2617 CONFEDERATE Avenue

There are properties that sell square footage, and there are properties that sell history. 2617 Confederate Avenue is emphatically the latter -- a 1910 residence of documented architectural and historical distinction, positioned directly along the grounds of Vicksburg National Military Park on five private acres of ground where the Civil War's most decisive campaign was decided in 1863.

A handsome brick-floor foyer establishes the formal entry sequence, drawing visitors through to a living room of genuine volume -- floor-to-ceiling windows, corner fireplace, proportions that command attention. The formal dining room presents a second fireplace, custom integrated shelving, and a wall of purposeful storage. These are not incidental details. They are the considered decisions of a builder working without compromise.

On July 4, 1947 -- the occasion that ended Vicksburg's 84-year refusal to celebrate American Independence Day, drawing an estimated 50,000 people into the streets -- General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe and then-Chief of Staff of the United States Army, visited the home as a personal guest of Dr. E. C. Neill. The two men played bridge together. Three days later, on July 7, 1947, Eisenhower wrote to Neill from his DDE letterhead -- a copy of the letter remains in this home today, framed on the suite's wall. In it, the future 34th President of the United States reflects warmly on his Vicksburg visit, remarks with characteristic wit on losing $1.70 at the bridge table, and expresses his hope to return.

Properties of this authenticated provenance do not re-enter the market on any predictable schedule. The intersection of irreplaceable original materials, documented Presidential association, a position within a National Military Park, and five private acres represents a legacy holding by any serious measure.