Melrose

Melrose

Quick Facts

Location:

Natchez, MS

Significance:

National Historic Landmark

Designation:

National Historical Park

Amenities

24 listed

Accessible Sites, Audio Description, Benches/Seating, Bicycle - Rack, Cellular Signal, Fire Extinguisher, First Aid Kit Available, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Tactile Exhibit, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Bottle-Filling Station, Water - Drinking/Potable, Wheelchair Accessible

The Melrose estate, one of the best-preserved estates in the Deep South from the mid 1800s, helps tell the American stories of an economy based on growing cotton and the world of chattel slavery. Built by John T. McMurran begining in 1841, Melrose was, according to McMurran daughter-in-law Alice Austen, "very elegant; one of the handsomest places I have seen North or South." Tours of the estate give visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of the pre-Civil War American South and help them understand the roles that slaves played in an estate setting. Sitting today on 80 lush acres maintained by the National Park Service, the estate stands as a well-preserved piece of America's history.