Beauvoir opens for first time since COVID-19 restrictions

A Mississippi Gulf Coast historical staple opened its doors for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic today.

The home of the president of the Confederate states, Jefferson Davis, has been closed to the public for over a month. Now, guests are once again welcome to roam the scenic Beauvoir estate in Biloxi and learn more about the history of its owner. Kitsaa Stevens with Beauvoir Program and Development said, “The property just feels really empty without guests. You know, the people walking around learning history, you know, and seeing what we have to offer.”

Staying healthy during this pandemic is still at the forefront of the staff’s mind. “We have signs placed in our restrooms and on the front door to, you know, maintain your social distancing. We have hand sanitization stations throughout the property and the museum, at the house. We normally do about thirty to thirty-five people in the house, but we are going to cut that down to twenty.”

It seems only fitting that Beauvoir reopened on the 212^th birthday of Jefferson Davis. In honor of his birthday, Beauvoir has planned a whole weekend of celebrations. “This weekend we have a large weekend planned. We have the Mississippi Gulf Coast Volkswagen club are having their 25th annual event in our east field. We will have re-enactors here doing living history. We’ll have a memorial service, weather permitting, in our cemetery at eleven. And then just little signs and stuff around wishing Jefferson Davis a happy birthday.”

Beauvoir is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you’ve been to the estate before, Stevens has a reason you may want to revisit. “Our curator, Jay Peterson, has rotated our exhibits. So he’s put some fresh exhibits upstairs, cleaned the cases. So if you’ve been, you need to come back because there’s all kinds of new things for you to look at.”