Rosswood was a thriving cotton plantation of 1250 acres, long before the Civil War, with 105 slaves working the fields. It now has 100 acres of rolling fields and stately trees, where deer and other wildlife abound.
The original owner, Doctor Walter Ross Wade, kept a journal that describes his courtship and marriage of Mabella Chamberlain and their plantation life before and during the Civil War. Guests may read about parties and balls, the construction of the mansion, a slave revolt, a Civil War battle when the mansion became a hospital, treasure buried and lost, two ghosts, and how a cotton plantation was managed in days that now are "gone with the wind."
The Rosswood Mansion is a classic Greek revival home of 14 rooms, with 14 foot ceilings, 10 fireplaces, columned galleries, a winding stairway, and original slave quarters. Completely restored and furnished with beautiful antiques and unusual items collected around the world, it has been home since 1975 for Colonel Walt Hylander and his wife Jean, who share its heritage and their treasures with their guests. Rosswood is a Mississippi Landmark, and it qualified for the National Register both historically and architecturally. It has been named "The Prettiest Place in the Country" and featured on the Travel Channel on television.
