Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn

A.J. Mauldin built Anchuca in the Federal architectural style and as such did not feature the Doric columns seen today. Those were added in 1847 by local merchant Victor Wilson and his wife, Jane, who bought the house in the late 1840s. Wilson owned profitable coal and ice businesses and he and his wife were the city's most prominent figures at the time. During the 47-day Union siege of the city in 1863 during Civil War, the house was left unscathed even though it was close to Confederate lines. The Wilson's had seven children, two of whom died at a young age shortly after siege as a result of malnutrition and unsanitary conditions. Two years later, Victor died and Jane sold the home.

It is unclear who owned the house before Joseph Emory Davis acquired it in 1868. At the time, Davis was one of the wealthiest planters in the state during the antebellum period, having owned a large 5,000 acre plantation called Hurricane Plantation, which was close to Vicksburg. In 1869, Jefferson Davis, who was 23 years younger than his elder brother, apparently spoke to a group of friends and neighbors from the front balcony. This was reportedly one of his last public addresses in Vicksburg. It is unclear when the house was converted into a bed and breakfast but it appears to have been open to the public for house tours since at least the early 1980s.

"Anchuca." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed January 21, 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=103752.

Miller, Mary Warren. "Anchuca." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 22, 1982. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/ebd37bfc-27ec-4991-a86b-689317ba1f39.

"Our History." Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn. Accessed January 21, 2021. https://anchuca.com/?page_id=2.

"Tour of Homes in Vicksburg." Visit Vicksburg. Accessed January 21, 2021. https://visitvicksburg.com/tour-homes-of-vicksburg.