Mark Twain visited the Windsor during his riverboat piloting days, and compared it to a college, due to its size. Later, he would write of its elegance in his book, "Life on the Mississippi."(1883)
He also wrote about some land we own now. Shawnee Village was a very bad place. Twain said to never stay overnight. John Murrell used this place as hideout. Several times up to 14 men were killed during those days. He also made his own money and was big into the slave trade.
I found Windsor in the early 1990s. It was remote, off the beaten path and no one else was there. It was a seminal experience for me. It was a private visit and very moving. And sad. I wish with all of my heart that I could have seen & experienced it as it was.
You know what I like so much about your videos Mr. Skinner? At first it was your personal touch as narrator, but then I realized it's also because you tell the truth to your best ability - without prejudice, gossip, and sensationalism. If there are "rumors" you say that's what they are. It adds a bit of local flavor, and some of it may be true. True or not, it adds to the story-telling and it always keeps me coming back for more.
What a kind remark, Mr. Skinner. I thought I was incognito, ha. I used to have long auburn hair, but as you can tell...there is now snow on the mountain - but still warmth in my heart. You sir, have made my day, month and year. Much respect and admiration from north central NC.
@@hankrogers8431 He repeatedly said that slaves were used there. He also said that slave labor was used to make the bricks that the column bases were made of. There was no attempt to whitewash anything. I'm not sure what you are upset about.
I was able to meet a Great Grandaughter of the owner of this place. I have been there a couple of times many years ago. The trees have really changed since I was there last. Good job doing this video. Thank you
Excellent narration, it would have been just some images of old ruins, but the great narration brought the story of these ruins to life and explained so much, thank you.
What a story. What service and life that house supported. What a genuinely sad story. Thank you, Jerry Skinner. You are a wonderful story teller! ❤️❤️❤️
Those columns are absolutely stunning! :-D As a Texas woman of deep Southern roots, old buildings and plantations have always spoken to my soul. Your videos are always so wonderfully narrated and I love to learn the history of the places you visit. :-)
@@orangecountyanthony1613 you've been watching too much CNN. Turn off the TV and pickup a book. And how judgemental to think you know the truth of Lee's soul. A man dead for over 140 years. Please, enlighten us all with more scraps of wisdom. Lol!
Yes, this is so sad!! Stunning work, "plantation" homes are just another name for the time period . I love the older Victorian, Antebellum, and craftsman home, the craftsmanship is amazing, can't find that nowadays, no one takes pride in their work
Thank you, sir, for this video. My family is from about 4 miles from here, but I grew up mostly in Jackson. We used to ride our bikes to Windsor when we'd visit in the Summer. I love visiting this place, and bringing my kids here when we visit Mississippi. Crazy as this sounds, I swear I can feel and hear our ancestors around Windsor. Very emotional and sorrowful place. Thank you.
My Husband and I visited Windsor June of 2015. I was on our list of 'to see' places and it did not disappoint. It rates 10+ on my scale of 1-10. Thanks you for sharing such a wonderfully done piece of work.
Thanks Jerry I grew up in Jackson and we had a lake house and deer hunting land across the river at Lake Bruin Louisiana from WWII till the mid 70s when my dad moved up to the Nashville area. It was always a treat to take the ferry rather than Vicksburg Tallulah which instead took us by Windsor which as you pointed out even then was more cleared for cotton and cattle as I recall. It’s now forested, as I’ve taken my own kids down several times and stayed at Cane Mount plantation down the Rodney rd. Around 2002...There is no other places which so captures the Old South in the Cotton states as does Windsor Ruins.....ghosts of the Mississippi was a book of all the old homes as well...nothing like the movie of course Thanks for your efforts.
Thank you, Mr. Skinner. My mother was a Daniell and grew up in Tensas Parish, La., just across the river. Your stories are consistent with all the family stories. Some of the original property is still owned by Daniell ancestors, and a small amount is still owned by ancestors of slaves from the old plantation. There were Skinners who were family friends, but I don't recall the relationships. It is embarrassing that our family exploited slaves, and we wish slavery had never existed. If other family members would like to trade information, contact me.
