Walter Place, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Nov 23rd 2010 at 1:01PM

Today's home is a truly unique twist on antebellum Greek Revival style in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Harvey Washington Walter, who made a fortune building the Mississippi Central Railroad, asked the town's architect, Spires Boling, to create something different from other grand mansions in the area. The center of the house is classic Greek Revival but Boling added massive medieval Gothic towers with castellated battlements to each end of the house. The home, constructed in 1859, was among the last great mansions built before the Civil War. During the Civil War, general and future president Ulysses S. Grant moved his wife Julia into the home. The mansion later became a hospital for victims of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878. The home was later restored and reflects the styles of its original era.

The home on 15 acres includes the huge columned brick main house as well as two architecturally significant 1830s guest "cottages." In between there is a botanical park designed in 1903 by a famed landscape architect. It has hundred year old trees & hills, a pond, waterfalls and paths. This home is listed at $15 million with Dorian Bennett Sothebys.

Gallery: Walter Place

Tags: antebellum, estate of the day, Greek Revival, holly springs, mississippi, mississippi real estate

Filed under: Estates

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

rex Nov 23rd 2010 4:30PM

Ugh -- guess it was slim pickings for "Home of the Day" today........

JLS Nov 23rd 2010 7:53PM

Beautiful but very old. If you love antiques, this mansion is just perfect.

Every Estate of the Day is interesting. It's hard work putting these features together and not all of us will love every single one. Be appreciative. I am.

lawguy310 Nov 25th 2010 10:09AM

So he (Harvey Washington Walter) made his fortune with slave labor, wow OK, kinda resembles the Master's Choice today too. Hmm

WAYNE Nov 26th 2010 1:11PM

Bad energy comes with this house,to many angry souls walking around

Rob Dec 11th 2010 9:56PM

I grew up in Memphis, and I toured this house when on a field trip. I couldn't have been older than 10 or 11, but one part of this house stuck out to me. The tour guide told our group that one of the columns on the front of the house had been hollowed out and contained a ladder to allow anyone in the house to go from the attic down to the basement and then escape the house that way. Thanks for reminding me with this post!