Curb Appeal ~ Southern Style

You never know what lagniappe awaits you in small towns across America, especially the small towns of the South.  I love exploring "off the beaten path" Mississippi towns, in hopes of capturing a little of their southern grace and hospitality in pictures, as reflected in the "curb appeal" of the houses there.

Curb appeal is a popular subject these days of the home and garden TV shows, and during my ramblings I have discovered that curb appeal, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Webster's defines "curb appeal" as "the visual attractiveness of a house as seen from the street" ... and I have found that some houses have a way of catching your attention by seeming to welcome you and beckon you to "come sit a spell."

From primitive country cabins ... to charming little cottages ... to the grand antebellum mansions of Natchez and Vicksburg ... I have gathered quite a collection of pictures of houses whose curb appeal  epitomizes what southern hospitality is all about.  

I'd like to share some of those pictures, but first, let's talk a walk through an imaginary neighborhood in  "Small Town, Mississippi," and see some of the lagniappe I've captured along the way.  Like this lovely  Wisteria arbor (and the picket fence and flowers shown in the distance, too) ...

I love gazing balls, and found this one "floating" amongst a rose garden  ...

Cottage gardens always catch my eye ...

And it just doesn't get any better than a cottage garden

with an arbor and collection of birdhouses to welcome guests!

And speaking of "welcoming guests" ... notice the table and chairs set up in the cottage garden of this colorful cottage.  And if you click on the picture, you can see the "twig fence" that encloses the garden.  Talk about "curb appeal!"

A colorful cottage garden graces this cheerful little house in Vicksburg ... 

Bottle trees are a common sight in southern gardens, and come in all shapes, sizes, and styles ...

I found this lovely lady in the center of a courtyard, all decked out in her Easter bonnet (and little else!), waiting to welcome visitors to the Natchez Spring Pilgrimage.

Oh, how I wanted to walk along this beautiful

meandering path and see the rest of that glorious garden.

I couldn't resist stopping to smell the roses growing on this charming picket fence ...

But enough lagniappe!  Let's look at some of the houses I've captured in pictures that, to me, are overflowing with curb appeal -- southern style!

I love this pretty house in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, with its vine-covered arbor and twin Japanese Maple trees welcoming guests ...

Patriotism is alive and well in Port Gibson, Mississippi ... 

I also found this little Victorian in Port Gibson, and was immediately drawn to its beautiful Mexican Petunias, brick sidewalk, and picketed gateway ...

This country cabin in the Louisiana Delta, had a cornfield for a backyard.  The front yard was begging to have its picture taken, and I was happy to accommodate it ...

From country cabins to the more formal facades of the grand houses of Natchez ... I love them all.

This next picture features Myrtle Terrace, ca 1844, Natchez, as seen through its ornate iron gate ... 

Stately Stanton Hall, ca 1857, Natchez

Rosalie, ca 1823, Natchez
I hereby nominate Rosalie as "The Queen of Southern Curb Appeal"
It just doesn't get any better than this, Y'all!


"Faded Grandeur," but this old house still has curb appeal, as far as I'm concerned ...

Although not as grand as the historic houses of Natchez,
this cottage is brimming with southern charm ...


Picket fence, huge Crape Myrtle, Azaleas, and Flag ... this one has it all!

Raymond, Mississippi
Love the white iron fence and elegant gate!

Sweet little porch ... Raymond

Curb Appeal, Canton, Mississippi Style

The Priestly House, ca 1852

Vanity Castle, ca 1896, Canton

I love this pretty almost-hidden red chair beckoning to passersby on a quiet street in Vicksburg.

And these "painted ladies" of Vicksburg are sure to turn heads ...

Two huge magnolia trees welcome visitors to this

lovely southern home in Yazoo City, Mississippi.

And last, but not least, are these two pretty houses I found in Crystal Springs, Mississippi ... 

If you are a southerner, you may live in a house like the ones I've shared here, or perhaps there are houses in your neighborhood that reflect the traditions and culture handed down from generation to generation of southerners who grew up in a kinder, gentler world where picket fences, porch swings and rocking chairs, slamming screen doors, American flags, azaleas, and magnolias were taken for granted ... long before the term "curb appeal" was created.

I think I just described Mayberry, didn't I!