Thank you for this wonderful story of the Windsor Ruins. I love your way of telling the history without prejudice. You make the past come back to life with all the interesting details you find. Keep up the great work !
@@hankrogers8431 what are you talking about??? This plantation was built over 160 years ago. Slavery was commonplace at the time. Many in the North were sympathetic to the Southern way of life. We fought a war over it. Over 500,000 Americans died to settle the dispute. No one is "whitewashing" anything. Get over yourself!
@@msh6865 that is why your white world is crumbling as we speak. The sun is going to fry most of you. And THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST. PRAISE YAH!
@@charlesmarilynbillington3532 I betcha whites will stay as privileged as they always were though. You hate us cuz you ain't us. And that will never change.
What an AMAZING place! I’m watching from my home in San Antonio and yet I feel a connection. I’m a woman, a mother, a caregiver, a nester. What a fighter Catherine must have been! So many valiant women we don’t know. Thanks to you, sir, we know her.
l love watching and listening to you. You have amazing details and at the end of your videos I am not left with unanswered questions. I was born and raised in Germany,I have learned so much from you.
I remember going there as a kid on a summer vacation to Vicksburg with my family, it’s amazing they are still standing, thanks Mr Skinner for another history lesson
It's insane to burn down such a building: The amount of human labor (thousands and thousands of hours of human life!) that went into building it - absolutely foolish and irresponsible to burn it down!
@@RemiStardust 8:06 I think it says it was an accidental fire in 1890. It is my understanding that house fire was a ever-present danger in eras past, due to the common use of fire from heating, cooking, and lighting. But you are right, the loss was great.
My family lives out on Highway 28 between Fayette and Union Church, and we went to this place several times when I was young. I was excited to hear the story in your voice. Thank you so much for sharing.
Visited Windsor during the fall of 1970 or so while first hubby was stationed in Biloxi. We took a long weekend trip to visit Vicksburg, Natchez, Port Gibson and Windsor. I have a black and white photo of me and two of my hubby's Air Force buddies. All of them were stationed in Biloxi-Gulf Port after Hurricane Camille. We found the grounds, which were not fenced in at that time, hauntingly beautiful. There was a sharecropper who lived nearby and he came to find out if we were up to any mischief. All in all a very satisfactory visit.
I'm pleased to hear it burnt down regardless of how beautiful & magnificent it was, it represents hardship, misery, segregation, degradation, & humiliation.
Even the discovered sketch is a masterpiece! These ruins, though not so ancient, remind me of classic antiquity. Your mind gets enough information to inspire significant imagination. And yet, it's gone forever.
This was so informative, detailed and respectful! It bothers me when people come to locations like this and smile and give off so much excitement. It’s disturbing but you did this so tastefully. I definitely appreciate it. People suffered there and you didn’t take it lightheartedly but you also acknowledged the beauty of the location which the enslaved built/detailed. Beautifully done sir!!! If you aren’t a historian that is definitely something you should be looking into. Your voice alone just makes a person want to sit on the floor and listen for hours!
@@johnn251 Must be that poor southern education that failed to help you distinguish between man and monkey. Even with smartphones some of y’all are still dumb as hell
This is beautifully done! Thank you. It reminds me a bit of Hamilton Palace in Scotland. A massive building, destroyed by one event, leaving only a few stark reminders of what was.
