Historic Auburn closed for repairs, improvements

NATCHEZ — As the scaffolding surrounding the house shows, city-owned historic Auburn is closed for renovations.

Carter Burns, director of the Historic Natchez Foundation, and Mimi Miller, director emeritus at the foundation, said they are excited about the work being done, particularly the return of the toruses at the bottom of Auburn’s columns.

A torus is a donut-shaped piece of moulding, typically found at the bottom of columns.

“We have a photo of the house from 1880 with the toruses in place. By 1890, they were gone,” Miller said.

Carter suspects the toruses developed some moisture problems and were removed at some point.

“The shutterwork is complete, and they are back on Auburn. However, we are also rebuilding the back steps,” he said. Those steps were dangerous, Miller said.

The $280,000 grant funding the work is from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Community Heritage Grant, which the foundation helped the city earn. The city is providing a 20 percent match.

The grant also funds renovations to the Billiards Hall, located next to Auburn, the pavilion, and two new bathrooms in it. It does not include the work to rebuild the back steps.

“The pavilion, which is the green building closer to the playground, was built in 1914 as a refreshment stand,” Burns said.

The Historic Natchez Foundation is managing Auburn again since Kevin and Laine Berry departed. The couple fulfilled their one-year contract with the foundation. The couple purchased Hope Farm and has focused fully on restoring it.

Hope Farm, built in 1775 and one of the oldest structures in Natchez, was significantly burned in March 2023. Owner Ethel Banta died in the fire. The Berrys bought the home in July 2023 and have poured themselves into restoring it.

“We asked them (Kevin and Laine Berry) to look at Hope Farm soon after it burned,” Miller said. “We got everything out of the wing of the house the very weekend it burned, but it was a little over a week before we could get the things out of the main house because fire investigators were still doing their work.

“We hoped they would be the right people to take it on. The minute they saw it, they wanted it. It was a great relief to us,” she said.

Burns said the Historic Natchez Foundation is in a much better position to resume management at Auburn, thanks to the Berrys’ work there.

“We appreciate all their work in organizing and operating Auburn. Once they acquired Hope Farm, that became where they were needed most,” he said. “Hope Farm is a massive project, and we are so grateful they have taken that project on. It needs their full-time attention.”

Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said he is grateful to the Berrys, too.

“They helped provide great support we needed during the transition from the Friends of Auburn to the Historic Natchez Foundation, and their continued investment in Natchez and what they are doing at Hope Farm will impact Natchez greatly for many years.”

Gibson said he is thankful for the Historic Natchez Foundation and its work here.

“We have the expertise available to us from the Historic Natchez Foundation to properly care for this amazing asset that was entrusted to the city more than 100 years ago. Thanks to the leadership of Carter Burns and Mimi Miller and the generous involvement of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, this landmark is finally getting the attention it deserves,” Gibson said.

Kevin and Laine Berry said it was an honor to step in and fill the role at Auburn.

“We were so honored to partner with the City of Natchez and the Historic Natchez Foundation as temporary conservators at Auburn,” Laine and Kevin Berry said. “We intended to give both the City and the HNF time to make long-term plans for Auburn while helping to move conservation and preservation efforts for the property forward.

“During that year, we were also searching for our ‘forever’ home here in Natchez, and Hope Farm became available. The HNF contacted us about the project, and once we saw it and met the Banta family, we knew it was the project for us.

“We are so thrilled to be restoring a property that is so incredibly important not only to the history of Natchez but really to the entire region,” the Berrys said. “It is a monumental project and, as such, requires all of our attention and then some. We hope that within the next year, we’ll be able to move in and enjoy the next decades of our lives here in this beautiful city in a remarkable home.

“We are so honored to have been able to be part of the rich history of Auburn, its maintenance and care, and have a small hand in its preservation. We are so thrilled to see the restoration efforts continuing so that the residents of the city can enjoy it for years to come,” the Berrys said.

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