Mississippi Country Roads (A Slideshow)

Mississippi Country Roads A Slideshow Presentation {Turn your sound up if you'd like to hear the music}

A Place Called Raymond - Part II

Thank you for joining me for "the rest of the story" about my recent visit to "a place called Raymond." If you haven't read Part I, you might want to scroll down or click here to read it first.

I'd like to begin with pictures of a few of the old houses in Raymond, the first of which is the restored Porter House.

Originally constructed in the late 1820s or early 1830s, the house was moved from its original location and lovingly and painstakingly restored. Today, it is also called "Cedarwood," and serves as a lovely Bed and Breakfast.

Next door to Cedarwood, is the Gillespie House. Built around the turn-of-the century, it is a classic example of Victorian architecture ...

I know I shouldn't, but I covet this rocking bench!

The backyard of the Gillespie House is reminiscent of the backyards found within the pages of an old Eudora Welty novel ...

Don't you just love those old clothesline poles with the trellises embellishing them!

I didn't have to drive far to find more "lagniappe" in the form of these pretty little birdhouses and unique weather vane. A lot of imagination and talent went into their creation ...

There are so many lovely houses in Raymond, but these in particular caught my eye ...

The "Blue Victorian Cottage"

The "Blue Victorian Cottage" is located near the abandoned "Little J" railroad line. Since the advent of Victorian architecture corresponded with the popularity of the railroad system in America, many of the Victorian homes, such as the Blue Victorian Cottage, were located along the railroad tracks.

In “times gone by,” former residents of the Blue Victorian Cottage could hear the whistle of the train as it rounded the bend and prepared for its stop at the Raymond Depot.

I love the wide veranda on this beautiful house ...

This house is gorgeous, and the elegant fence and gate just add to its perfection ...

Dogwoods and azaleas were in full bloom all over town ...

There was one more stop I wanted to make before I headed home -- the Confederate Cemetery south of town.

The Battle of Raymond was fought by Confederate and Union soldiers near Raymond on May 12, 1863, as part of General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign during the Civil War. The Confederate Cemetery is the final resting place of 140 soldiers mortally wounded in that battle.

In 1985, an effort was initiated to identify the Confederate dead of the Battle of Raymond. A total of 109 were found, based upon the Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers in the National Archives, to have been killed or mortally wounded on the Raymond battlefield (the Union dead at Raymond were removed after the war by the federal government and re-interred in the National Cemetery at Vicksburg).

After leaving the cemetery, I headed toward home (Vicksburg), and enjoyed the colorful wisteria vines draping the trees and fences along the roadside ...

About halfway between Raymond and Vicksburg, is a very small town called Utica.

The area was first settled in the late 1700s, mainly because of its good water and close proximity to the Natchez Trace. It was first known as Cane Ridge due to the large thickets of cane growing in the area, but the name was later changed to Utica in honor of one of the early residents who hailed from Utica, New York.

Utica was once a thriving railroad town that had a huge truck crop industry, along with timber and sawmills. The town at one point had over one hundred businesses, an opera house, and three newspapers!

Sadly, those days of prosperity are gone now, but as a result of my rambling photo shoots, I have discovered that it doesn't matter how small or prosperous a town is, you can always find something of interest to photograph.

One of the first things that caught my eye was this old bell at the Utica Cemetery on the outskirts of town. It's not as picturesque as the church bell in Raymond, but it does have character, don't you think? ...

I like this old house which is on Main Street in downtown Utica. After researching it, I discovered that it is called the "Ellis Price Mansion," and was built before the Civil War ...

Just across the street from the mansion is the oldest structure still standing in Utica, the Woodmen of the World building which was built in 1885 ...

It is now the home of the Cane Ridge Antiques shop, which specializes in the restoration of authentic antique furniture. Of course, it was just my luck that it was closed when I was there Monday morning, but I looked in the windows and saw all kinds of stuff I'd like to go back and see "up close" sometime.

This is another building that caught my eye. I love its faded and peeling blue paint and ornate architectural details. Unfortunately, I don't know its history, but I'm sure it's quite old ...

This concludes my adventures in Raymond and Utica, and I hope you enjoyed hearing about them and seeing them through the lens of my camera as much as I did. I always learn something new about the places I visit on my photo shoots, even though I've passed through them many times before. And that's just one of the reasons I love blogging.

{If you would like to see a slideshow of my photos of Raymond, please click on the "A Place Called Raymond" slideshow on my sidebar}

Sincerely,