| A raised cottage with a low-pitched roof, Hope Farm is thought to have been constructed in the late 18th century, making it one of the oldest buildings remaining in the state. It is believed that the house was constructed by Don Carlos de Grand Pre, the Spanish Commandant of the Natchez District. Through nearly two centuries of remodellings by subsequent owners, Hope Farm has retained its general character as a structure of the Spanish Provincial period in Mississippi. In the 20th century, the house was owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. Balfour Miller. Mrs. Miller was the well-known founder of the annual Natchez Pilgrimage. This house was listed on the National Register on 22 August 1975. It is included in "A Guide to Early American Homes – South" (1956), "Shrines to Yesterday" (1968), "The Majesty of Natchez" (1969/1981/1986) (pp. 54-55), "Historic Architecture in Mississippi" (1973) (p. 4), "Old Homes of Mississippi, Volume I: Natchez and the South" (1977) (pp. 47-48), "The Great Houses of Natchez" (1986) (pp. 54-55), 'The Architecture of Natchez before 1830,' in "Natchez before 1830" (1989) (p. 143), "Classic Natchez" (1996) (pp. 52-53), "Natchez: Houses and History …" (2003) (pp. 24-29), and "Louisiana Architecture 1714-1820" (2004) (pp. 59-60). [HABS: MS-46 (seven pages of measured drawings, plus a cover sheet, drawn in 1936; three exterior photos made by James Butters on 8 April 1936)] |