USS Bolivia. Call number Z/1129.000 MDAH Collection.

After the Civil War, Mississippi was wracked by economic depression and political upheaval.  During this difficult time, Charles Henry Manship’s lifelong friend James Smith invited Manship and his wife Adaline and daughter Kate for an extended holiday in Scotland, England, and Belgium.  Charles Henry Manship wrote about this trip for many years, recounting one of the most significant events in his long life.

Departing in May of 1874, the Manships traveled by rail for three days to reach New York, where they took lodging in the Pacific Hotel on Greenwich Street.  They booked passage on the steamship Bolivia, departing two days later for Glasgow, Scotland.  Following the ten-day voyage, they spent a few days at the Smith family home, Benvue, a cream-colored stone villa in Dowanhill Gardens, a small and exclusive suburb of Glasgow.  From Smith’s home they journeyed to England, France, and Belgium, visiting ancient Roman ruins and viewing historic castles, cathedrals, galleries, museums, and gardens.

Returning to America aboard the steamship Utopia in late August, they spent a few days in New York touring, including an excursion to Niagara Falls.  Before returning to Mississippi, they traveled west by rail to St. Paul, Minnesota, to spend time with Charles Henry Manship, Jr., and his young family, including a newborn baby daughter.

Reine des Violettes rose in bloom.

This tough little rose bush survived the extensive foundation repair of the Manship House Museum, and is blooming once again.  Throughout all phases of the project, workmen took care to avoid damaging the plant, despite its location near the house.

The Reine des Violettes (Queen of the Violets) hybrid perpetual rose was first introduced in France sometime around 1860.  This old garden rose is an almost thorn-less variety with  fragrant  lilac and purple blooms.  A favorite in Victorian gardens, the Reine des Violettes rose was much admired for its unusual color.

Excavation work and scaffolding threaten the rose bush.

South entrance during the re-leveling process.

Over the past several months, a great deal has been accomplished at the Manship House, and repair and restoration of the sidewalks is now underway.  Several brick walkways and large section of sidewalk were removed early in the project to facilitate re-leveling of the structure.  The walkways have been re-installed in their former locations, providing access to the front and side entrances.

South entrance after re-leveling, with reconstructed porch and steps.

Manship House shutters reinstalled.

Despite the recent rainy weather, work at the Manship House has continued.  The Manship House shutters have all been repaired and painted the original green color.  All of the cast iron elements were carefully cleaned, removing many layers of old damaged paint.  Painters are at work applying primer to the cast iron and wood frame elements to prepare the surfaces for painting in the original colors.

Cleaned cast ironwork prior to painting.

The Manship House side porch, steps, buttresses, and cast ironwork were removed early in the foundation repair project to facilitate re-leveling of the building.  These features have now been reconstructed to their original dimensions.  The cast ironwork was carefully cleaned, and has been reinstalled within a chamfered wooden frame.  The porch, steps, and ironwork will be painted in the original color scheme.

The reconstructed side porch and steps.

Reinstallation of the cast ironwork elements on the side porch.

The recent hail storm left a trail of destruction throughout the Jackson area, including the historic Manship House Museum.  The powerful hail storm broke windows in the Manship House and Visitors Center, and chipped paint off exterior surfaces.  Approximately eighty percent complete, the new cedar shingle roof sustained substantial damage and will require replacement.

Hail damage to historic windows.

Accumulation of hail on the Manship House roof.

The original brick service area, kitchen building foundation, and location of the cistern platform were discovered during an archaeological investigation that took place prior to the 1980 restoration. This would have been a busy area filled with domestic activity.  Located directly behind the dining room on the brick service area, the kitchen was a separate building with two rooms and a central fireplace.  A coal-burning stove was fitted into the fireplace opening and was used for cooking, as evidence of a coal pile was found nearby.  In the south, kitchens were often built separately to keep heat and cooking odors away from the house.  The cistern was located near the kitchen, and would have contained rainwater collected from the roof.  Cistern water was often used for cleaning, bathing, and cooking.  The brick service area will be reinstalled to its original dimensions.

Reinstalling the brick service area.

Laying the brick edge.

The Manship House will soon have a new cedar shingle roof.  Preliminary work on the roof included the complete reconstruction of all three chimney stacks.  The reconstructed chimneys have all been painted, and new copper flashing has been installed around each chimney base.  The old shingles are being removed in sections, as the new cedar shingles are installed.  The roof will look much like it would have when the house was constructed in 1857.

Bundles of cedar shingles.

Installing the new cedar shingle roof.

Manship House ironwork.

The Manship House was most likely inspired by a design in the nineteenth century pattern book, A. J. Downing’s The Architecture of Country Houses, in which an almost identical house is pictured.  When Charles Henry Manship built his interpretation of a Gothic Revival residence in 1857, he altered the floorplan to suit the south’s hot climate, and included elements reflecting his own taste.  One of the interesting details of the Manship House is the decorative ironwork.  Manship chose four completely different styles of ironwork to ornament the exterior of his Gothic Revival style home.  The ironwork is original, and may have been something Manship admired when he traveled to New Orleans and Philadelphia.  First, the palmette cartouche that hangs down in the center of each veranda is a Greek Revival element.  The second is the use of Gothic Revival quatrefoils framed in the corners of the ironwork.  The Rococo Revival style, a style popular for carved Victorian furniture, is expressed in the grape pattern forming the double arches on the front of the verandas.  The fourth design is the Italianate style handrail.  The ironwork is assembled within chamfered wooden frames rather than with iron structural supports bolted together, an unusual method of construction.

Stripping the ironwork for repainting.

While work on the The Manship House continues, the grounds are showing the first signs of spring.  Fragrant heirloom varieties of narcissus and jonquils are in bloom, along with several different kinds of camellias.

Heirloom narcissus.

Camellia.