Brandon Hall

Brandon Hall sits on 40 acres of by far one the most picturesque landscapes in the entire region, just off the Natchez Trace. With walking paths in the forest, a private cemetery, and great live oaks. This beautiful Greek Revival home, called one of the finest antebellum homes in the south is nestled into a secluded park like setting with rolling hills, native plants, beautiful gardens and a stocked pond.

The land first passed into private ownership as a royal grant from Spanish King Carlos III to Frederick Calvit, an American, in 1788, it was then sold to William Lock Chew, in 1809, who probably built the first structure on the site. The rare early Spanish structure still exists as the basement area of the present Brandon Hall. In 1833 it was sold to the Hoggart family, and in 1853 deeded to daughter Charlotte and her husband Gerard

Brandon III, son of an early governor of Mississippi upon her father’s death. Gerard and Charlotte appear to have lived in the Spanish house built by William Chew until they inherited the property when they began construction of Brandon Hall, completing the house in 1856. The Brandon home sits ele- cousins, the Duncans of Auburn, to travel from Natchez to Memphis. Both families moved on to New York. Merrill briefly served as the United States Minister (Ambassador) to Belgium under President Grant. There is little information on Elms Court between 1863 and Merrill’s death in 1883. His heirs owned Elms Court until 1895 when James Surget, a first cousin of Jane Merrill, acquired the property. Surget’s descendants now live at Elms Court.

Elms Court is foremost a family home. As the needs of the family change, the use of rooms changes. The dining room is a clear example of the 1850’s remodeling in which an existing room and portion of the back gallery were tied together. The center arch from which a large hollow frame wood punkah hangs, unifies the two sections of the room. There are fragments of what is believed to be 1850’s wallpaper on one side of the chimney. The small parlor was the family schoolroom in the early twentieth century and the bedroom was a library until the family converted the billiard room in the east wing to a formal library in the 1950’s. vated about four feet above the surrounding ground, which required moving of about 6,000 cubic yards of earth, a tremendous project, practically engulfing the original Chew house, which became a basement floor. The Brandon family fortunes began to fall after the American Civil War, once one of the wealthiest families, as a result of being one of the largest slaveholders in the South, their ownership of the grand mansion and its vast acreage ended in 1914 as a result of mortgage default. From that time until 1983, it passed through nine other owners and fell into great disrepair when the Diefenthal family of New Orleans came to its rescue in 1983 and undertook a major restoration, saving it for future generations to enjoy and learn from its stories. The Diefenthal family later donated the house and property —in excellent condition — to the Historic Natchez Foundation who sold the home and today its present owners are adding to and continuing the high level of care and stewardship this spectacular home and grounds require where they welcome visitors from around the world as an events venue.

In the 1850’s and 60’s, Elms Court manufactured methane gas from coal to use for interior lighting, as did several other suburban estates. The lighting fixtures in the central hall, the office and the library were originally gasoliers. The metal lined tank, used to store the gas, is to the rear of the three room brick dependency. Other outbuildings, visible from the formal garden, include the stable and carriage house, the two room cabin and a cow barn.