A Visit to Longwood Estate

We really enjoyed our time at Longwood Estate. It is the largest octagonal house in the United States. Construction was started in 1860 but never completed because of the Civil War.

The basement is the only part of the house that was fully completed. The house was constructed for Haller Nutt who was a wealthy cotton baron. Sadly Nutt died of pneumonia in 1864. During the Civil War the confederates burned up all their cotton to prevent the union from confiscating it. His widowed wife Julia and children lived in the unfinished house for three decades after the war ended. In all they had 11 children, 8 of which survived to adulthood.

The unfinished main floor of the house.

Family picture on the back patio

The unfinished dome from inside. The original plan was to put mirrors in the dome to direct sunlight down through the rest of the house.

One of the finished rooms in the basement. They had several original large mirrors.

The largest tombstone in the estate graveyard was dedicated to Fanny who was only 2 years old when she died in 1848.

Heffe enjoyed resting on the bed during the tour