Waverly's Magnolia Tree

One of the most well known historical homes in Mississippi is the Waverly Mansion just east of West Point. After the slaves were freed, the Young family hired as many locals as possible to try to keep the 50,000 acres operational. In the late 1800's my grandfather's brother was keeping the books for Waverly and my mother's father earned extra money as a grounds keeper.

The English boxwood around Grandmother's front porch were rooted from cuttings my grandfather brought home from the mansion. Mother has one in her front yard still today. I'll have to get a cutting and put it in my front yard to continue the tradition. English boxwood only grows a foot every fifteen years!

This beautiful home sat wide open and vacant way back in the woods down a gravel road for 50 years. Finally in 1962 a young couple with four children bought the house and began cleaning and repairing it while living in one room. Friday one of those children gave us a tour of the home. Her name is Melonie Snow, and she and her father still live in the mansion today. She told us that back in 1962, when the Snow family moved in, the walls were covered with lover's names and writings, but not a word of vulgarity. No windows were broken out, all of the marble mantles and huge mirrors were in place. Every globe for the chandeliers were still there. No damage was done to the ornate woodwork and brass valances over the tall antebellum windows. The delicate plaster work was covered with dirtdobber nests, but no one had thought to brake off pieces. Even books and ledgers were still in the closets. It was a different time. It was left unattended from 1919 to 1962. Those were the last days of ...shall we say, innocence. Would it have been even in one piece had it been vacant in the middle of nowhere from 1962 to 2009?

On the left side of Waverly's front lawn grows the oldest Magnolia tree in the state of Mississippi. The Young family made note of the beautiful existing tree as the site was being prepared for the mansion's construction. The tree is estimated to be between 250 and 300 years old. The blooms have a softly sweet fragrance, and are the size of dinner plates. As Mother, Audron, and I toured through the mansion Friday, there was a fresh bloom floating in a large glass bowl on the massive dinning table. It was perfectly at home among the fine French porcelain, crystal, and Royal Dalton China. In fact I had to lean down and take in the fragrance to make sure it wasn't porcelain as well. No master artist can compete with God's living creation.

You cannot tell from this photo just how huge this magnolia is...and they are not a fast growing species. I stood there in awe for a while, but then it started raining. We will have to return one day soon to finish our tour of the gardens. The shower caught us before we could get around to the hydrangeas and roses.
We fell in love with Melonie and Waverly. I promised her that I would work hard to persuade WCBI to allow me to feature the mansion in this winter's Christmas Shopping With Linda. She and her sister Cindy did their first Christmas Open House last year and they plan to do it again this year. That would be the perfect time to film. I can't wait.