So here’s part two of the virtual tour of the house that Leona built.
If you’ll recall, we left off in the awesome entry hallway downstairs that separates the front door from the back door. Let’s all go upstairs and take a peek into a few of the guest rooms.
Our first stop will be the Tara Room. I should let you know that currently all of the rooms are named after Gone With the Wind characters or houses, which are characters in their own right. However, we will probably be changing the names at some point in the future. We’re shooting for a more Mississippi themed house and Gone With the Wind was not set in Vicksburg or anywhere in Mississippi, although it is an epic Southern based media phenomenon.
So, back to the Tara Room:
This room has a lovely queen-sized 4-poster bed, a sparkling Austrian crystal chandelier, and a non-working fireplace. It has it’s own private bath and sits toward the back of the home.
Next we’ll visit the Rhett Room:
This room has a queen-sized canopy bed as well as a day bed, however, in just a couple of weeks, a 4-poster twin bed will replace the daybed. It also has a non-working fireplace. It shares a bathroom with the Pineapple Room. The bathroom is across the hall because both the Rhett and the Pineapple rooms are in the oldest part of the home, the side that has no plumbing on either the first or the second floors. These are the largest guest rooms in the house.
Next, we’ll visit the Pineapple Room:
This room is also on the older side of the home and has floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls. It has a king-size bed and, for now, the 4-poster twin bed that will be moved into the Rhett room, when we pick up the full-sized 4-poster bed we just purchased for this room. Like the other three rooms we’ve visited, it has a non-working fireplace. This room is usually allocated to brides for their use before wedding ceremonies conducted at the home, since it is so spacious and has lots of light from the four windows.
Take a peek back down the upstairs hallway as we go back across to the newer side of the home to the Bonnie Blue Room:
Those cabinets on the left are built in and original to the home.
Let’s step into the Bonnie Blue Room, my favorite guest room:
This room, situated in the front of the house, has an impressive king-size bed and a small sitting area in the sunny bay window. This room was Lazarus and Leona’s bedroom when they occupied the home in the late 1870’s. It has a private bathroom, obviously added at some point after the home was originally constructed, and a lovely Austrian crystal chandelier. This is the only guest room upstairs that does not have an original fireplace. We believe it is covered up by built-in cabinets and shelving, added in the 1970’s when the entire home housed law offices and a law library in the current ballroom.
There are two more guest rooms, but it was difficult to photograph them since the lighting is not very good in those rooms at this point. We are upgrading our website and have a local photographer coming to take some professional shots so I’ll post those at some point in the future.
There is an upstairs porch on the back side, shown below, and a balcony in the front of the house, but you’ll have to experience that for yourself when you visit.
So that’s the end of our tour today. I hope you enjoyed this second glimpse of my new home. But, I hope even more that you’ll book a reservation to come experience the ambiance and grandeur for yourself. The front porch swing is a lovely place to sit and sip a glass of wine in the evenings.
So, what did you think? Which room do you want to stay in when you visit? Have a favorite? Any suggestions for re-naming the rooms? We’re trying to go with names and themes associated with Mississippi and it’s history. I’d love to hear your suggestions. I’ll even award a $10 Amazon gift card for any suggestions we decide to use.
As, always, thanks for visiting and your continued support.
Word of the Day: Azimuth
Fun Fact About Me: I’ve never been fond of cats. (Sorry CJ.)
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, August 2015. Original photos by P. Rickrode, August 2015.
I love it! The Bonnie Blue Room is my favorite too, followed closely by the Tara Room. I do wonder how the Pineapple Room came to be. I don’t recall any pineapples in Gone with the Wind. If you’re going with a Mississippi theme for new names, you could try cities (Jackson, Biloxi, Gulfport, etc.) or things the state is known for (magnolia, river, mockingbird, etc.). Or if you wanted to use the literature theme, The Help (I’m thinking Skeeter, Aibileen, Mae Mobley, Minny, Hilly, etc.) and The Sound and the Fury (Benjy, Caddy, Compson, Quentin, etc.) were both set in Mississippi. I’m sure you’re going to have a great time coming up with new names for the rooms, Patricia!
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Great minds do indeed think alike Jessica. I’ve already got the River Room and the Magnolia Room on the list as possibilities as well as the Cotton Room, cotton being the most important crop prior to the War Between the States. Other possibilities include the Mark Twain Room, although my husband keeps arguing that Mark Twain wasn’t from Mississippi and he’s too “modern” for the house. I’m also leaning toward a Blues Room, but nothing is confirmed yet.
Thanks for stopping by today and offering suggestions. I shall consider them all.
