The sweeping staircase of Auburn. The imposing ironwork of Ammadelle. The forlorn, ambitious geometry of Longwood. Mississippi homes boast some of America's great architectural marvels. Great Houses of Mississippi highlights the state's exceptional antebellum houses in color photographs and lively and informative text. Federal town houses, Greek Revival plantation homes, and Italianate and Gothic villas recall the decades when Mississippi led the nation in architectural excellence. The stories behind these houses mirror Mississippi's history. The tales of the families and slaves who built them, the people who preserved them through multiple generations and often saved them from destruction, convey the story of the state from its earliest territorial years to the present day. Mary Rose Carter's ninety-five photographs detail these homes in vivid full color. The labor of frontier carpenters is evident in the simple lines of Cold Spring, Rosemont, and the Feltus-Catchings House. Territorial prosperity and the arrival of skilled architects are demonstrated in the symmetry and elaborate Federal detailing of Auburn, Rosalie, and the Lewis House. As the Cotton Kingdom flourished, Greek Revival found its most exuberant expression in Mississippi in the early examples of Melrose, Cedar Grove, and the Martha Vick house and then spread elsewhere. Rare Gothic Italianate styles are here as well in Ammadelle, Rosedale, Cedarhurst, and Mount Holly. The zenith of the antebellum era, when Mississippians vied to build ever grander plantation homes and town houses, is captured in stunning photographs of Dunleith, Stanton Hall, Waverley, and Walter Place. These pages display the talents and imaginations of Mississippi's antebellum generations. The enduring beauty of these homes and their fascinating stories will captivate anyone searching for the architectural splendor of the South. This journey to the state's most intriguing spots ---Offers selections that are geographically diverse, covering as many areas of the state as possible ---Represents a broad range from homes and public buildings to landscape features ---Features text written for a non-academic audience ---Illuminates (experientially!) Mississippi history ---Delivers over 100 attractive, full-color photographs ---Visits: Grand Village of the Natchez Indians Old Natchez Trace Monmouth Jefferson College Woodville Branch Banking House Bowling Green The Hill West Feliciana Railroad and Banking House Shirley House Old Capitol Oakland Chapel Governor's Mansion Clifton Jackson City Hall Little Red Schoolhouse Lyceum Biloxi Lighthouse Chapel of the Cross Chapel of the Cross Rectory Longfellow House Point Leflore Cotesworth L. Q. C. Lamar House Jacinto Courthouse St. John's Episcopal Church Falkner-Gary House Madison County Courthouse Christ Episcopal Church Vicksburg's Old Courthouse Museum Windsor Provine Chapel First Presbyterian Church of Port Gibson Victoria Tate County Courthouse Chamberlain-Hunt Academy First Presbyterian Church of Oxford DeSoto County Courthouse Murals Ventress Building Neshoba County Fairgrounds Temple Gemiluth Chassed Castalian Springs Central Fire Station Mississippi Industrial College Leflore County Courthouse and Confederate Monument Illinois Monument Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church Greenwood's Grand Boulevard Walter Place Gardens Eudora Welty House Tishomingo Swinging Bridge Superb text and stunning photographs that capture the antebellum grandeur of thirty-five showcase homes Superb text and stunning photographs that capture the antebellum grandeur of thirty-five showcase homes Mary Carol Miller is author of numerous books on historical homes, landmarks, and sites throughout Mississippi. For Lost Mansions of Mississippi , she won the Non-Fiction Book of the Year award from the Mississippi Library Association in 1997. She is a physician with North Central Mississippi Neurological Center in Greenwood. Mary Rose Carter is a freelance photographer who lives in Greenwood, Mississippi. Her photographs were featured in Written in the Bricks . Used Book in Good Condition