Matthew is an amazing docent.

[@carmenkraft9311]

Glad to finally meet the Matthew that Laine is always raving about! He did a great job! I hope to one day see that staircase in person. It is a marvel!! ❤ “I believe people have been people sized for 500 years made me laugh out loud😂

[@GregginHOU]

Matthew is an excellent docent. I toured this house back in 1995, on the first day of the Spring Pilgrimage and was, in fact, interviewed by the local paper outside of it. The only time I've ever been mentioned on the front page of a newspaper. 😁 The house itself is lovely and that staircase is indeed a marvel and it alone is worth a look. Fantastic!

[@officiallyshane]

Such a beautiful house. I love seeing a house that's been lived in, that's been changed, within reason, to depict the lives and times of its occupants. No house that's contained families for hundreds of years stays definitively in the 18th or 19th Century. Small reflections of the progression of time make it personal, lived in, and real.

[@pandoras_parlor]

Such an interesting tour! I didn't know the history and really enjoyed it. What a stunning house.

[@tristazerbe8119]

Gorgeous house, gorgeous docent. Ok I’ll stop now…I couldn’t resist! 🤭😉

[@infinitelightcouncil]

What a lovely addition Mathew has been to Natchez 😊

[@claudiamann7111]

What a fabulous tour by such a knowledgeable docent. So much interesting history. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@priscillaa.8548]

Beautiful home, thanks for the concise and informative history of the place and the people who lived there.

[@tessasaknit]

This is SO AMAZING!! great narration. Jus when I thought I could not see a BETTER episode of Restoration Nation. It just gets better, and better. I'm a huge St. Augustine fan. We plan on going to Nachez in February. Thank you!!! again and again.

[@matthiasroelz]

Exquisit tour with a plenty of details and information. A joy to watch

[@soccermom1245]

Excellent presentation!

[@rachealsmith5138]

This was wonderful! Thank you for sharing!😊❤

[@MJs-85]

Great tour, insights, and fantastic narration

[@randywatts6969]

The house is quite beautiful, because of its simplicity.

[@cindypope4952]

You, my dear man are amazing. Thank you.

[@johnmayer1219]

Wow! He did a fantastic job; articulate and knowledgeable.

[@janetlewis8038]

Fantastic! 💗

[@janeybluemedley5128]

This was great! Thanks for sharing.

[@OlyaSchwadschenko]

Matthew is the best I have heard!!

[@what1dreamt]

How did i miss this last month? Great video, good looking guy and a beautiful house.

[@suzannesmith3519]

Excellent and so informative!

[@karenerstad1793]

Wow! Incredible history and a great tour. Loved this video, now I have to get that book that was referenced.

[@tessasaknit]

Thanks!

[@OurRestorationNation]

Thank you!!!

[@efraherrera3607]

love your work guys congratulations !❤

[@lamartlow]

Enjoyable and well done!

[@ineldafitte5797]

Great tour!

[@vickiephilpitt7697]

Wow, what a beautiful presentation. I would hate to have to move furniture up or down on that staircase. Interesting that it was designed for ladies' dresses of the period, but I bet it was difficult for any lady to transit wearing the hoop skirt.

[@collegeri]

I could listen to you talk about architecture all day long. You would appreciate the Boston/Providence area where I live.

[@SpanishEclectic]

I recall much of this information from the tour Laine gave us a while back, but I loved the presentation, and the chance to revisit this fantastic place. Matthew is a pro, and very personable. I'm trying to visualize the faux bois as he described. Flame mahogany sounds so sexy! Such fascinating homeowners. I wonder if the photos are of prior occupants, or just there for display. Save that old glass with the signature!! Excellent drone work, Kevin!!

[@VooDoo31818]

Absolutely Beautiful !!!!

[@patrickgalasso8826]

Very talented docent!

[@VeraVeronica39]

Fascinating!!

[@1aikane]

I visited this house in the 1990s. It was lovely. It's Winding staircase was especially nice.

[@jjjutika2594]

So knowledgeable!!!!!!

[@JessicaMathias3]

Matthew is a treasure!

[@wdgbirmingham2]

I can't wait to watch this! Right off the bat my mind went to Auburn University thinking this was a mansion on their campus. I was jealous being an Alabama fan (Roll Tide 🏈) let the tour begin! 🙂

[@pamhutzell8268]

So beautiful!!!

[@kimglass8371]

The podcast called "Buried Bones" covered the case of the woman in the well! I did not know that it had a connection to Natchez via Levi Weeks!

[@dawnwesterbeck346]

Nice job!

[@Jean-sv6kk]

Amazing ❤

[@justasmalltowngirl_lynne5089]

All I can say is WOW‼️‼️‼️.

[@autryclaytonjr]

Grew up looking at this place everyday.

[@CPAndy-x5x]

Great docent!

[@onemysore6120]

Great docent.

[@DancingPony1966-kp1zr]

I do admire that staircase. I wish I could have built a house that would have had a staircase like that.

[@YulyBigott]

Hermoso y Elegante ❤💋

[@Molly-ef9jp]

Interesting. Now if only they could town down the music! It's overwhelming!

[@OurRestorationNation]

Check the balance levels on your TV. You’re the only one who’s mentioned it, and we balance the levels before publishing on our end, so it’s likely your television levels need adjustment

[@ccmarcum]

One reason that they think people generations ago were shorter was the clothing they wore. Men's military uniforms shown in museums would fit boys, now. The same is true for ladies' formal gowns which had tiny waists,even more so with corsets. Shoes were much smaller than today, again, kept on display in museums. One supposition is that average diets were poorer in nutrients. Girls did not reach puberty until around age 17, and this continues to scale back until currently, when the age of puberty is about 13.

[@edwardniessen]

Interesting. I heard that President Lincoln was considered a giant at 6’4”. With his stovepipe hat, he would appear to be over 7 feet tall.

[@cartomancycarmen]

Nice history lesson! Learned so much you are very knowledgeable. New subscriber. Is Natchez where that famous peach 🍑 orchard is fertilized by the massacred enslaved people once they were freed?

[@OurRestorationNation]

Read this if you want the whole story. Written by a respected journalist and quoting two of the most widely respected scholars on local African American history; men who also happen to be POC. And welcome to then channel: we are so happy to have you here ❤️ news.yahoo.com/the-devils-punchbowl-debunking-the-social-media-myth-of-a-civil-war-massacre-090017590.html

[@cherylb6191]

Is there a reason, other than funding, that the billiard hall is boarded up?

[@OurRestorationNation]

They have a grant to restore the exterior but the interior is still rough.