Tea at Trianon: Inside Choctaw Hall

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, December 1, 2025

Inside Choctaw Hall

Doorway of Choctaw Hall decorated for Christmas

Piano, harp, and marble bust in ornate room

From Victoria:

Few would guess the white orbs topping the lower posts on each side of the graceful ascent to Choctaw Hall’s entrance are actually cannonballs. Excavated from the grounds following a Civil War skirmish and encased in stucco, the accents are just one of many character-rich details waiting to be discovered in a dwelling lauded for its architectural appeal, sumptuous interiors, and almost two centuries of history.
Constructed between 1830 and 1836 for Joseph Neibert, the Natchez mansion passed through several hands before being purchased by David Paul Garner Jr. and Lee Glover in 2014. Lee, who serves as operations manager, and David, the self-ascribed “avant gardener,” immediately set about restoring the structure with fresh plaster and paint as well as repairs to the roof and exterior. “Thank goodness we started out with good bones,” says Lee.
Desirous of extending the grounds, the new owners also purchased adjoining property, where David cultivates gardens lush with camellias, azaleas, and other blooms. Indoors, elegant furnishings and antiques abound, but one of the most exquisite items in the trove is a grand assemblage of Jacob Petit Paris porcelain. So extensive is the collection that in 2023, a curator from the Louvre came to behold its charm. (Read more.)

Table set with porcelain dishware