Here it is – my new abode! Come on in, take a look around. While you explore, I’ll share some of the history of the home. Let’s start in the ballroom:
The Baer House was constructed in 1870 by Leona and Lazarus Baer from an existing site with a brick structure dating prior to 1850. Most of the original house was destroyed during the siege of Vicksburg in 1863. Leona Baer (formerly Bloom) began reconstruction with the goal of building a Victorian home guaranteed to impress with elaborate woodwork in the Eastlake architectural style, made popular by Charles L. Eastlake in the 1870’s and common among the elite in New York.
If you’ll turn around, you can see the other end of this large room, which is where guests enjoy a hearty breakfast, complete with a variety of hot dishes, juice, fresh fruit, homemade breads, hot black coffee, and made-to-order specialty dishes.
Back to the home’s construction. Leona Baer, was quite the revolutionary woman, insisting on overseeing every aspect of the home’s design and monitoring it’s construction. She was very forward-thinking for her generation, insisting that the kitchen be inside the home (an unheard of idea at that time) and that there be privies on the first and second floors. That’s right, this home sports a two-story outhouse. Don’t believe me? You’ll have to make a reservation and check this out yourself. The structure is still standing and still attached to the house. Makes for interesting conversation among tour guests.
Let’s step into the hallway for this next portion.
The head-turner here is, obviously, the grand staircase, complete with solid walnut balustrade. Notice the floors? They were painstakingly constructed of black walnut and American chestnut, highly sought after for it’s durability and rot resistance. Yes, the chandelier is quite impressive as well, as are the crown moldings and ceiling medallions. However, what is spectacular about this floor is that it is irreplaceable since the entire American chestnut population in Mississippi was wiped out by the blight around the turn of the 20th century.
Up those stairs are 6 guest rooms, 4 with private baths, 2 with a shared bath. Most have either a King or Queen bed, 2 are mini suites. The upstairs, while still quite grand, does not boast the fancy trimmings of the downstairs. You see, Leona believed that the family, children in particular, should not socialize with guests until they reached a proper age, thus the need for upstairs privies. Until such time, children were to remain upstairs and out of sight. There are still 14-foot doors with glass transomes up there, but they are plain, not decorated with the fancy Eastlake trimmings. After all, family does not need to dwell among such lavishness; luxury is visible only to esteemed guests.
Perhaps next week, I’ll treat you to some photos of the guest rooms and share some more of the fascinating history, including mysterious activity that happens in certain areas of the home. For now, this was a smattering of the fanciness of my new digs. I might also tell you about some of the goings-ons (that sounds weird) here in Vicksburg. Yes, stuff happens even in the heat. I know, I was shocked, too.
How have you been managing the summer heat? Have you traveled anywhere fun this month? What cool old houses have you visited? Curious people want to know.
Word of the Day: Xerostomia
Fun fact about me: I’ve yet to find a dishwasher that removes egg from anything.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, August 2015. Photos courtesy TripAdvisor.com and Google Images.
That walnut and chestnut floor floored me. It’s beautiful! Meanwhile, you slip historical facts into your description in the most natural and entertaining way. I can’t wait to visit Baer House.
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Oh Pat, I hope you do come for a visit. That would be so much fun. I’d really enjoying seeing you and showing you around my new home and Vicksburg.
Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you soon.
Patricia
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I’ve been reading a lot about Lincoln and the Civil War era this summer and the description of the rooms and construction was perfect. The amount of care and craft that went into building a house like that is mindboggling. The house is probably built very solidly, too – which is why it has endured. I can’t wait to hear more and I am trying to figure a way to get to Vicksburg for a visit!
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Clay – that would be fantastic. I’m sure your whole family would enjoy Vicksburg. There’s so many cool old houses and museums, in addition to the Military Park, of course, which is the most popular attraction. I’ll leave the light on for you if I know you’re coming.
Patricia
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Just beautiful! So happy for you…..
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Thanks Dana. It would be lovely to see you here some day. I hope you’re well and not bothered by too much smoke over there in Cali.
Nice to see your smiling face.
Patricia
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It is so gorgeous! Are you staying long?
