Beauvoir the Jefferson Davis Home & Presidential Library

Beauvoir is the last National Historical Landmark on beach in Biloxi. Your investment in Beauvoir will preserve our heritage. The story of the bravery and dedication of the men and women of the Confederacy must be told and remembered as a cause which was just and heroic defending the honor, tradition, and family in the South. Beauvoir is a unique depository of knowledge which tells the true story of the sacrifice of the men and women in Mississippi before, during, and after the Civil War. The home and grounds of Beauvoir are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also designated as a National Historic Landmark and a Mississippi Historic Landmark.
Will You help to preserve the historical significance of The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Beauvoir into the next Century?
Beauvoir has been damaged by several tropical storms and hurricanes in its long history. Hurricane Katrina was the worse in living memory. Since August 29, 2005, the repairs, renovations, and improvements are ongoing.
The projects for 2019-2021 are: Projected at $2.5 million to $5 million. In order of priority:
1) The authentic historic preservation of the Mansion with original materials such as special horsehair plaster; slate from a quarry in Wales, UK; specially-formulated exterior white paint for the exterior; faux painting of trim and crown molding; and furniture restoration are top priorities.
2)Replacement of the roof on the Presidential Library. and AC/heat pumps
3) Perimeter fence repair and renovation of Arch Gate
4) Renovation and restoration of quarter mile Nature Trail along the Oyster Bayou
5)Automatic Gate Openers for crowd control and security
6) Replace gravel roadways with concrete roadways
7) Beautification of Main Entrance
8) Complete renovation and improvements on Mrs. Jefferson (Varina) Davis Rose Garden and Satsuma (fruit trees) Grove
9) New lawn maintenance equipment
10) Replacement of Maintenance Barn with new larger one
11) Repair and renovation of two houses on the property
12) Widen the brick walkway at the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier
13) Repairs to the Hayes Cottage and the Jefferson Davis Cottage
All repairs and renovations must have prior approval of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to ensure that all repairs are historically-accurate and authentic. For example: to repair the ceiling in the Miss Winnie Davis' bedroom requires a specialist to plaster the ceiling with special horsehair plaster and the specially formulated ceiling paint with the projected cost of $110,000. The back parlor ceiling of the Mansion also needs to be stabilized. The faux painting trim in Miss Davis' bedroom requires specialist historical artists to perform the repairs. The total cost is projected to be $200,000.

The strategy is to increase awareness of the importance of Beauvoir in the scope of American history. Jefferson Davis served many roles. As a soldier, he was brave and resourceful. As a politician, he served as a United States Senator and a Mississippi congressman and was active and accomplished, although he never completed a full-term in any elected position. As a plantation owner, he employed slave labor as did most of his peers in the South, and supported slavery. As president of the Confederate States of America, he is widely viewed as an ineffective leader, although the task of defending the Confederacy against the much stronger Union would have been a great challenge for any leader. After the war, he contributed to reconciliation of the South with the North but remained a symbol of Southern pride. Between 1877 and Davis' death in 1889, Beauvoir was his home.

To maintain Beauvoir's position as National Register of Historic Places and is also designated as a National Historic Landmark and a Mississippi Historic Landmark, a major gift officer has been employed to solicit contributions for a capital campaign. The base of current donors are actively engaged as members. Increased membership engagement activities are being implemented with more outreach through newsletters and social media. Since 1903, The Mississippi Division of The Sons of Confederate Veterans own and operate Beauvoir. Their membership will be called upon to increase their financial support. New monthly giving programs are being instituted. Plans for a Legacy Society are under-consideration. The identification and qualification of major donors is in progress. With increased promotion to Gulf Coast tourists and residents, the target is to increase paid attendance from the current average annual attendance of 50,000. The increase in attendance will provide a stronger revenue flow from admissions and gift shop sales. The problems in Spring of 2019 with the beaches being closed to the Red Tide algae bloom has been solved. Beauvoir is an active member of the Tourist and Convention Bureau who is very actively advertising the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a vacation/honeymoon destination. The average age of visitors to Beauvoir is 30 years and older, mostly Baby Boomers, who are interested in American history.

The Board of Trustees and Directors are highly-involved with Beauvoir, both as donors and with oversight. A capital campaign plan is being created with benchmarks, responsibilities, and goals. In conjunction with the Sons of the Confederate Veterans (SCV) and the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), Beauvoir will be able to provide a higher level of outreach to prospective donors as well as the membership of both organizations. The initial target population will be the Mississippi Division of the SCV members. The UDC have always been top motivators in raising funds for Beauvoir. We anticipate they will be so again.

The major gift officer position was filled in June 2019, during which the MGO has been developing drafts of fundraising policies, gift acceptance policy, third-party fundraising policy, pledge cards, and the case for support that includes a brief essay on the life and accomplishments of Jefferson Davis.
The MGO is now starting to reach out to prospects to begin building the relationship model. Additionally, the MGO is beginning the year-end fundraising efforts.

What is next is to build the number of individuals in the donor prospect pipeline by holding on-site breakfast meetings at Beauvoir for members of the corporate community. The Breakfast at Beauvoir model is a proven model to build pipelines with follow-up individual one-on-one meetings.