In 1937, Tom Wince Jr. and his family opened a small operation selling Coca-Cola and beer. Soon, Wince expanded his business into The Blue Room, which would become one of the most famous nightclubs in the South. Though Wince had no formal education, having left school after the fourth grade, he was a successful businessman, owning The Blue Room and a handful of other properties (some other music venues) in Mississippi and Louisiana. Wince was known for the kindness he showed all guests of The Blue Room, and prided himself on keeping his establishment a safe environment. According to his son, Wince's favorite acts to host included  B. B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, T-Bone Walker, and Muddy Waters, but these are just a short list of the many artists who performed at The Blue Room over the years. The club was part of the Chitlin Circuit, which was a group of safe music venues for African Americans to perform at during the Jim Crow era. Although The Blue Room closed in 1972, it is still remembered with fondness today.

A parking garage is now located where The Blue Room once was.

The Blue Room remains one of the most famous clubs in the South.

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The Blue Room is known as one of the most famous music venues in the South, having featured artists such as B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Originally a small shack selling soda and beer, owner Tom Wince eventually transformed his business into a multi-purpose complex that included a ballroom, restaurant, gambling casino, guest rooms, and living quarters. While the building itself no longer exists, the site is commemorated on the Mississippi Blues Trail with a marker at the crossroads of Clay Street and Mulberry Street.

The Blue Room - Mississippi Blues Trail Marker

This walking tour begins at the Duff Green Mansion and the historic Anchuca Mansion and then moves in a loop through the heart of Vicksburg to include several historic homes, museums, downtown buildings, and historical markers. 

Duff Green built the mansion as a wedding gift for his wife, Mary Lake, in 1856. The house was an epicenter for social life as the Green couple hosted many grand parties on the premises. When the Civil War was underway in 1863, the Green Duff Mansion was hit by multiple Union cannonballs, so in hopes that the house would be saved from the crossfires, the Greens offered their home up for its use as a war hospital that would serve both Confederate and Union soldiers. The couple then moved to a cave that was located in their sideyard and Mary gave birth to a son there, naming him William Siege Green.Even after the war ended, the Greens leased the mansion to the State, and it was used as a recovery home for wounded soldiers. The Greens finally moved back into their home in 1866 and lived there until 1880 when Mr. Green passed away and Mrs. Green sold the mansion to the Peatross family, who lived there until 1910. Then, the home was purchased by Fannie Vick Willis Johnston, a great-granddaughter of Vicksburg’s founder Rev. Newitt Vick. In 1913, Mrs. Johnston donated the home as an orphanage for boys. And later, it served as a retirement home for the elderly. After Mrs. Johnston's death in 1931, the Salvation Army purchased the mansion and used it as their headquarters until 1985 when they relocated to a larger property. Mr. &amp; Mrs. Harry Carter Sharp then purchased the home, and according to the Duff Green Mansion's official website: <blockquote>The Sharps completely restored the Mansion to her former glory over a two and one half year period with the professional expertise of local architect Skip Tuminello. The combined efforts of The U.S. Department of the Interior, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and Tuminello insured the accuracy of the restoration. As many as twenty-seven layers of paint were removed, thirteen fireplaces restored, and fifteen bathrooms added. Magnificent chandeliers grace the fifteen and one-half foot tall public reception rooms painted in vivid historic colors. The entire mansion is decorated with period antiques and accented with works of art.</blockquote>

Located in Vicksburg's historic district, Duff Green Mansion was built in 1856 by a prominent businessman named Duff Green. During the Civil War, the house served as a hospital for both Confederate and Union soldiers. During the the early 1900s, the mansion was used as a boy's orphanage and later, a retirement home for the elderly. In 1931, the Salvation Army bought the house and used it to minister to the needy. After the Salvation Army relocated to a larger headquarters, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Carter Sharp purchased the home and restored it to its original splendor. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion operates as a bed & breakfast.

Duff Green Mansion

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, which means "happy home" in the Choctaw Indian language, is one of the more striking historic homes in Vicksburg. Originally constructed around 1830 by local politician A.J. Mauldin, Anchuca is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture and was, in fact, the first mansion in the city to feature columns. It was also one of the first historic homes in the state to be converted into a bread and breakfast inn. Additionally, Joseph Emory Davis, the eldest brother of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, lived in the house between 1868 and 1870. Anchuca was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. 

Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn

Ball's father, Joseph, was the nephew of George Washington's mother, Mary Ball, who was from Pope Creek, Virginia. This connection is why Joseph named his son George Washington Ball. It is unclear whether Ball or his father built the house but it appears that Ball did. Joseph operated the original Vicksburg Hotel, which was located where the Vicksburg Auditorium is now. The hotel offered basic amenities such as stables horses and was open to men who worked on the river. Ball took over the hotel after Joseph died in 1832. In addition to running the hotel, Ball was also a land speculator and owned land in Washington County. In 1836, Ball sold the hotel and moved to Kentucky and got married there. He and his wife returned to Vicksburg for a short time before moving back to Kentucky. It appears they never came back to Vicksburg.

This historic home was constructed in 1822 and named after George Washington Ball, a distant relative of the first president of the United States. It is the oldest antebellum homes in the area and is located in the oldest neighborhood in Vicksburg. The house was in a dilapidated state until a local restored it in the early 2000s.

George Washington Ball House

Construction of the court house began in 1858. The property of which the courthouse now stands was received from Newitt Vick, the father of the city, and is located on one of the tallest slopes in the city. To build the Old Court House builders used 100 talented slave craftsmen to create the brick and make the courthouse stand. It was finished in 1860 at a price of $100,000. The Old Court House was declared to be one of 20 most outstanding courthouses in America by the American Institute of Architects. It still possesses its original iron doors and shutters.           It was at the Old Court House that Jefferson Davis began his political life. During the Civil War, Southern Generals Stephen D. Lee, John C. Breckinridge, and Earl Van Dorn witnessed, from the dome of the courthouse, the Confederate warship Arkansas push pass Union ships and gain refuge in Vicksburg. The Old Court House was shot at several times throughout the war but only experienced one significant hit. After the Siege of Vicksburg, the Confederate flag flying over the courthouse was replaced by the Union’s on July 4, 1863.           In the years following the war, the Old Court House was not well maintained. In 1939, when another court house was under construction, it was barely used and almost demolished. However, believing in its value, Eva Whitaker Davis created the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society to save the building. Davis was named president of the group in 1947 and she and others started to fix up the court house and gathered relics. It was presented as a museum June 3, 1948. Davis remained at the museum for several years. Appreciating all her work, the locals gave another name to the museum, the Eva W. Davis memorial, some time before her passing in 1974. The Old Court House gained national historic landmark status in 1968. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the city's leading attractions, this museum combines the beauty of Vicksburg's historic court house with exhibits related to the antebellum period, the Civil War, the Reconstruction era, and the early 20th century. The museum's collection includes a number of Confederate artifacts, such as the tie worn by Jefferson Davis during his inauguration. The museum also offers several collections of historic photographs from the Civil War and beyond, antique furniture, artifacts that belonged to Robert E. Lee, and historic clothing. The museum also includes exhibits related to Native Americans and the frontier period. The Old Court House itself was constructed in 1858. Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and William McKinley are just some of the past visitors here.

Old Court House Museum

Highway 61 was built between the mid-1920s and the early 1940s. It does not entirely follow the original route anymore and is around 80 miles shorter. However, it still connects to major cities including Memphis, St. Louis, and St. Paul.Perhaps rivaled only by Route 66 in American lore, Highway 61 has become solidified as "the blues highway" due to the vast number of blues musicians who lived near the southern stretch of it, an area which is known as the Mississippi Delta. Among these were Willie Dixon, Louisiana Red, Artie "Blues Boy" White, Percy Strother, Greg Osgood &amp; Cee Blaque, Little Joe Blue, Milt Hinton, Muddy Waters, Johnny Dyer, J. D. Short, Hezekiah &amp; the Houserockers, Papa Lightfoot, William "Cat Iron" Carradine, Jimmy Anderson, Elmo Williams, the Ealey brothers, Scott Dunbar, Polka Dot Slim, Robert Cage, Lester Young, and William Grant Still.The first artist to write about the highway was Roosevelt Sykes, who recorded the song "Highway 61 Blues" in 1932 when he was living in St Louis. Other artists recorded songs about the highway in the coming years including the Sparks Brothers (they were first from Mississippi to write a song about it), Aaron and Marion (aka Pinetop and Lindberg), who wrote "61 Highway" in 1933. It should be noted that these songs sometimes contained lyrics about the Highway that were not true, such as suggesting that it reached the Gulf of Mexico, rather than New Orleans, and that it passed through Atlanta, Chicago, or New York City. These lyrics were probably not meant to mislead listeners but rather they reflect the feelings of the artists themselves. In the coming years, blues artists continued to write about the highway. In 1965, Bob Dylan recorded the popular album Highway 61 Revisited, which further solidified the highway's legendary status.

