Longwood in Natchez, Mississippi, is a celebration of American eccentricity. Dr. Haller Nutt, who made a fortune in cotton during the pre-Civil War boom, wanted a home that would be different, one with -character.- His dream was romantic--to evoke past cultures by using the best from any era.

A Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan, published a work in 1851 called The Model Architect which featured an -Oriental Villa- in octagonal form with a Byzantine-Moorish dome on top. Using this design, Sloan set about to create a magnificent mansion for Nutt. In April 1861, Nutt's dreams were...