DAY 3 - CEDAR GROVE BED & BREAKFAST in VICKSBURG

The Cedar Groves Greek Revival Mansion became the largest and most beautiful estate in Vicksburg.  Construction of the original square center section was begun in 1840 by John Alexander Klein for his bride who was General Sherman's cousin.  He met her when she was twelve years old and later married her at the age of sixteen when he presented her with the gift of the house in 1842.  Because of it's location high on the hill above the banks of the Mississippi River along with the fact that it was painted white it suffered at least 41 hits during the war.  Thus it still has a Union cannonball embedded in the parlor wall. 

Their first year of marriage was spent traveling in Europe where they purchased many of the furnishings, such as French Empire Gasoliers, Bohemian Glass, Gold Leaf Mirrors, Italian Marble Fireplaces, window treatments made in Paris, as well as oil paintings and clocks.

Because it is now an active Bed and Breakfast, the tour is self guided and all rooms that are not closed (rented out) can be viewed with a printed handout.  This handout was great for learning the history of the house as well as the items in it.  We thanked them for the foresight,for this made the tour, as it was, so much more interesting than the tours we have taken in the past where we listened to a narrator.  I guess mostly because the paper replaced my memory!!

Front view

Mr. Klein moved from Virginia to Vicksburg in 1836 at the age of 24.  He was a jeweler and watchmaker who prospered well his first year and diversified his wealth into banking, cotton, property investments, lumber and eventually opened several sawmills.  Like many of the men of that era, he became a bank president, railroad president and a member of the City Council.

Back view and present day entrance
where the original dining room has been
turned into the registration area.

Painting of John and Elizabeth Klein

View from the center back entrance
out over the gardens.

John's nine foot deep fish pond
located at one end of the house.

One of Elizabeth's three greenhouses
located near the fish pond.

Original door with a hole from a cannonball
which has only been patched on the outside.

In the gentleman's Parlor, this is the hole
made in the floor by a cannonball
which came through a window pane.

Actual cannon ball still wedged in an inner wall.

The war came more than twenty years after their marriage, during which time Elizabeth experienced a lot of rejection from the people of Vicksburg, largely due to the fact that she was a northerner being from Mansfield, Ohio.  This rejection was also because she was related to General Sherman by marriage.  The house and the Kleins survived the war largely because after the fall of Vicksburg, the house was used as a Union hospital and Elizabeth and the children were moved east when the war was at its worst.  

 

Master bedroom



Gentleman's Parlor
Note the drapes that puddle on the floor
depicting the wealth, the more they puddled
the wealthier they were.



Interesting bird cage

Stairway from the Library/Game Room
going down to the ground level which was the wine cellar
and later the morgue during the war.



Cabinet thought to be a break front in the dining room
was actually a 3000 pound cast iron safe, which
looks like wood and sounds like wood if kicked at the bottom!
In passing this every day, they never knew it was a safe
during the War and Sherman's occupation,
thus protecting much of Klein's wealth. 

A Regina music player
which went out of style when
Thomas Edison invented his phonograph. 

Music discs,
many which were made of copper and tin.

 

Glass shield that was on a stand
to be used in front of a fireplace
to prevent heat from hitting your face.

In those days ladies wore bee wax as their make-up, so it was to keep them from sweating. . . Thus the whispered comment in her ear by another lady "mind your own bee's wax" which meant fix your make-up.

 

There was another piece of furniture that had a mirror in the bottom door which was used for one lady to check another's petticoat.  If it were showing, she was told that it was "snowing down south".

I will always remember where those sayings came from, for sure!!

 

 

John's cooler, which is lined with lead.
It did not seem to have any adverse affect
on John or Elizabeth's lives as
they lived to ripe old ages.

Napkins holders
original to the home.

Different napkin holder used by each person
because laundry was not done often.
So each person would roll their own napkin
and place it in their own holder after dinner
to prevent passing of germs.



See, I remembered so much more information!! 

In one of the side wings that was added to the home later because the family did have ten children, there is dining space that is now being used for evening dining for the public.  We thought about going back there for dinner but time ran out.

Hope that you enjoyed this as much as we did!!