I was planning to drive right past Biloxi, but then I saw a sign for the Jefferson Davis House. You know how I love to follow random signs, so I pulled off and heading for this local attraction. I am glad that I got off the highway and saw the Biloxi beach -- it is really gorgeous. After the South lost the Civil War, Jefferson Davis was captured and imprisoned. Two years later he was released, defeated and impoverished. He ended up renting a small cottage on the estate of an admirer, where he wrote his memoirs. He eventually bought the estate, Beauvoir. After his death, the estate was turned into a home for Confederate Veterans and has a large Confederate cemetery.
In addition to the house, they are building a 'Presidential Library' on the grounds. When I first saw this
large, unfinished concrete building, I thought of the Crazy Horse monument in the Black Hills. Was this another overly ambitious project with little hope of completion? After seeing the pictures of the Katrina damage to the house, and the relatively quick restoration, I realized that there would be enough money to complete the library. Apparently the state has been very generous with funding... Once again I got a private tour.
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