Natchez, Symbol of the Old South

by Nola Nance Oliver

Portraits by famous artists of earlier generations of Marshalls, including a portrait of Levin R. Marshall by Sully, look down on gorgeous rosewood and mahogany furnishings of their own selection placed in Lansdown.

The china and silver in this home are the pride of the present generation of Marshalls. Much of the original china is in use today. Many pieces of the original Robert E. Lee furnishings of “Stratford Hall” are now in Lansdown. Within the past few months the younger generation at Lansdown discovered several pieces of silver bearing the unmistakable mark of Robert E. Lee.

Lansdown came to the Marshalls through Mrs. Charlotte Hunt Marshall. Natchez had a great benefactor in David Hunt, the father of Charlotte Hunt Marshall. It was he who made possible the Chamberlain-Hunt Military Academy at Port Gibson, Mississippi, one of the first schools for boys in the Southland. It is still an excellent school for young men.

Today Lansdown is owned and occupied by George Marshall III and Mrs. Agnes Marshall Ward, lineal descendants of the original owner, who named the place “Lansdown” by virtue of his friendship for the celebrated Marquis of Lansdown, England.

Linden

The origin of Linden seems lost to history although it is known to have existed as early as 1790. It came to ancestors of the present owners a hundred years ago, and has been owned and occupied by the A. M. Feltus family for several generations.

Nature seems to exert herself to give to Linden a perfect setting. Surrounding the magnificently constructed house, with its 98 feet of gallery, are dozens of oak trees, draped in long gray moss which sweeps the very eaves of the dwelling. Standing in the artistic entrance of Linden one sees the outside world through growing draperies of swaying gray lace.

The architecture of Linden is as unusual as it is simple. The center portion is two stories, flanked on each side by single-storied rooms. A gallery runs the entire width of the building. To the rear of the single-storied rooms is a long two-storied wing. Each wing is a complete apartment.