Mississippi Highway 61, which is often referred to as "61 Highway," is one of the most historic highways in the state. Its significance stems from its long association with blues music, especially in the early years of the genre's development. The highway, which extends from New Orleans to Wyoming, Minnesota (originally, it was planned to reach the Canadian border), was a major transportation corridor used by many blues musicians to head northward out of Mississippi. Highways and other modes of transportation were popular topics in blues songs, as they symbolized travel and the ability to start a new life elsewhere. Since it was a major thoroughfare, Highway 61 became synonymous with with this sentiment and many blues artists have written songs about it. This historical marker is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail.

61 Highway Mississippi Blues Trail Marker

Joseph Biedenharn was born on December 13, 1886 in Monroe, Mississippi to German parents. At some point the family moved to Vicksburg where Biedenharn's father and uncle opened a candy store and soda fountain business called Biedenharn and Brother. Biedenharn took over the business when he was a teenager and changed the name to Biedenharn Candy Company. He and his father built the store building in 1890. Initially it was divided into two; one half was the candy business and the other was a shoe store operated by his father, Herman.Four years earlier, pharmacist John Smith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in Atlanta, selling the first drinks on May 8th, 1886 at Jacob's pharmacy. At the time, it was thought that carbonated drinks were good for one's health, which is why soda fountains were located pharmacies. Sales of the drink were modest in the first year—just around nine each day—and in the end Pemberton was unable to increase its popularity. As a result, he sold his interest in the business to others, including Asa Chandler, the businessman who would launch Coca-Cola into the large company it is today.Presumably around 1894, Chandler asked Biedenharn if he would sell the drink. Biedenharn agreed and the drink quickly became popular, but he realized that it was only available to those who came to his store. To make Coca-Cola more accessible, he came up with the idea to bottle it (the first bottle used was called a Hutchison bottle) and sent a case to Chandler, who, apparently was initially cool to the idea. Nonetheless, bottling was a stroke of genius as Bidenharn's sales and profits rose dramatically. Chandler eventually came around to the idea and licensed franchises throughout the country. The Biedenharn's had rights to open franchises in Mississippi but opened ones in Louisiana and Texas as well. The family bottled Coca-Cola at the store and other locations before building a new bottling facility in 1938.It appears that the family owned the original candy store building until 1941. In the coming decades, it housed a number of different businesses. However, the family bought it in 1979 and began an effort to restore it for the purpose of opening a museum. The family donated it to the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation, which owns and operates the museum.

One may be surprised to find a Coca-Cola museum in Vicksburg but one resident, Joseph Biedenharn, played a crucial role in revolutionizing the soft drink industry and propelling the Coca-Cola company into the global business it is today. In this building on March 12th, 1894 Biedenharn was the first to bottle Coca-Cola. This pioneering step allowed the drink to be distributed anywhere. Before bottling, Coca-Cola was only available in soda fountains. The building, which was built in 1890 and housed the  Biedenharn Candy Company, is now the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum. Inside, visitors will see exhibits describing the early history of the Coca-Cola company, how the drink was first bottled (replica bottling equipment is also displayed), past and present Coca-Cola memorabilia, and the history of the Biedenharn family. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.


Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum

In 1937, Tom Wince Jr. and his family opened a small operation selling Coca-Cola and beer. Soon, Wince expanded his business into The Blue Room, which would become one of the most famous nightclubs in the South. Though Wince had no formal education, having left school after the fourth grade, he was a successful businessman, owning The Blue Room and a handful of other properties (some other music venues) in Mississippi and Louisiana. Wince was known for the kindness he showed all guests of The Blue Room, and prided himself on keeping his establishment a safe environment. According to his son, Wince's favorite acts to host included  B. B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, T-Bone Walker, and Muddy Waters, but these are just a short list of the many artists who performed at The Blue Room over the years. The club was part of the Chitlin Circuit, which was a group of safe music venues for African Americans to perform at during the Jim Crow era. Although The Blue Room closed in 1972, it is still remembered with fondness today.

In September 1869, a group of 60 local Episcopalians sent a request to Bishop William M. Green to establish a new parish in what was the the southern part of Vicksburg. Green agreed and the new congregation began holding services in a school. The next year an architect was hired who submitted a design in the Romanesque style, which is what the church leaders wanted; they thought that the Greek and Gothic styles were "old fashioned." Construction began in 1870. While the church was being built, the congregation worshipped in a new chapel until 1880. But even by that point, Holy Trinity was not completed. It was finally finished in 1894. The chapel was demolished around 1894.The Estornelle affair began sometime in early 1936. That year, a pastor from New Jersey named Rev. Camille Estornelle arrived in Vicksburg on a two-week mission. He was apparently very charismatic and quickly became popular among the congregation. He was so well like that he was asked to serve as the temporary rector while a new one was found. Over the course of the next few weeks, some congregants began calling for him to be appointed to the position. However, Bishop Green learned that Estornelle was involved in a divorce suit and suspended for four years. In light of this development, Green was not willing to appoint him and the bishop in New Jersey would not transfer Estornelle to the Mississippi diocese. For his part, Estornelle refused to resign. After a period of letter writing between Estornelle and the two bishops, in November 1937, Green withdrew Estornelle's license. In response, the congregation left the Mississippi diocese in January 1937. This forced the diocese to conduct a trial. In the end, Estornelle was found guilty of violating canon law and was ordered to leave the diocese and was banned from returning. It wasn't until 1943 that a rector was appointed to Holy Trinity.

The Church of the Holy Trinity is one of the finest examples of Romanesque Revival architecture in Mississippi. Built between 1870 and 1894, it is home to an Episcopal congregation which was founded in 1869. The church was built with red brick and features a large tower that reaches a height of 125 feet, arched and circular windows, buttresses, and elaborate brickwork, especially on the tower and east facade. It also features six Tiffany stained glass windows. Holy Trinity is also known for a notable event in its history called the "Estornelle affair" (see below). The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. 

Church of the Holy Trinity

Emma Balfour was born in Virginia in 1818 and moved to Mississippi with her first husband, who died in 1844. After his death, Emma moved to Alabama to live with her brother and sister-in-law. It was there that she met her future second husband William Balfour, who was her brother's classmate in medical school. They got married in 1847 and settled in Vicksburg, where William had already been living. Balfour House was built around 1835 by a man named James McDowell. Interestingly, the land on which the house stands was once owned by Lucy Vick, who was a descendant of Vicksburg's founder, Rev. Newet Vick. McDowell sold the house to William Balfour in 1850.The Balfours were one of Vicksburg's prominent couples, and they often hosted gatherings at the house. Perhaps the most memorable one was the Christmas ball held on Christmas Eve, 1862. The guests, who included Brig. General Martin Luther Smith and other Confederate Army officers and their wives, were celebrating a recent Confederate victory in northern Mississippi. However, the ball quickly ended when a courier arrived to warn the guests of an impending advance of Union troops led by General William T. Sherman. On December 26, the first engagement of the Union campaign to take Vicksburg, the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, occurred. The Confederates won the battle but the Union would continue their effort to capture the city.During the siege, the Balfours remained in the house most of the time and they tended to wounded soldiers who took shelter in the home. In her diary, Emma often commented on the shells that passed over the house and how the house shook. As the siege wore on and Grant's forces tightened its grip on the city, she described the increasing despair she and other residents felt. Despite the constant shelling, the Balfour House was hit by just one shell above a second-story window. After the siege, the house was occupied by Union General James B. McPherson, who used it as his headquarters.Balfour House remained in the family until 1890 when a Jewish club bought it. After a series of owners in the coming decades, the Catholic Diocese of Natchez-Jackson acquired it in 1944. By the 1970s, it became an apartment house but since then has been converted back into a single-family residence.

