Beauvoir

State: Mississippi. Type: historic house museum and estate at 2244 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi. Built 1848-1852 as a Louisiana-raised cottage. Served as the post-war home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from 1876 to 1889, where he wrote his memoir. Used as a Confederate veterans home from 1903 to 1957. Severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005); mansion reopened June 3, 2008. Today a roughly 52-60 acre museum site operated by the Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Beauvoir is a raised-cottage estate on the Biloxi, Mississippi beachfront, built between 1848 and 1852 with Greek Revival details and six structurally reinforcing fireplaces. Its historical significance rests on its role as the retirement home of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, who lived there from 1876 until his death in 1889 at the invitation of the property's widowed owner, Sarah Dorsey; it was at Beauvoir that Davis wrote his memoir, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government." After Davis's death the estate became a home for Confederate veterans from 1903 to 1957, before its later conversion into a house museum. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, and severely damaged the main house and destroyed several outbuildings, including the Hayes Cottage, Library Pavilion and the original Confederate Museum, with about 40 percent of the collection lost; remarkably, the six fireplaces built into the main house's frame helped it survive the storm surge structurally intact enough to be restored. The mansion reopened on June 3, 2008, and the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library reopened in 2013. Today the estate spans roughly 52 to 60 acres and includes the restored main house, a large Civil War museum building, a gift shop and a Confederate cemetery with the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier.

Beauvoir sits at 2244 Beach Boulevard in Biloxi, Mississippi, directly on the Gulf of Mexico beachfront on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Biloxi shares the Mississippi Gulf Coast's humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters, and lies within the Atlantic hurricane season risk zone (June through November); Hurricane Katrina's severe 2005 damage to the property illustrates this risk directly. Specific temperature and rainfall figures for Biloxi were not independently confirmed in the sources used for this research.

Given the site's outdoor grounds and beachfront exposure, the milder shoulder seasons of spring and fall are likely more comfortable than peak summer heat and humidity, and fall through spring falls outside the highest-risk months of hurricane season; specific seasonal visitor guidance beyond general Gulf Coast climate patterns was not detailed in the sources used. The site hosts monthly Living History demonstrations on the third Saturday of each month.

Beauvoir's main house was built between 1848 and 1852 on what was originally a 608-acre estate. After the Civil War, widowed owner Sarah Dorsey invited former Confederate President Jefferson Davis to live in a cottage pavilion on the property while he worked on his memoir, and Davis went on to live at Beauvoir from 1876 until his death in 1889. Following Davis's death, the estate became a home for Confederate veterans, operating in that role from 1903 to 1957, before its transition to a house museum. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused severe damage to the main house and destroyed several ancillary structures, including the Hayes Cottage, Library Pavilion and the original Confederate Museum, with roughly 40 percent of the site's collection lost; the mansion's six fireplaces, built into its exterior walls, are credited with helping the structure withstand the storm surge. The restored mansion reopened to the public on June 3, 2008, and the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library reopened in 2013, marking the completion of the site's post-Katrina recovery.

Guided tours of the main house run on the hour starting at 10 a.m. and continuing hourly until 4 p.m., according to the site's official visitor information. Visitors can also explore the roughly 9,500-square-foot Civil War Museum, walk the grounds and Confederate cemetery (with 780-plus burials) including the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier, and browse the on-site gift shop. Golf carts are available for rent to help cover the estate's grounds, and the site hosts monthly Living History demonstrations on the third Saturday.

The restored main house, with its raised-cottage Greek Revival architecture and Gulf views, is the centerpiece. The Civil War Museum building holds an extensive collection related to the war and to Jefferson Davis. The Confederate Memorial Cemetery, with more than 780 burials and the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier, and the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library, reopened in 2013, round out the grounds.

Beauvoir is located directly on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; specific airport distances were not confirmed in the sources used for this research, though the Gulf Coast region is generally served by regional airports along the coast and a longer drive from larger hubs such as Gulfport-Biloxi or New Orleans.

As of research, per the site's official visitor information, Beauvoir is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with guided house tours on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Per the official visitbeauvoir.org site, as of research: children under 6 free; children 12-17, $5 for a grounds pass; adults, $7 for a grounds pass or $12 for a house tour. A separate third-party ticketing aggregator listed different figures (adults $9, seniors/students/military $7.50, children $4), so current pricing should be reconfirmed directly with Beauvoir before visiting.

Plan for roughly one and a half to two hours to take a guided house tour and see the Civil War Museum and grounds at an unhurried pace.

Beauvoir sits within the broader Biloxi Gulf Coast resort and casino corridor, which offers a wide range of hotel and resort lodging along the beachfront and inland; specific property names were not confirmed in the sources used for this research.

Biloxi's Beach Boulevard corridor, where Beauvoir sits, is part of a wider Gulf Coast dining scene ranging from casual seafood spots to resort and casino dining; specific restaurant names were not confirmed in the sources used for this research.

Beauvoir sits within Biloxi's broader beachfront and casino district, part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast's tourism corridor; specific nearby named attractions beyond the immediate Gulf Coast resort area were not detailed in the sources used for this research.

Specific airport and public transit distances for Beauvoir were not confirmed in the sources used for this research; the site is reachable by car along Beach Boulevard in Biloxi, with the wider Gulf Coast region generally served by Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.

As a beachfront Gulf Coast property, the site can be affected by hurricane season (June-November), as demonstrated by the severe 2005 Katrina damage; check current weather advisories if visiting during these months. For any emergency, dial 911.

Comfortable walking shoes for covering the estate's grounds, sun protection given the beachfront, open-air setting, and water, especially in warmer months; golf carts are available on-site for those who prefer not to walk the full grounds.

Guided house tours run on a fixed hourly schedule (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), so timing arrival around a tour start can make for a smoother visit than trying to join mid-tour. Tickets are preferably purchased on arrival at the Beauvoir Gift Shop, per a secondary source, so it may not be necessary to buy in advance, but confirm current ticketing practice directly with the site.

Dial 911 for any emergency. Beauvoir's general visitor phone line, per its official site, is 228-388-4400.

Beauvoir, The Jefferson Davis Home & Presidential Library - https://www.visitbeauvoir.org

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.