Arlington Shattered two
by Cheri Randolph
Title
Arlington Shattered two
Artist
Cheri Randolph
Medium
Photograph
Description
After learning of the disasterous fate of Arlington, I decided to visit the ruins and, hopefully, shine a spotlight on this significant architectural masterpiece, which may not survive.
Arlington was constructed in approximately 1819 for John Hampton White and his wife, Jane Surget White. Mr. White lived in the home only a short time, dying in the yellow fever epidemic on October 15, 1819. Mrs. White survived only until 1825. It is considered by architectural historians to be one of four important Federal Style villas which established the basic form for the later antebellum houses of Natchez.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and following a fire which occurred in 2002, it was placed on the list of 10 most endangered historic places by the Mississippi Heritage in 2009. Through the efforts of the Historic Natchez Foundation, a new roof was constructed shortly after the fire in an attempt to save the building. However, the absentee owner has continued to neglect the place, was sued by the Natchez Preservation Commission in 2009 and convicted of demolition by neglect. Arlington has been subsequently further destroyed by vandals.
This information was obtained by a combination of internet research, interviews with local historians, and a personal exploration of the property. I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the fate of this magnificent architectural masterpiece, and consider the significance of its loss.
Shown here is an illustration of the rapidly growing vines which are native to the area. This is a window into what was once the Music Room of the home.
Uploaded
August 18th, 2012
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Comments (5)
Mick Anderson
Wonderful image, even though it shows a piece of our nation's history in rapid decline. I hope this building gets the attention is so deserves!!
Cheri Randolph
Stephen, thanks for commenting. That is my sincere hope as well, because it is such a significant piece of architecture.