Haller Nutt
Encyclopedia
Haller Nutt was born February 17, 1816 on Laurel Hill Plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi
. Dr. Haller Nutt was a successful cotton
planter and plantation
owner in Mississippi
. He developed a strain of cotton that became important commercially for the Deep South
.
from 1832 to 1835. After college he returned to Mississippi and assisted his father in management of Laurel Hill Plantation.
and Cloverdale and Laurel Hill in Mississippi. Haller mainly grew cash crop
s including cotton and sugar cane. These plantations brought him considerable wealth. He made a net profit of more than $228,000 from agricultural enterprises in 1860. He owned 43000 acres (174 km²) of land and 800 slaves. His fortune prior to the Civil War
was estimated at more than three million dollars.
in the spring of 1860. They hired Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan to design the multistory octagonal in the Oriental Revival style. Construction of the exterior was completed by the beginning of the Civil War. With the threat of the Civil War looming, Sloan's artisans soon haulted their construction, fearing for their safety, and fled back to the north. The basement story was completed by slave labor and was ready for occupancy by 1862. Longwood is the largest octagonal house in the United States..
. His family continued living at Longwood plantation after his death.
Jefferson County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* Homochitto National Forest * Natchez Trace Parkway -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,740 people, 3,308 households, and 2,338 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile . There were 3,819 housing units at an...
. Dr. Haller Nutt was a successful cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
planter and plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He developed a strain of cotton that became important commercially for the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
.
Education
Haller was educated at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
from 1832 to 1835. After college he returned to Mississippi and assisted his father in management of Laurel Hill Plantation.
Assets and Income
Haller owned several plantations throughout his life including Araby, Evergreen and Winter Quarters in LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Cloverdale and Laurel Hill in Mississippi. Haller mainly grew cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
s including cotton and sugar cane. These plantations brought him considerable wealth. He made a net profit of more than $228,000 from agricultural enterprises in 1860. He owned 43000 acres (174 km²) of land and 800 slaves. His fortune prior to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was estimated at more than three million dollars.
Family life
Haller married Julia Augusta Williams in 1840. She was only eighteen at the time. Haller and Julia had eleven children:- Caroline Routh (c. 1841-1842)
- Mary Ella (1844)
- Fanny Smith (1846)
- Haller Jr. (1848)
- John Ker (1850)
- Austin (1852)
- Sargeant Prentiss (1855)
- Julia (1857)
- Calvin Routh (1858)
- Lillie (1861)
- Rushworth (1863)
Longwood Plantation
Haller and his wife Julia decided to begin construction on Longwood PlantationLongwood (Natchez, Mississippi)
Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is an historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The mansion is on the U.S...
in the spring of 1860. They hired Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan to design the multistory octagonal in the Oriental Revival style. Construction of the exterior was completed by the beginning of the Civil War. With the threat of the Civil War looming, Sloan's artisans soon haulted their construction, fearing for their safety, and fled back to the north. The basement story was completed by slave labor and was ready for occupancy by 1862. Longwood is the largest octagonal house in the United States..
The Civil War
Haller suffered large financial losses during the Civil War due to the destruction of his cotton fields and real estate. The expropriation of stores and supplies by the Union and Confederate armies led to the foreclosure on Nutt's plantations in Louisiana. After the war, Haller filied documents with the federal government that would compersate for the loss of assest due to the Union armyDeath
Haller Nut died on June 15, 1864 of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. His family continued living at Longwood plantation after his death.