This post is the final part of a short series of items from the collection related to the early days of Natchez, one of the early settlements in Mississippi and the center of government and society during the territorial years (1798-1817) and early days of statehood.
- Concord, Natchez, 189-. Call Number: PI/CI/N38.3 Item 65 (MDAH Collection)
This is “Concord,” built in 1789 by Don Manuel de Gayoso, Spanish governor of the Natchez region. The governor named the home “Concord” because it symbolized the fact that people from different countries lived together in “concord” in the Natchez area. The occupants of the home entertained many notable people of the day, including territorial governor Winthrop Sargeant, Aaron Burr, and Jefferson Davis. The last event held there was hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Manchester. Concord burned in 1901. The only parts remaining were the curved marble staircase in the front and a brick outbuilding (the staircase was dismantled in the late 1970s). Some pieces of furniture and a few of the marble mantles were also saved from the blaze.
Read more about Concord, including the text of a newspaper article published shortly after the fire in this article from the Preservation in Mississippi blog.
E.B. Baker donated these Concord artifacts to MDAH in 1917. Artifacts in the collection of the Museum of Mississippi History are available for viewing by appointment only. Please contact Cindy Gardner, Director of Collections or Nan Prince, Asst. Director of Collections by email to schedule an appointment.
Westley F. Busbee, Jr., Mississippi: A History (Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2005), 47.