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Well – we have a 15 year mortgage – so – probably we’re staying a very long time. We’re loving it here and everyone has been so nice and inviting. We’ve even had a repeat guest just since we’ve been here. It was their first time staying in a B & B and they loved it so much they stopped back in for another night on their way back home from their trip East. That was pretty exciting.
Thanks for visiting today. I hope to see you some day in Vicksburg.
Patricia
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What a grand place. I will definitely drop in and say howdy-do if we are ever in town.
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Wow, you folks sure found a gem here. So awesome, but I have a question. About that two story outhouse….
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Ah – the 4-holer. Stay tuned. It’s really quite unique. It’s kind of one of those things you won’t believe until you see. I hope you can come experience it for yourself.
Thanks for stopping by today. Always nice to see your smiling face.
Patricia
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So beautiful! All the details are just breathtaking and I love all the history behind it. Baer House is on my bucket list now! So do you live upstairs in one of the less impressive children’s rooms? 🙂
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Are you kidding me? I’m too lazy to be climbing all those stairs every day. (ha ha ha ha) Actually we occupy one of the 2 rooms on the ground floor with its own separate private entrance. It’s the room closest to the kitchen. We also have a private basement that we use as our family room. There’s a bathroom down there too, but so far we haven’t spent hardly any time down there.
I’ll give you the full tour when you visit and I know you will. I’ll also hook you up with the Haunted Vicksburg folks for either a walking tour or a driven tour. Those stories and old houses are fascinating.
Hope to see you soon.
Patricia
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Wow. Just wow! I need to book a trip to come visit you. Your new place looks amazing. Love the history and the location. Can’t wait to read about all the fantastic stories you’ll actually experience there.
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Oh Debra, I hope you do come. There’s a fabulous ghost tour that comes through the home each evening and the guide has a whole bunch of cool stories. I’ll make sure you get the full Haunted Vicksburg experience.
Thanks for your support.
Patricia
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I LOVE that idea! 😀 I’ve already begun prepping the husband.
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Absolutely beautiful, Patricia! Just LOVE the floors. The place has obviously been well cared for. I hope you enjoy your beautiful new life! Miss you.
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I miss you too my friend. I hope all is well with you and your family. You know, Mississippi is just a short plane ride away, so feel free to visit any time.
At some point in the future, I’ll be trying to put together a writer’s retreat here. If it’s cost effective, I’ll be sending out some feelers to see who might be up for it. It would be so fun to see some of the SVR gang.
Thanks for visiting. Take care.
Patricia
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Wow, oh wow! I can’t get over the wood entry floor. Absolutely gorgeous Patricia. As is everything else pertaining to the house. My goodness you and hubby have embarked on a huge life change. But it sounds like you two needed a change. And change is good. Especially since California has lost most of its appeal. Sad, but true. I wish you both much success with your new venture. I know you’re going to love it! And please accept my most humble apology for my absence. I can’t believe I went missing for so long. I truly enjoyed catching up with prior posts. Congratulations! You made it! Yay! 🙂
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Karen, I’m glad you took the time to go on the journey with me. I’ve been blogging about this life change for a long time now and it still doesn’t feel real sometimes. Everything n this big old house is mine and it doesn’t feel like it. I feel like I’m living in someone else’s house.
All of the guests have been super kind and one couple even came back after a couple of days. That was so nice. I guess we did something right.
Thanks for commenting and sharing. I know that life can take over sometimes and that’s okay. My blog is never closed so stop by any time.
Patricia
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Beautiful, beautiful! Love the pictures, and especially the entry way. So do you have a website for the bed & breakfast?
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Yes Diana we do, but it sucks. We’re going to have to get it overhauled. It’s baerhouseinn.ms. Most of the pictures on there are really dark and don’t do the home justice.
I hope you get a chance to visit sometime and enjoy it’s grandeur in person. I’d love to see you.
Patricia
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The pictures are amazing, Patricia. And with so much history and so many stories connected to your B&B, I can’t wait to read more about your new digs. 🙂 So glad your getting settled in!
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Thanks Sheila. It’s fun getting to know the house’s personality. There’s so many details (that all need to be dusted), that a person doesn’t necessarily notice on one trip through.
It would be lovely to see you sometime if you’re ever in the area.
Patricia
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Oh my, Patricia! What a gorgeous place. Such history. Congrats and all the best on this journey…please document every step! I love old houses.