SW Mississippi State Hwy 552, 35 mi South of Vicksburg and 12 mi South Ft Gibson. *Windsor Ruins* Smith Coffee Daniels, II - age 34 Katherine Skinner Freeland Daniels, 33 (at time of Husband's passing), 3 of 7 children survived. Iron work on banisters fabricated in St Louis, column detail by craftsmen in the North East. Gen Grant was a Guest on the Property - (Mrs Daniels had sat up hospital to care for wounded Soldiers, and she worked treating Union Soldiers) 25 years later the house burned. 4 floors - 23 rooms w/fireplaces, indoor plumbing, Ballroom on 4th floor, Bedrooms on 3rd. Actual sketch was found in file of Union Soldier - the man had drawn the houaw when regimen was camped on the site. 💫
ChrisGeez this place predates America as we know it. Check out Jon Levi’s channel. He just did a story on this. Our history IS NOT what we’ve been told.
Fascinating insight into the real "South""; the Civil War, the people who were likely to own/build such a magnificent structure and a glimpse of what life was like, for some people, during the 1800's. Truly fascinating viewing! Thank you, Jerry Skinner.
DEAREST MR. SKINNER! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE VIDEO! THE WINDSOR RUINS, THEY ARE MY, AND MY CHILDREN'S, FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT, AT THIS END OF THE TRACE! WE WOULD DRIVE DOWN TO NATCHEZ, THEN COME UP THE TRACE, AND BACK TO JACKSON! MY CHILDREN ARE AROUND 40 YEARS OLD NOW!!! WE TRACED MY OWN CHILDHOOD VISITS, THAT WAS JUST ME AND MY MOM! WE HAVE BROUGHT FRIENDS, AND NEW FAMILY MEMBERS ON THIS JOURNEY... HOW I WISHED I HAD HAD YOUR WONDERFUL LOVING VIDEO, AT THOSE TIMES! CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE!!! THANK YOU AGAIN! AND GOD BLESS YOUR TRAVELS! AM INCLUDING IT IN SEVERAL THINGS I HAVE ABOUT THE TRACE!
Shirley Bridges Shirley i think the Windsor Ruins, and The Ghost of Annandale is my favorite video. I like things with a story. We think alike. Thanks, Jerry
Please stop haranging people who use all caps. Some have vision problems and cannot read in regular computer text settings so they need to type in all caps in order to check their typing.
@@suenetteedwards5965 it's harder to read all caps, which is why it's great for headlines but not body copy. I agree with your understanding attitude too!!!
@@stogler It is an historic site, idiot. I guess you feel less a person because crumbly columns still stand? Or do you want to erase history? It wasn't glorious, but it is the truth. Oh, I forgot, Democrats want to destroy history, then the Constitution, then Institute SOCIALISM.
@@marielevine604 To be honest, I'm not sure what you're referring to. Native Americans? My great grandfather was one. My great grandmother German. My other great grandfather Irish...straight from Ireland. My other great grandmother, British. I want to be clear, I do not think history should be "white washed" at all. Like the Black ladies at NASA...if anybody still thought there was an intellectual shortcoming....their contributions were phenomenal. Slavery was disgusting, some plantations very cruel...beyond enslavement. Some tried to keep families together, and treatment was more humane than others. Was the practice wrong and did it stain our country? Yes, absolutely. But, I want the truth told. A Black councilman in Charlottesville, VA said Thomas Jefferson raped Sally Hemmings. I do not believe that at all. Hemmings had a remarkable resemblance to Martha Jefferson. I believe Jefferson and Hemmings were in love. But, the times barred him from marriage. She was kept close...no doubt they spent time together each day. Was Hemmings still a slave? Sadly, yes. Did Jefferson believe in Slavery? Apparently he didn't, even if he owned slaves himself. History has many contradictions....like Robert E Lee...he WAS an honorable man...he sided with Virginia ONLY because it was the place of his birth. You cannot view history from the present and come to a understanding of why people did what they did. But, you cannot use the mistakes of history cause hatred in the modern world. There will always be prejudiced people. Even the Irishman was treated with hatred at one time. It takes everybody to try to make things better by giving respect to most everyone you meet....and, let time tell if they keep it.
