In 1877 Sarah Dorsey invited Jefferson Davis to live in a cottage on the grounds of Beauvoir, her beach front property. Life had not been easy for Davis after the end of the Civil War and he decided to stay at Beauvoir and write his memoirs to help support his family. When Sarah died in 1879 she left all of her property to Davis. The Davis family lived in Beauvoir until Jefferson Davis’s death in 1889.
The house and outbuildings were severely damaged by Katrina. The outbuildings have been reconstructed. The main house, although damaged, was still intact enough to be repaired. A large new library/museum has been built. Visitors can take a house tour which includes the grounds, library, and museum or just visit the grounds which includes the library and museum. We were more interested in the history than the house so we opted to the see the grounds and museum. Unfortunately the history is lacking. The displays are sparse and very little information is given. The museum is new so hopefully this will improve with time.
The grounds includes a rose garden, a cemetery from the time that the property was a Confederate soldiers’ home, and a small menagerie of free roaming animals. The sight and sound of my wheelchair traveling across the grass made the animals think a food cart was coming and we were soon in the middle a little stampede of goats, ponies, llamas, and even a camel! All of the animals are friendly and gentle.
The museum is accessible. The house has a lift but it was not working when we visited. The grounds are accessible with help. The paths are surfaced with loose sand and large gravel.
The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Beauvoir
30.39368, -88.96956
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