Monmouth Plantation History Lesson

Following the birth of his first child in 1826, General John A. Quitman paid $12,000 for Monmouth, a two-story Federal-style brick mansion built in 1818.

Though the Mexican War hero was born in New York, he had made his fortune in Mississippi and his wife Eliza came from one of the state’s most prominent families. Quitman had embraced enthusiastically the Southern way of life and strongly advocated secession; though he died before the hostilities of the Civil War, Union soldiers remembered Quitman’s sympathies and treated Monmouth roughly. His daughters saved the house from destruction only by pledging loyalty to the United States. Monmouth remained in Quitman’s family until just after his daughter Rose died in 1914.

By the 1970s when we purchased Monmouth, the house was in serious decline. We undertook a complete restoration, and exhaustively returned Monmouth to the Antebellum Splendor General Quitman knew.

For more hisorical information on Monmouth visit our website @ www.monmouthplantation.com

Kindest regards,

Lani & Ron