Balfour House is historically significant for its association with one of its residents, Emma Balfour, who kept a diary during the Siege of Vicksburg (May 8-July 4, 1863). Her diary is considered to be one of the most accurate accounts of the siege. She describes the daily struggles residents faced and how they were forced to live in hand-dug caves to escape the constant shelling from Union artillery. In terms of design, the house combines the Greek Revival and Federal architectural styles. The house, which appears to be a private residence today, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Balfour House

Siege of VicksburgUnion forces laid siege to Vicksburg for 47 days from May 4 to July 4, 1863. Union forces numbered about 77,000 men and Confederates numbered around 33,000. Both sides dug parallel trenches encircling much of the city and Union troops bombarded it using large artillery pieces, forcing residents to live in hand-dug caves. By the end of the siege, food rations were very low for both troops and residents, and many became very ill. Confederate reinforcements never came to relieve the city. Given these dire circumstances, Pemberton met with his officers in the house on July 3 and decided to surrender. The next day, Pemberton formally surrendered to Grant.The siege was the culmination of a long Union campaign to seize control of the important, strategic city. By capturing Vicksburg, which was the Confederate's last major fort on the Mississippi River, the Union gained full control of river. This split the Confederacy into two parts and significantly strained its war effort going forward.Willis-Cowan HouseThe Willis family occupied the house until 1886. Mary Frances Cowan's lived here until she passed away in 1914 (her husband spent his last days in the house, passing away in May 1892). The Sisters of Mercy, which ran a school and convent across the street, acquired the house in 1919 and renamed it St. Anthony Hall. The Sisters owned the house until 1973. In the 1990s, it was restored and converted into a bed and breakfast. That eventually closed and the National Park Service bought the house in 2002 to incorporate it into Vicksburg National Military Park.

A National Historic Landmark, this historic home is named after Confederate Lt. General John C. Pemberton, who used the house as his headquarters during the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. It was here that he decided to surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general in command of the forces besieging the city. The house is also known as the Willis-Cowan House. It was likely built around 1835 by a man named William Bobb but was soon purchased by plantation owner John Willis. A later owner and the wife of a Confederate veteran, Mary Frances Cowan, acquired the house in 1890. Today, the house is part of the Vicksburg National Military Park and appears to be closed for renovation as of early 2021.  

Pemberton's Headquarters

The Sister of Mercy arrived in Vicksburg in 1860 from Baltimore, Maryland. The bishop of Mississippi, Rev. William Henry Elden, and the pastor of St. Paul's Catholic Church, Rev. Francis Xavier Lerdy (his last name is also spelled as Leray), requested they come to establish the city's first school. They opened it days after arriving. It was located in the historic Cobb House, which was built c.1830 and still stands next to the 1886 convent building. During the Civil War, in 1862 the Sisters closed the school as Union armies closed in on the city. Between late 1862 to July 4, the city came <a href="https://theclio.com/entry/46097" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">under siege</a>. During that time, the house was as a barracks to care for wounded troops—first for Confederate soldiers, then for Union soldiers. The Sisters traveled around the state and in Alabama and Louisiana, providing care for Confederate and Union troops. It appears that after about a month the Sisters returned to Vicksburg and treated wounded soldiers at the house. They reacquired the house in August 1864 and reopened the school with 200 students. The new convent was designed by Rev. Jean Baptist Mouton, who designed other Gothic Revival buildings in Mississippi. In 1885, the Sisters built a two-story auditorium. In the coming decades, the Sisters owned a number of the surrounding buildings including the <a href="https://theclio.com/entry/125119" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Balfour House</a> and <a href="https://theclio.com/entry/125077" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pemberton's Headquarters</a>. These buildings provided additional space for classrooms and student housing. A new gym was built in 1953. By this point, the Sisters occupied the entire block. In addition to their educational work, the Sisters continued to serve the healthcare needs of the community. From 1878 to 1905, they operated the Vicksburg City Hospital. Then in 1943, they took over another hospital that they renamed Mercy Hospital, which grew and became the Mercy Regional Medical Center. The Sisters sold it to Quorum Health Care in 1991. It seems that the hospital closed since around 2002 and has remained vacant ever since.In 1986, the Sisters auctioned parts of the entire convent complex as part of their plans to move to modern facilities. They sold the rest to the city in 1994. The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation acquired the complex in 2001.

