Longwood

Absolutely amazing tour. beautiful! Totally amazing historical structure. You have to see this one. So different because of the struggle of the family. I literally shed a tear because it touched my heart.. Our tour guide Jerry was wonderful and very Informative. I will be back!

The story behind this house is absolutely amazing and the tour guides do suchhh a good job telling it. 10 out of 10 recommended touring this historical home.

Ok now for a history lesson:
Longwood (also known as Nutt's Folly)
-the largest octagonal house in the United States.

This 6 story, 30,000 square foot mansion was designed by Samuel Sloan, a well-known architect from Philadelphia for cotton baron Haller Nutt and his wife, Julia. Construction began in 1860, but came to an abrupt halt when the "War Between the States" broke out in 1861 due to the workers being from the Union state, Pennsylvania. The exterior was mostly complete but the home's interior was left unfinished. Between February and July 1862, using his own slaves, Nutt finished the 8 room basement level. The interior walls were plastered and the present floor was installed. The Nutt family then moved into this completed section of the mansion.

In the fall of 1863 the Union armies devastated Haller Nutt's Louisiana plantations, causing him a loss of $1,020,540.07. He died of pneumonia in 1864. Julia and his 8 children continued to live on the finished 1st floor. Because Nutt was a recognized supporter of the Union, his heirs (between 1866-1911) were eventually able to collect a total of $188,269.66 as partial compensation from the US Government for Nutt's losses.

Once completed, the home would have had 32 rooms, 26 fireplaces, 115 doors and 96 columns. The rotunda was designed to have a system of mirrors inside the cupola to reflect sunlight down. Also, the shape of the cupola was designed to pull hot air upward, creating an updraft drawing fresh air through the lower floors.

The property was deeded to the Pilgrimage Garden Club in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

An amazing piece of history that has been wonderfully preserved. This home is truly a piece of art and it's very unfortunate that construction was halted and the house left unfinished during the war. I would love to see the finished product. That being said, the unfinished skeleton of the upper floors offers a fantastic glimpse into the intricate bones of the mansion.
Kirby was our tour guide and provided great insight into the history of the home and the family. This is the most spectacular home or mansion that I have visited in our country. Highly recommend this tour of the home and the grounds.

Oh my gosh! This mansion is unfinished BUT...it is breath-takingly beautiful, unique, with awesome grounds, nice gift shop and an impressive, fascinating history.
This mansion isn't in close proximity to the other mansions but it's just a short drive and easy to find.
John, our tour guide, was fascinating to listen to. He told of The Nutt family who built the mansion and how the effects of The Civil War changed the plans to finish it. The Nutt Family lived in the 'basement' while the other floors were being worked on. The other floors were never finished and remain that way to this day.
Eventually a man from Texas bought the mansion and in 1970 he donated it to The Pilgrimage Garden Club with the stipulation that it remain unfinished...as is.
This place is a picture takers haven!

Beautiful piece of history! Must see when in Natchez. Must do the tour. The smells, sights and sounds.

It is very interesting and gives and a lot of information. It was really fun to listen to them talk about it

The building was stunning upon arrival. First impression drops your jaw. After you pay your $18 and go in you realize that the top 5 floors are incomplete. Not just not unfinished or unfurnished. They are raw. Framed in but all you get is bricks and wood. Some of the abandoned tools . Our tour guide was snarky and Allll-most rude. There is only access to the first 2 of the 6 floors. The grounds are manicured but not beautiful. No lush or beautiful gardens. No sign of the 10000 rose bushes rumored to have been planted once upon a time. Still that building in massive (finished it would have been 30,000 ft). And the experience was definitely worth it for me.

Love the history and beauty of this mansion. So awesome they have original pieces from the family. The price is pretty steep at $25 per person. I was disappointed with the guided tour that we were rushed from room to room. Never got to read all the placards or see the pictures. When we asked if we could go thru again at our own pace we were told no.

This place was okay and the tour interesting. We didn't think it was worth the $18.50 per person though. Especially since only the basement of the house is completed. The upper rooms are just as the workers left them in the 1860's.

The house was really cool and so was the history but our tour guide was a crotchety old bat who you could tell had done this tour 1000 times and just didn't care anymore. They need some younger blood in there who actually cares about the tour and interjects some enthusiasm.