Lucius Q. C. Lamar House facts for kids
|
Lucius Q. C. Lamar House
|
|
_-_(cropped).jpg)
Lucius Q. C. Lamar House in 1975
|
|
 Location in Mississippi
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 616 North 14th Street, Oxford, Mississippi |
|---|---|
| Built | 1869 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001048 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | May 15, 1975 |
| Designated NHL | May 15, 1975 |
The Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar House is a special historic house museum located at 616 North 14th Street in Oxford, Mississippi. This house helps us learn about the life of a very important person from the 1800s, L.Q.C. Lamar. It also encourages us to think about what makes a good leader today.
You can visit the house for free! It's open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 PM to 4 PM. This house was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1975. This means it's a really important place in American history.
Contents
Who Was Lucius Q. C. Lamar?
The Lucius Q. C. Lamar House is famous because of its connection to Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II. He lived here when he was a Congressman and later a member of the U.S. President's team.
Lamar was very active in American politics. He left Congress in 1861. During the American Civil War, he helped write the Mississippi Secession Ordinance. He also served as a cavalry officer in the war.
After the war, Lamar became a Congressman again in 1872. He later became the Secretary of the Interior. This job meant he was in charge of many important things for the country. Even later, he became a Justice on the highest court in the United States. He was a symbol of the South regaining its political standing.
Building the Lamar House
Lucius and Virginia Lamar built this house in 1869. Lucius Lamar owned it until about 1888. It was the Lamar family's main home while he worked as a lawyer in Oxford, Mississippi.
Later, when he was a Congressman in Washington D.C., this house became his quiet escape. In 1888, Lamar gave the house to his oldest daughter, Fannie L. Mayes. Over many years, the house was not taken care of and started to fall apart.
Because of its history, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also named a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
Saving and Restoring the House
By the year 2000, the Lamar House was in danger. It was put on a list of "Ten Most Endangered" places in Mississippi. This was because it was being destroyed by neglect.
To save the house, the Oxford-Lafayette County Heritage Foundation bought it in 2004. They used money given by the Mississippi Legislature. The cost was $425,000.
Later that same year, it was named an important landmark for both Mississippi and Oxford. Three years later, in 2007, the big restoration work began. This project cost $1.5 million and finished in June 2008.
The restoration included many things. Workers cleared out unwanted plants from the three-acre yard. They replaced the house's foundation and roof. They also restored the inside of the house, including beautiful hand-painted designs in the main hallway.
A person named Bill Russell was a big champion for saving the Lamar House. He was part of the Heritage Foundation and helped lead much of the restoration work.
Images for kids
-
Lucius Q. C. Lamar House, 2015
See also
