| According to Mimi Miller, the Manse was built 1824-25 for Howell Moss and acquired from parishioners Benjamin and Zelia Wade for $16,000 by the Presbyterian Church in 1838. The Presbyterian Manse is one of the most significant Federal-style houses in Mississippi and exhibits the quality of architectural finish that is usually indicative of a full-scale mansion. “The only documented one-story Federal Style brick dwelling in the state with its original single-bay portico, the Manse features one of the richest and most handsomely detailed frontispieces in a town noted for its elegant doorways.” (from National Register statement of significance prepared by Mary McCahon Shoemaker in October 1978). This building was individually listed on the National Register on 29 March 1979, and it was later included as element #509 in the Natchez-on-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District, which was placed on the National Register on 17 September 1979. It was designated a Mississippi Landmark, upon owner resolution, on 9 September 2004. It is included in "The Majesty of Natchez" (1969/1981/1986) (p. 48), "Historic Architecture in Mississippi" (1973) (p. 27), "Old Homes of Mississippi, Volume I: Natchez and the South" (1977) (p. 61), the "Natchez Walking Guide" (1985) (#72, pp. 58-59), "The Great Houses of Natchez" (1986) (p. 91), and "Louisiana Architecture 1820-1840" (2005) (p. 239). [HABS: MS-150 (1934/1936)] |