Van Dorn House

Van Dorn House
Location Van Dorn Dr., Port Gibson, Mississippi
Coordinates 31°56′24″N 91°2′15″W / 31.94000°N 91.03750°W / 31.94000; -91.03750Coordinates: 31°56′24″N 91°2′15″W / 31.94000°N 91.03750°W / 31.94000; -91.03750
Area 5.6 acres (2.3 ha)
MPS Port Gibson MRA
NRHP Reference # 71000446[1]
Added to NRHP June 21, 1971

The Van Dorn House is a historic residence in Port Gibson, Mississippi built on land bought by Peter Aaron Van Dorn. It was also the childhood home of his son, who became Major General Earl Van Dorn. The residence was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1971. It is located on Van Dorn Drive.

Earl Van Dorn was killed by a bullet over an alleged affair. His body was brought back to Mississippi and buried at Wintergreen Cemetery in Port Gibson.[2] His father Peter had also been buried there and Earl Van Dorn was laid to rest beside him.[3]

Peter Van Dorn

Jackson, Mississippi was originally planned, in April 1822, by Peter Van Dorn in a "checkerboard" pattern advocated by Thomas Jefferson, in which city blocks alternated with parks and other open spaces, giving the appearance of a checkerboard. This plan has not lasted to the present day.

McGregor (Port Gibson, Mississippi), located on SR 547 in Port Gibson, Mississippi, was designed by Peter Aaron Van Dorn for his daughter in a Greek Revival architecture style and built in 1835.[4][5]

Major General Earl Van Dorn

Portrait of Major-General Earl Van Dorn

It was the childhood home of Gen. Earl Van Dorn. A marker at the site gives the date of the home as ca. 1830 and the style as Federal architecture. It was built by Peter A. Van Dorn,[6] a judge and circuit court clerk who was born in New Jersey and moved to Mississippi at age 21 after his wife died in Virginia.[6] He bought the land in 1826. He was first clerk of the Georgia State House of Representatives. Earl Van Dorn had a prominent role in the War with Mexico and was a Confederate general in the American Civil War.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford Univ. Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3 p. 543
  3. ↑ "Texas St. Historical Assn. biography of Van Dorn". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  4. ↑ Jack A. Gold (January 1979). "McGregor" (PDF). and accompanying photo from 1979
  5. ↑ "Peter Aaron Van Dorn 1773-1837".
  6. 1 2 Peter Aaron Van Dorn
  7. ↑


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