Stop 4 Melrose Landscape

Melrose Landscape

NPS Archives

Quick Facts

Location:

Natchez National Historical Park

Designation:

National Historic Landmark

Amenities

8 listed

Accessible Sites, Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Trash/Litter Receptacles

John McMurran ordered large trees to be dug up in the woods and hauled by ox carts to his new estate. Their careful planting instantly created the effect of an English country estate. One visitor described Melrose as being “English all over.” From inside the big house, the family and visitors looked out onto an orchard full of blooming fruit trees and a formal garden with flowering shrubs and winding walking paths. Mary Louisa McMurran served as mistress of the Melrose household. This role made her responsible for the house and grounds. She made certain that her enslaved servants tended them well. She wrote many letters to family members that give us details about the estate. They tell of the plants growing in her greenhouse, and they describe the different seasons at Melrose. Above all, they show how much pleasure she found in her gardens. In 1849 she wrote to her sister: “I enjoy my quiet days at Melrose so much that I give them up with reluctance to pay morning calls, but it is a duty for all our society, and the sacrifice must be made occasionally .... My double white Camellia is blooming. All my camellias are full of buds and look in beautiful order but they will bloom too early. What a pity!”

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