Longwood / Nutt's Folly

140 Lower Woodville Road

Natchez, Mississippi

Adams County

Octagon Italian Villa

Architects Sloan,Samuel

Designed by the noted Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan, and constructed in 1860-62, Longwood is the largest and most elaborate of the octagon houses built in the United States. It was designed for Haller and Julia Nutt, Mississippi planters.

Construction of the grand, octagonal edifice began in 1860 but was halted in 1861 by rising tensions over the Civil War.

While the exterior of Sloan's Oriental Villa was largely complete, the home's interior was left unfinished except for the lowest level. The Nutt family lived in the basement until the twentieth century. Colloquially known as “Nutt's Folly,” the property was deeded to the Pilgrimage Garden Club in 1970 by the McAdams Foundation and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

201810010

SE4D 2020

Alton Camera Club