What a great motorcycle ride to Bolivar, TN, where we stayed at Magnolia Manor, a Historic House near Memphis, Tennessee. Generals Grant and Sherman planned the Battle of Shiloh here.
"Magnolia Manor was built by Judge Austin Miller in 1849. He was a prominent attorney and is credited with helping place the southern boundary of Tennessee so that Memphis was in Tennessee, not Mississippi. In fact, Austin Miller is mentioned by name in the Constitution of the State of Mississippi in article two as having established the northern boundary of that state. He also donated 20 acres of land in Tunica County, Mississippi, in 1848 for the county seat. The town was named Austin in honor of Judge Miller.
"Magnolia Manor is a classic two-story Georgian Colonial designs. Each brick was hand made and sun-dried on the home site by slaves. It features fourteen-foot ceilings and thirteen-inch thick walls from the ground to the roof. There are four bedrooms in the main house and nine fireplaces. Two of the bedrooms are master suites, two full baths, and two half baths. The home also features double parlors. It was used as a Headquarters for the Union Army by Generals Logan, McPherson, Sherman, and Grant during the Civil war and it is believed to be the home in which these four Generals planned the battle of Shiloh.
Three generations of the Miller family lived in the house until the 1970s. Charles Austin Miller, son of Judge Austin Miller, followed his father's footsteps to become a prominent attorney and later the Secretary of State of Tennessee. One of C.A. Miller's daughters, Lizzie Lea Miller, was also elected State Representative and the first woman in the history of Tennessee to achieve this. The house has since been owned by only two other families. It has operated as bed and breakfast since 1985 by Owner and Inn Keeper Elaine Cox. Governors, Celebrities, and even a Vice President have inquired about or stayed at Magnolia Manor." - Taken from the Web Site.
Once checking in and getting settled, we hung out in the back garden, listening to Elaine's husband Tom Cox tell stories about the house. Old Tom still smoking and drinking at age 90 looks healthier than most people half his age had some stories to tell. A Navy WWII Vet serving on the USS Philadelphia that took President Truman to the Potsdam Conference. There was another couple there staying in the guest cottage. Since all three were from Memphis, it was enlightening to hear them and Tom discuss Memphis history. Which in their minds is a City in decline.
One of the more interesting stories was Grant and Sherman planning the Battle of Shiloh for the Gentleman Parlor. Then Sherman making a comment that all southern women and children should be exterminated. Mrs. Miller, the lady of the house, overheard this and ran out of the house sobbing. General Grant, who was not too happy, made Sherman apologize to Mrs. Miller. Sherman was not pleased having to say he was sorry, scared the staircase railing, and later put his boot spurs on the dining room table. Those marks remain there today.
The more famous story is the ghost of Priscilla McNeil, a wealthy cousin of the Millers who died at age 18. Who supposedly roams the house late at night. Her Portrait hangs in the 1849 bedroom. The room across from where we stayed. Tom told us about a ghost hunter/psychic who came to the house. She can feel the presence of phantoms by feeling objects. There were about 6 people in the room when she touched a picture of the alleged ghost on the wall. When she moved the picture, a ghost-like image came out of the frame about two feet. Was there for 4-5 seconds. Scared everyone in the room, even him, he said.
Well, we made it through the night with no problems and no ghosts. It was quite the experience. We slept in the Judge Austin Miller master suite that has a 35,000 dollar bed, and it's own sitting parlor. We had the whole house upstairs of the house to ourselves. In the morning, we have an excellent pork chop egg, rice, biscuit, and gravy breakfast served at 9 am. After this, it was time to get back on the road; we need to see 7 counties before getting home to Clarksville.
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