Waverley Mansion is located only 15 minutes from West Point on Highway 50 and is open daily from January through December. It stands as a monument to a glorious time in Southern History. Built by Colonel George Hampton Young of Georgia in 1852, Waverley is a striking example of antebellum elegance. From its octagonal shaped cupola to its self-supporting curved stairways, Waverley is unique among antebellum plantation homes in the South.
Although the actual construction date is uncertain, 1852 is the accepted year that Waverley reached full magnificence. And magnificent Waverley was. The plantation was a self-sustaining community complete with gardens, orchards and livestock. It maintained a brick kiln, cotton gin, ice house and swimming pool with a bathhouse. Gas for the chandeliers was produced by burning pine knots in a retort.
In later years, Waverley had its own lumber mill, leather tannery and hat manufacturing operation. It is believed that the first American-made saddle blankets were produced at Waverley and the first fox hunt association was formed in the mansion’s library in 1893.
Mrs. Young died before Waverley was completed, but she left her mark in the English boxwoods planted at the entrance. These plants, which grow only one foot every 15 years, are estimated to be 150 years old.
The decline of Waverley began in 1913 with the death of Col. Young’s last surviving son, Captain William Young. For almost 50 years magnificent Waverley stood alone enduring plunderers, harsh weather and vandals.
Waverley was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Snow of Philadelphia, Mississippi in 1962, and a remarkable labor of love continues to restore the mansion and 40 acres to its past glory.