I am from the U.K. and was just making a comment on what a stunning building it must have been. I didn’t expect a storm, America start appreciating one another instead of hating. Hate is destructive and never sees good in anything.
my family is from Lorman, MS...3 houses down from the Old Country Store...Arthur Davis owner...Mason and Winchester family...lost contact with fam after my great grandmother Martha Winchester passed she was 106 when she passed...it was in the Natchez Gazette
@@fit4u679 its the same sounding word moron. English is NOT the grand architect of speech. Sure , make it the you are version to be grammatically correct. Why dont ya care about being morally correct?
I've always been haunted by the beauty and history of Windsor plantation ever since I first saw it in Raintree Country starring the late Montgomery Clift and beautiful Elizabeth Taylor. Glad it's on the National Register of Historic Homes as we need to remember to not take a wrecking ball to beautiful old historic homes, hotels, inns and restaurants because once they're all gone there is no getting them back! So please support the National Trust for Historic Preservation, very important! We need to preserve our history and buildings like they do in Europe and Asia, too! Thanks for sharing this fascinating site and history, much appreciated!♥♥
EXTREMELY interesting. So glad I found this channel. Like many magnificent structures it doesn't look so good when you remember that it was built by slaves. I have seen plantation houses in Arkansas and none of them could touch this. Btw it may please you to know that Grant may not have continuously occupied his tomb. It received complete renovation and his and his wife's coffins may have been removed for safekeeping during that time. There is a riddle that people used to pull on the unwary, asking, "Who's buried in Grant's tomb?" Surprisingly few of them caught on. That's New York for you. I'm surprised that the ruins haven't been pulled down by vandals and unscrupulous history buffs. I look forward to watching your other videos. This is fantastic.
The capitals atop the columns are in the Greco-Roman style called Acanthus leaf, meant to complement the plaster fluting of the ionic columns. Ionic columns were noted to be uniform in their diameter from top to bottom as opposed to the smooth Doric columns which were wide at the base and had an 'entesis' slightly above center (this was the point at which the column began to change) and was narrower at the top, with a more plain capital of smaller proportion. I was so happy to hear it took part in the making of "Raintree County" one of my favorite films. It's theme song has haunted me from the first time I heard it, something so appropriate for the Grande d'âme that these stately ruins behold now. I believe it would be so peaceful to spend the day on her steps and gaze across her inner lawn, dreaming of Elizabeth and her family in their heyday. Yet something bittersweet comes back upon the breezes that blow there, a heady sweet silence, reminiscent of the war's end, when so many souls came home no more. Tell me, how is it that a stranger can sense so much in the quiet of the hallowed halls now gone, but not forgotten? I feel like I can hear her whispering, and I think it has a lot to do with the compassion of my guide. Thank you, Mr. Springer, for such a lovely walk in Mississippi's history. 🙋 ⌛
Great job my Southern Brother for keeping Southern history alive!! From Virginia to Texas and all points in between.......We are the most grand and beautiful area of the United States
The house must have been magnificent in its time! When the columns first appeared in your video, I thought of "Raintree County"! I'm so glad to hear that Windsor was the location for that scene in the movie. Thank you so much for sharing the beauty and the history of the Windsor Ruins. Best wishes to you.
I went twice in 2008 & 2009. Nobody was around. it was peaceful, not spooky at all. I went all over - no barriers can stop someone when nobody is around. it's just a thin wire anyway. I'm not a destructive person so while I touched the bricks I caused no damage. I enjoyed my time there.
Yes. Very interesting. As I live far away from Missisippi and propably never I have the chance to visit such a places I enjoy very much of these kinds videos looking to people's daily life and learn also about historical landmarks I otherwise wouldn't never heard of. So thank you, sir here's a new member into your club from Finland. Durin the spring I am planning to start doing similar videos of my present hometown and the surroundings there's a lot of history in here too and beautiful nature. Maria.
