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BeauvoirJj
Historically significant as the last home of Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, Beauvoir is set on a wide expanse of lawn shaded by magnificent trees at almost the center of the Golden Gulf Coast.
The estate was originally part of a tract of land purcheaed from John Henderson of Pass Christian in 1848 by James Brown a prosperous Madison County planter. Slaves from his plantation did much of the work, however, skilled carpenters and decorators from New Orleans worked on the finishing craftsmanship. The residence and outlying buildings were completed in 1852. The residence is Louisiana Plantation construction . Most of the timber was cut at Handsboro and on the estate. The cypress used was taken from Back Bay swamps. Slate for the roof from England.
James Brown and his family lived here until 1873 when the property was sold to Mrs. Samuel W. Dorsey. Mrs. Dorsey gave it the name "Beauvoir", meaning "beautiful view"
In 1877 Jefferson Davis, age 69, returned to Mississippi. Mrs. Dorsey invited the family to come and visit with her at Beauvoir. Soon Davis rented the East Cottage and started writing THE RISE AND PALL OP THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT. Both Mrs. Davis and their daughter, Winnie, assisted with secretarial work. In 1879 Davis arranged to buy the property from Mrs. Dorsey for $5,500. He made a down payment. Six months later Mrs. Dorsey died. It was then that Davis learned she had willed all she possessed to him, including not only Beauvoir but five plantations!