The Ruins of Windsor, Mississippi

Windsor Plantation in Claiborne County was one of the most magnificnet antebellum mansions to survive the War Between the States. But what the War did not do, was accomplished by a careless smoker in 1890. Thirty-five years after the War ended, on February 17, 1890, Windsor burned to the ground.

All that was left were a few pieces of china, 23 ghostly columns and some of the wrought iron balustrade. Originally there were 29 columns, standing 45-feet tall.Windsor was built by Smith Coffee Daniell II, from 1859-1861. The mansion had 25 rooms and 25 fireplaces on four stories. Attic tanks supplied water for the baths in a day when indoor plumbing was a novelty. In the basement was a schoolroom, a dairy and supply rooms.

The War Between the States broke out about the time the mansion was completed and the observatory on the roof was used to signal Confederate troops about Union advances. The building survived the War in part because Union troops used it as a hospital after they occupied the area.

Several films have used these dramatic columns as a backdrop. These include Raintree Country, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. The ruins are on County Road #18, about twelve miles south of Windsor. There is a small parking area and when we were there no one else was around. There is an interpretative marker which helps tell the story.

The ruins are always open and admission is free. There are no visitor facilities, other than a small parking lot. The site is administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.