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I’ve been trying to capture as much of the history as I can but there’s a lot to absorb. Vicksburg is like a living history book and we’re having lots of fun learning about our new home.
It would be lovely to see you if you’re ever in the area. There are tons of old houses and old amazing churches in this area. You could look to your heart’s content.
Patricia
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Ilove the wood floors. Ican hardly wait to see it in person. Can hardly wait to see the rooms.
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Hello my dear friend. I can’t wait to have you visit. The wood floors are pretty amazing and quite spectacular. I’m going to try to capture some photos of the rooms in the next few days. I’ve been pretty busy up to this point.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It’s so nice to see familiar faces.
Patricia
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Wow, what a beautiful place! And yes, first thing I noticed in the pics was the floor. I so want to visit some time!
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Jennette, I hope you get a chance to visit. It would be lovely to meet you and show you around this cool town. Ours is only one of many awesome houses. And the churches are some of the most impressive I’ve ever seen.
Thanks for visiting today. I shall await your telephone call for a reservation.
Patricia
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I’m so very excited for you and your husband. I can feel the ‘adventure’ in your words. I love how you describe the home as if I’m walking through it with you. The love you have for your new home shines through!
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Thanks Ginger. It’s been quite exciting so far and everyone has been so nice and welcoming. We’ve got some pretty exciting ideas for the house in the future. We’re continuing the restoration process to its former glory.
I hope you’ll get a chance to stop by some time, even if it’s just to say hi. I’d love to see you.
Patricia
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Wow! How beautiful and amazing. Gorgeous digs. Glad you shared! Enjoy.
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Thanks Julie. I’m hoping to put together a writing related retreat of some kind for next year. This house is the perfect set-up for that. Maybe you can keep that in mind for a mini get-away next summer.
Thanks for stopping by. It’s always nice to see your smiling face.
Patricia
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I enjoyed my last trip to Vicksburg and now I can’t wait to visit again! A perfect place for a writing retreat. How’s the heat and humidity treating you? A change from Camino for sure!
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I’m loving it Cindy and the heat hasn’t bothered me too much at all. I was surprised. How are you guys handling all of the smoke?
I’m putting together a writing retreat for next year, so that’d be a good time to come for a visit.
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia
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Hi, dear friend!
I was thrilled to see all the photos plus read your informative post on the B&B’s history. Am in love with the parlor…I can imagine folks lingering over breakfast, then sitting down on a rainy day to peruse the shelves. I’m sure your RWA friends could keep it stocked w Romance!
I also look forward to your posts showing the upstairs rooms (and kitchen, too, if you’re so inclined). My WIP features the restoration of a Victorian in Maine…and wouldn’t it be fun to feature some aspects of the Baer House Inn!
Continued love and best wishes for success in this new adventure w C!
Madeline
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Thanks Madeline. It is a beautiful home and we’re continuing the restoration process. I’m looking forward to havine some familiar faces pay us a visit soon. (hint, hint)
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia
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What a beautiful new home, Patricia! I can just imagine how much fun you’ll have entertaining all the guests with the stories of the Baers. What a fun innkeeper you’ll be!
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Thanks Jessica. I am indeed enjoying sharing my home with my guests. It’s still hard to believe that this big old place is my home, but it is. So far, everyone’s been very nice and has really enjoyed the home and the food. I guess I’ll just keep doing more of that.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope some day you’ll visit me in Mississippi.
Patricia
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I’ve been dying to get back here and leave a few words. I’m so excited for the new life you are building. Change is good … it can be scary but you can deal with that. Baer House is exquisite and I wish you and your husband happiness and success with this endeavour. I’m pretty sure there will be some good stories to write!
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OMG! What an awesome home. And you get to live and work there. I absolutely adore the ballroom and all of those magnificent shelves. I have always wanted a library with wall-to-wall-to-wall bookshelves. I am new to your site, so I have no idea why you and hubby took this on, but it sounds glorious. I love your photos of this amazing house. You certainly found a gem. If you do a writer’s retreat, though I am in Ohio,I would be interested, especially if it were kid lit (still writing is basically writing at its core). I wish you much luck and wisdom in your new B&B endeavor.
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