auburn museum & historic home

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Auburn. The two volunteer ladies who acted as guides made the tour and were both excellent. The home has been restored and is very interesting. They do not have as many original family pieces of furniture in the home as some others in this area, but it is obvious they are constantly striving to obtain more of the original pieces lost so many years ago at auction. The house contains beautiful antique furniture from the period, and the home has an interesting history. It was nice to be able to take pictures within the home, and they also asked if anyone played the piano, and thus I was able to try the 1917 Steinway Grand. We would tour this home again should we ever bring guests to the Natchez area.

Impressive the amount of work these volunteers have put into restoring this house and acquiring the furnishings.

Auburn allows photographers to shoot in the entire house and on the grounds. The spiral staircase in the front is worth a visit, but the house's history is fascinating also. For many years, the house sat open to the elements with children roller skating in the rooms and sliding down the banisters. With that history, it's amazing the house is still extant. Our tag team of tour guides were relaxed and informative.

We turned up ,rang the front door bell and was then taken in for our very own private tour ! The lady showing us around was very informative and told us a lot about the history of the families who had lived there .She also showed us several pieces of furniture that were infact from her own family that she has leant to the house .

My advice: skip Stanton Hall and visit Auburn instead. (Rosalie is also an excellent choice.)I loved hearing the stories about this historic Natchez mansion. It was built fairly early for the area: 1812. In all those years, it's only really had three owners: Lyman Harding, the Duncan family, and the city of Natchez.Lyman Harding was man from Massachusetts who was acquitted of murdering a female acquaintance. So he decided to move away to escape the wagging tongues. He came to Natchez and built Auburn. He hired a self-proclaimed architect named Levi Weeks. He designed and assembled that sublime spiral staircase on the front lawn. He did such a good job that it's still 100% sound after over 200 years!The other great story was the Duncan family. Mr. Duncan was reportedly the largest slave-owner in Mississippi. Paradoxically, he wanted no part in secession, and decided to simply abandon the house at the start of the Civil War. He married twice. When he brought his second wife home, she immediately took down the dead wife's painting and hid it in the attic. (Wouldn't you?) When the city came through and auctioned off all the possessions, they missed the painting in all the dust and junk up there. So, her action allowed the first wife to reign for posterity.The family eventually donated the house and grounds to the city in 1911. The grounds are now a park. Mr. Duncan's billiards parlor (an outbuilding separate from the house) was a party rental hall up until recently.If you arrive during Spring Pilgrimage, you'll likely meet a man on the front steps who is dressed like Colonel Sanders. He was a hoot!Incredibly well preserved, this mansion deserves to be visited.

Auburn is a beautiful antebellum home is a city full of beautiful antebellum homes. What sets it apart is the spectacular unsupported spiral staircase, one, we were told, of only three in America. It is owned and shown by the City, which means photos are permitted in the interior, unlike most of the antebellum homes in Natchez.

This was not one of the homes recommended to us but I feel it should be. It was saved from total ruin many times. So glad they preserved this one. It is a great beauty with an amazing spiral staircase. Once again we are shown how the war impacted this.

the staircase in this house was beautiful. our guide was excellents also. i love it when they know the details but are also full of passion!

This old antebellum home has much to see. The furnishings and tour guides are fantastic. This is a must see home to visit if you are interested in the antebellum and old south culture.

This house is operated by volunteers so you really feel the difference. These people are there because they want to be there. It wasn't a stuffy scripted tour. I felt like I was just visiting the lovely home & chatting with my charming tour guides. I toured the house while my husband was allowed to walk the grounds with our dog that was traveling with us.

Auburn was the archetype for antebellum homes. It was one of the first built, and one of the best. It is the only home with a 360 degree spiral staircase that is a national treasure - and I'm not kidding. If you have ever done any woodworking, you'll know what I mean. Stunning and well worth a stop.

The guides at this home were super friendly and knowledgeable. Made us feel very welcome. Beautiful property!

Clark was our docent at the Auburn House, later we learned he's also one of the executive board that oversees the property. He made the tour a very pleasant one indeed as he provided not only info about the home but also about the efforts they have made and continue to make to provide upkeep and maintenance of the property. Like many properties which are overseen by non profits, the struggle to keep them up with limited resources is a challenge. The freestanding spiral staircase is a wonder and assuming that Clark's research is correct one of only a few in this country from these early times!

Nice tour and a great cause if you are into old ante bellum house tours. A lot of restoration has been done and the group that operates the house is very informative. The free standing spiral staircase is a remarkable piece of engineering.

This is the first house to be built in Natchez. Left empty for many years, it is now being restored by a concerned Auburn Foundation group. The architecture of this home is amazing. The unsupported spiral staircase is worth seeing.