Situated on a promonotory overlooking the mighty Mississipi River, The Briars is one of the finest examples of early southern plantation-style architecture. It is renown historically as the residence where Jefferson Davis married Varina Howell in 1845.
Guests may enjoy their morning coffee in the swings and rockers on the eighty foot veranda with its ten slim Doric columns and a view of the river below the bluff. The antique filled living areas of The Briars are available at any time for our guests to relax in privacy or mingle with the other guests. The forty-eight foot drawing room with its twin staircases, five Palladian arches, and comfortable seating, overlooks the rear gallery and garden. Equally inviting is the parlor, with its beautiful carved wood Adam style mantel and elegant furnishings. On a brisk and sunny Frebruary morning in 1845, Jeffeson Davis married Varina Howell, the eldest daughter of the house, in a simple home ceremony in front of this mantel. The life of the beautiful Varina, often called the Rose of Mississippi, forever changed as her husband, who was a graduate of West Point, became first a Mexican War hero, then a member of the United State Senate, then Secretary of War under President Pierce, and in 1861 the President of the Confederacy.
Many of our guests arriving for their first visit, extend their stay because they find it difficult to leave this cordial and beautiful setting. Our staff bring to life the tradition of Southern hospitality. Our handsome pavilion dining room with its view of the river is a delightful setting for the delicious plantation breakfast served daily.
In addition to the accommodations at The Briars, our Cotton Alley House, circa 1875, is available for select groups of six. Located in the heart of downtown, a few feet from the intersection of Commerce and Main Streets, this spacious structure of four thousand square feet contains three bedrooms with private baths, living room, dining room, family room, kitchen and powder room, all beautifully furnished with antiques of the highest quality. Its superb location makes it ideal for many of the yearly activities of Natchez, such as the Antique Forum, balloon races, Mardi Gras, "Christmas in Natchez" and of course the Spring and Fall pilgrimages. The Briars is owned by interior designers Robert E. Canon and Newton Wilds who purchased the property in 1975. Under their imaginative guidance, The Briars has become the iniviting and gracious retreat that it is today. Site created by: www.travelguides.com |
When our guests drive through the gates of The Briars, they enter a world touched with the magic, peace and beauty of a Camelot, but with the amenities of the late Twentieth Century. Forever wedded to the river which it overlooks, this ante-bellum mansion, situated on nineteen acres, was built between 1814 and 1818. The elegance and delicacy of its detail and the sophistication of its plan reveal the hand of a master architect, believed to have been Levi Weeks of the Philadelphia area.
The main house sits on a flat area of the bluff that is surrounded by rolling wooded terrain with fantastic views of the river and the two bridges connecting Mississippi with Louisiana. One never tires of watching the barges plying their way up and down the river. The view from our observation point extends many miles both up and down the river and over the flat lands of Louisiana. More than one thousand azaleas and many camelias grace the gardens which invite one to explore and wander through its varied terrain. Beyond the formal plant areas adjacent to the main houses are walkways leading to the guest house, dining pavilion and observation point.
The Briars contains thirteen spacious bedrooms, each with private bath and cable television in the main house, guest house, and pavilion, each furnished with uniqueness and charm. There is a choice of rooms with king size, queen size, and extra long twin beds.