M.A. Kleen

Beauvoir, the historic Mississippi estate where Jefferson Davis spent his final years, is steeped in Civil War history and lingering ghost stories. From mysterious figures appearing in old photographs to reports of phantom encounters in the mansion and cemetery, visitors have long claimed that something unseen still walks the grounds overlooking the Gulf Coast.

• Beauvoir, the final home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, was originally built in 1852 by Mississippi plantation owner James Brown.
• A mysterious 1984 photograph taken outside the mansion appeared to show two unexplained figures standing in an upstairs window while the house was locked and empty.
• Visitors have reported encounters with a man believed to resemble Jefferson Davis wandering the gardens and main hall, only to later learn no reenactor was present.
• The Jefferson Davis Soldiers Home operated on the property from 1903 into the 1950s and housed nearly 1,800 Confederate veterans and widows.
• Paranormal investigators have reported strange activity at Beauvoir, including rocking chairs moving on their own, fluttering tablecloths, and eerie encounters in the cemetery where roughly 780 veterans and family members are buried.

During a summer trip in 2014, my father and I drove from Columbia, South Carolina, to Pensacola, Florida, stopping at historic sites along the way. As longtime Civil War enthusiasts, we naturally made time for Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library in Biloxi, Mississippi. After touring the mansion and nearby cemetery, we wandered through the newly completed presidential library. Sitting on a desk in the research room was something that immediately caught my attention.

A place with a history like Beauvoir almost invites ghost stories, so I was not surprised to find an article titled “What’s That in the Window at Beauvoir?” Written by Charles L. Sullivan in 2004, it recounted a strange photograph taken in 1984 by Confederate reenactor Charlie Brock. The image showed Brock’s wife and two friends in period clothing standing outside the east side of the mansion. When the film was developed, however, two unexplained figures appeared in one of the upstairs windows.

At the time the photograph was taken, Beauvoir was closed to visitors, locked for the evening, and protected by motion detectors. Nevertheless, two humanlike forms appear in the window. One figure is noticeably taller than the other, while the smaller shape is far clearer and seems to resemble a woman in a white dress. None of the three women standing outside matched that appearance. Two wore blue dresses, while the third wore dark red. The window itself also sat above porch level, higher than the women’s heads, making a simple reflection seem unlikely unless the glass had been angled sharply downward.

According to Bud Steed in Haunted Mississippi Gulf Coast (2012), the ghost of Jefferson Davis himself may still linger at the 162-year-old estate. Over the years, several visitors have reported encountering a man in the gardens whom they assumed was an actor portraying the former Confederate president. Later, after complimenting staff on the realism of the performance, they were told no Jefferson Davis reenactor had been on the grounds. One shaken woman even complained that the gentleman had appeared seemingly from nowhere and scolded her for stepping in the flower beds.

In August 2014, members of Mississippi Gulf Coast Paranormal spent the night at Beauvoir searching for evidence of paranormal activity. “One staffer says he sees Jeff Davis a couple of times a week standing in the main hall,” team member Scott Rogers told the Biloxi Sun-Herald.

“Full-body apparitions are a rarity, but they’re normal there… There’s a file, I’m guessing 30 or 40 photographs, that visitors have sent back to them. There are photographs of full-body apparitions that aren’t supposed to be there. They have captured Jeff Davis, his wife, Varina, his daughter, Winnie, and, they haven’t been captured, but it’s common occurrence for them to talk about a Confederate soldier walking the grounds at times whenever they don’t have people doing reenactments.”

So what did the group discover after a weekend of investigating Beauvoir? According to their findings, the activity ranged from subtle to unsettling. Investigators reported a rocking chair swaying in Jefferson Davis’ bedroom, a tablecloth mysteriously fluttering in the dining room, and one team member claimed something brushed against her ear while walking through the cemetery at night. Of all the locations on the property, the Jefferson Davis Soldiers Home cemetery was said to feel the most active.

Beauvoir’s history is as fascinating as its ghost stories. The home was built in 1852 by wealthy plantation owner James Brown, though Jefferson Davis did not take up residence there until 1877, only twelve years before his death. His daughter Winnie remained at Beauvoir until she died in 1898. In 1903, the Jefferson Davis Soldiers Home opened on the grounds and operated into the 1950s, providing shelter for nearly 1,800 Confederate veterans and widows. Today, roughly 780 of them rest in the cemetery on the property, their graves shaded beneath the old coastal trees.

Whether your interest lies in Civil War history, historic house museums, or simply wandering the gardens of a storied Mississippi estate, Beauvoir is well worth a visit. It remains one of the most memorable historic homes I have toured. Although Hurricane Katrina inflicted severe damage on the property, the Mississippi Division Sons of Confederate Veterans carefully restored the mansion and grounds, preserving a place where history and legend continue to linger side by side.

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