Now home to the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, the former St. Francis Xavier Convent is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Vicksburg. Erected in 1868 for the Sisters of Mercy, notable features of the building include lancet windows, a double-leaf front door, and a three-bay porch. The Sisters have had a significant impact on Vicksburg in the areas of education and healthcare. Given its architectural significance and association with the Sisters of Mercy, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1977. It is part of a larger complex the Sisters owned that occupies the entire block and is located across the street from the historic Pemberton's Headquarter's house.

St. Francis Xavier Convent

The first part of the house was built in 1797 by Andrew Glass. At that time, the home was a simple two-story brick structure consisting of a kitchen on the first floor and a bedroom on the second. Glass was apparently a highway thief, robbing travelers on the road along the Natchez Trace Trail, which ran from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. When Glass went to sleep he pulled up the ladder to the second floor to protect himself in from being ambushed. In 1836, the house was expanded by Sheriff Stephen Howard, who added a stairway, bedroom, dining room, and a two-story porch. Sadly, his wife, Mary Elizabeth, died in August that year after giving birth.The last phase of expansion was completed in 1849 by John H. Bobb, who appears to have bought the property from his brother, William, in 1844. Bobb was a successful brick maker and sawmill owner. He added the parlor, master bedroom, men's changing area, flying wing staircase, and the Italianate facade which is viewable today. By 1869, Bobb had passed away and his widow sold the house to a local machinist and inventor, William Murray. Murray's daughters, who never married, lived in the house until 1960. The house was restored in the 1970s. It is unclear when the property became open to the public. To enhance the appeal to tourists, tour guides share the stories of locals who claim that the ghosts of Mary Elizabeth, John Bobb, and Andrew Glass haunt the house.

Often referred to as "time capsule of the Old South,"Vicksburg's  McRaven House is the best-preserved antebellum home in Vicksburg. The estate was built in three phases, the first dating back to 1797, the second in 1836, and the final phase occurring in 1849. The home is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture and also includes elements of the Federal and Italianate styles. Notable features include porches on both floors with paired columns and decorative millwork, and decorative interior Grecian plasterwork and woodwork. The house is open to the public for tours that emphasize the architectural history of the lives of the families that owned the home. Inside, visitors will see antique period furnishings, some of which belonged to the home's former residents. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and has been featured in LIFE Magazine, National Geographic, and on The Travel Channel. 

McRaven House

Newit Vick (his first name is also spelled as Newitt and Newett), a devout Methodist, established a mission in the area around 1812 or 1814. The city was incorporated in 1825 and named after him. Sadly, he and his wife, Elizabeth, died in 1819 of either yellow fever or malaria. He had just begun platting the city before he passed away. He and his wife had 13 children. Martha, who never married, built the house around 1830. She died in 1851 and the house became a Methodist parsonage. It is unclear who owned the house in the coming decades.The house features antiques dating to the 18th and 19th centuries and French paintings in each room. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a contributing property of the Grove Street-Jackson Street Historic District, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In terms of architecture, the house is unique for its use of brick. The exterior walls and all of the ornamentation, pilasters (columns), and cornice are made of brick. The interior features decorative plasterwork and original woodwork.

This historic house was once the residence of Martha Vick, the daughter of Vicksburg's founder, Newit Vick. It was built around 1830 and was designed in the Greek Revival style. It is the only original Vick family home still standing in the city. Today the house is used for receptions and other events, and is open for tours by appointment. 

Downtown Vicksburg Mississippi Walking Tour

The Blue Room - Mississippi Blues Trail Marker

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information