Have a great week.
Patricia
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So beautiful! I love that you’re planning to rename the rooms based on local history. I so want to visit sometime – I even looked it up, and it’s an 11-hour drive O.o –which is doable, but not sure when. Also, saw on the website to indicate if we’re traveling with children or pets–so your place is pet-friendly???
As a side note, my husband is not fond of cats either…
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Thanks Jennette, I think the idea of changing things up a bit is a good one, although soooooo many people are fans of Gone With the Wind. If only Tara actually existed in Mississippi, I might keep them. But then again, I just like change and I like to call things my own ideas too, especially if they’re good ones.
As far as pet friendly – we could work something out. Our dog is here, but he is confined to certain areas of the house. Some folks are allergic so we have to keep the common areas and rentable rooms dander free if possible. I think we could accommodate Isis though. There is a room in the current Sherlock zone that would work.
Just let me know when you’re coming so I can stock up on Mountain Dew. Dog treats are always in abundant supply.
As always, thanks for visiting.
Patricia
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I oohed and ahed while admiring your pictures. So gorgeous! I love the gleaming wood floors. When I visit Baer House, I’ll take the Bonnie Blue room, thank you very much. 🙂 As far as names go, I don’t know anything about Mississippi other than I *think* Mark Twain hung out there, so there’s no help from my end. I’m sure you’ll come up with some native, creative titles. Thanks for sharing your amazing house with us!
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Well thanks for taking the tour my friend. I hope some day you’ll get to experience this amazing house for yourself. I’ll have the gluten free breakfast hot and waiting for you after a good night’s sleep in the Bonnie Blue – or perhaps Mark Twain – room.
Thanks for taking the tour today. Have a great rest of the week.
Patricia
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Beautiful! The rooms are lovely and spacious and the furniture is stunning. That bed in the Bonnie Blue Room? Wow! You’ve taken on an impressive project. I like your idea to give the rooms southern-related names but not sticking to one specific theme. I think River, Magnolia and Cotton are brilliant. Perhaps a Mockingbird Room? A Faulkner Room? The Color Purple? Thanks for bringing us along on your adventure!
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Isn’t this old house lovely? I hope you can some see it someday for yourself. We’ve having so much fun shopping for replacement stuff and other improvements; but vintage lace is outrageously expensive.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the tour. I’ve still got some fun stuff to share down the road.
As always, thanks for your support.
Patricia
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Okay, okay, I won’t bring my cats when I visit. (As if that were a consideration; they despise car rides.) Your guest bedrooms are gorgeous. Those chandeliers, gleaming floors, high ceilings! I like your idea of naming rooms Magnolia, Cotton, and River. Along that same line, you could consider Delta, Riverboat, Blues Road, and Praline. I can’t wait to book my stay in the Baer House.
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Ahhhh – Blues Road! I like that. We were tossing around the idea of a Blues Room, but I like Blues Road better. I think we might have a winner.
I hope you get a chance to come visit, Pat. I’d even accept your stupid – ah um – I mean, sweet cat. What a pity they don’t like car rides. (Tee hee)
Thanks for visiting today my friend. I hope you’re getting settled into your new place over there in Texas.
Patricia
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What a fabulous house! And I’ll take the Pineapple Room. Although Rhett was always one of my favorite heroes!
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Well come on down. I’ll have it ready for you.
Patricia
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I’m blown away by the grandeur of these rooms, Patricia! I’d die to have just one of those crystal chandeliers in my home!
There’s a B&B on the Left Coast that named its rooms for area authors and poets, and markets itself (in part) as a writers’ retreat. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a group book the entire Inn for a weekend, and use the ballroom for workshops and brainstorming sessions? With the extra beds in some of the rooms, it even makes it affordable for friends to double up.
Writers from MS: Charlaine Harris (Rhett’s red room would be awesome), John Grisham, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, etc.
It’s also cool that there’s the obvious tie-in to your alter-ego. ❤
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Funny you should mention that because we’re in the process of renaming and redecorating the rooms and one of them will be the Author’s room.
And, I’m already working on putting together a writers retreat so stay tuned.
Thanks for visiting.
Patricia
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I want to write on that upstairs porch! Also, I covet the built in cabinets in the upstairs hall. 🙂 Miss you girlie…I’m glad you’re having fun.
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I am indeed having fun. You can come write on my porch any ole time. In fact, I’m working on putting together a writer’s retreat so hopefully you can come see the house for yourself.
Miss you too, Stay out of the fire path down there.
Patricia
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How close are those fires to where you used to live?
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