Melrose Estate: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Natchez National Historical Park, National Park Service
The Jaeger Company. 2013. Melrose Estate: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Natchez National Historical Park, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. Southeast Regional office, National Park Service. Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service
Melrose Estate is a 78.6-acre National Historic Landmark and is a component landscape of the Natchez National Historical Park (NATC), located in Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi. The property, which is owned and managed by the National Park Service (NPS), contains fifteen historic buildings, roads, paths, open lawns, specimen trees, ponds, former agricultural fields, and gardens. The main house, Melrose, is considered one of the finest examples of Greek revival architecture in the American south. Melrose Estate is an early and unique example of Picturesque Landscape Design in America applied to the suburban villa, which was unique to, but common in Natchez. The estate was home to three families since its development over 150 years ago. The Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI) for Melrose Estate conveys Melrose Estate’s context within Natchez National Historical Park, its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, its geographical location, its importance in regional context, and the necessary management strategies to preserve the site. The CLI discusses Melrose Estate’s history and existing conditions and provides an analysis of the property’s significance and integrity. The CLI finds the property to be significant and to possess all aspects of integrity. The CLI also finds the overall condition of the property as fair, as several spaces within the landscape lack their historic definition. Planting and pruning practices, inappropriate maintenance, neglect, the development of adjacent lands, succession, and invasive plants have also contributed to the “fair” assessment of the landscape. The overall approved treatment for Melrose Estate is restoration with specific considerations.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- The Jaeger Company
- Date of Issue
- 2013-09
- Publisher
- Southeast Regional office, National Park Service
- Units
- NATC
- Keywords
- American Historic Preservation Movement, antebellum, Cultural Landscape, Cultural Landscape Inventory, Ethel Kelly, George Malin Davis Kelly, Greek Revival Architecture, Historic Designed Landscape, John T. McMurran, Mary Louisa McMurran, Melrose, Melrose Estate, Mississippi, Natchez, Natchez National Historical Park, National Historic Landmark, Picturesque Landscape Design, Preservation, Suburban Villa