When I was a little boy, I would play in some old wooden shacks behind the ruins. We called them 'slave quarters', but I don't really know what they were for. But they were old. The Live Oak spoken of is mentioned in the Civil War O.R. several times and is still there about 100 yards to the west of the house and is of immense size. All of it's great limbs touch the ground like an enormous octopus. We often had our 4th of July picnics in the shadow of those columns. Although the last war veteran had recently passed, there were still living widows of war veterans at that time. The war was still very fresh in the collective memory in those days.
Those giant southern oaks are beautiful. I live in a cold northern climate and even after a couple hundred years out oaks (and every other deciduous tree) don't even come close.
@@suzukibn1131 I doubt that you or the previous correspont dendent are of African American heritage. L am not either, but L can't thin of anything more hottible than families being separated permanenly babies bein torn from their mothyher' arms except maybethe Holocaust
@@elizabethhirshfeld9089 While I agree with your sentiment (I am African American), one can abhor the horrors of history and yet be fascinated at the same time. Not only am I a lover of history, but also a lover of architecture. As I watched this video I marveled at the beauty of the columns and the vastness of where the house once stood, while also mourning that this beautiful place was also likely the scene of horror for the people enslaved there. I appreciate the narrator mentioning the work of the enslaved, as so often these videos prefer not to mention slavery at all lest the snowflakes come out in droves to discuss the virtues of slavery and the honoring of slave owners because, well, they knew not what they were doing. *eye roll* I also get some comfort in the theory that perhaps a formerly enslaved individual burned the mutha to the ground. But I definitely understand where Mikey Mike is coming from. Horrors and all, southern history is fascinating.
It must be remembered that these antebellum homes and families were but a small fraction of the population in the South. Most people were farmers, tradesmen, and shopkeepers of small businesses.
Jill Asbill, yes the column started also with the idea of what happens at corners of buildings, the greeks, did learn from ideas from Minoan civilization, Egypt, but they didnt copy, they made something new, the Ionic, Doric, Corinthian order. Putting things into perspective you are looking at a a 2000 year old idea, that only one or two architects have added to in a meaningful or original way.
@@anotherbutt4chair454 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓅𝓎. that's is like saying the🤷 USA ANTHEM isnt a copy of ♬ God save the Queen♬ and America just randomly picked red|white |blue as the flag colors. cricket vs baseball. THE ONLY UNIQUE THINK THE GREEKS did was bring less professional artisan to carving game.
Well done and all well said. FASCINATING. Kia ora (Greetings) from New Zealand/Aotearoa. I love to read and hear history from all over our world. This was a pleasure to behold. Thank you so very much.
Very interesting. I enjoy architectural history. Thank you for posting this video. Seeing these ruins reminded me of Rome, Italy. The very top of the pillars are called capitals. There are Doric, Ionic and Corinthian capitals on top of pillars. The ones here are Corinthian capitals. I learned a great deal about architecture when I worked at the Cornelius Vanderbilt Estate in Newport, Rhode Island. The estate is called The Breakers. Not to be confused with the one in Florida. Anderson Cooper’s late mother Gloria Vanderbilt grew up in The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island.
Awesome videos as i love all historical location . as you do i do the same thing on civil war location and bridges again great video i subbed im ready for the next one
Hi Jerry. I very much enjoy your programs and find the history of the USA extremely interesting. We English sometimes take history and historical sites for granted as there are so many and anything less than 500 years old is comparatively new! Having family in the N. East USA has encouraged an interest in American history so I have researched some of your country's and it is fascinating especially the period of the war between the states. its a real pity so much heritage was lost during this period imagine what an asset such a property could be now. I have visited the US a couple of times and whilst many of your towns and cities have developed comparatively recently there is always something left of the old times, often hidden away or even right in the middle of modern development. I I'm sure you have a similar system to ourselves where things can be listed as of historical importance and preserved;? Best wishes from the UK and thank you for your films they are very interesting and a pleasure to watch and I'm slowly working my way through them.
What are your feelings about the Revolutionary war of the USA gaining it's independence from Britain? I thought the fact that the states were so under manned and equipped made it the most fascinating war on US soil. It allowed a great nation to be born.
