Beautiful to view

Today I'm celebrating Jefferson Davis Day

On this date in 1808, Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederacy, was born. Beauvoir was the location of his retirement home. Beauvoir, which means beautiful to view, is located in Biloxi, Mississippi, across US Highway 90 from Biloxi Beach. The estate consisted of about 608 acres when he lived there, but is only about 52 acres today. The compound had a cottage-style plantation residence, which faced the Gulf of Mexico, and a botanical garden, a Confederate veterans home, a Confederate Soldier Museum, a historic Confederate cemetary, the Jefferson Davis Library and Museum, and the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier. It was a beautiful estate with a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico along the Biloxi Beach. I've driven by that estate hundreds of times. At one time the house was surrounded by cedars, oaks, and magnolia trees. You could see Spanish moss hanging from many of the large old trees on the property. The home survived Hurricane Camille in 1969. However, during Hurricane Katrina, five out of the seven buildings on the estate were reportedly destroyed. This week, during the start of the hurricane season, I'm reminded of my drives down Highway 90 viewing the damage of Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Katrina. Although it took years, the beachfront revived following Hurricane Camille and life returned. It's an amazing site driving down the coast, viewing the devastation following Hurricane Katrina. The restoration effort is proceeding slowly. I understand that as a US national historical landmark, there will be federal support to repair and rebuild the Beauvoir complex. It's my hope that once again, and very soon, that the drive along Highway 90 will one day again be beautiful to view.


Image credit: Photos by Debra Hess Norris and Betty Fiske, courtesy of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art