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Agroup of women from Louisiana and Arkansas gathered in a Franklin Street building early one Saturday morning to learn how to make biscuits. For some visitors spending vacation time on a lesson about anything might not be appealing. But for these fun ladies, the opportunity to improve their skills and learn the secrets of Regina Charboneau’s legendary Southern biscuits was too tempting to pass up.
Huddled together, they took turns folding, rolling and turning the dough, learning how the process should feel – not just how to follow a recipe. They asked questions and commented on what they’d be doing differently now that they learned the recipe and technique.
Teaching these classes is just the latest evolution of Charboneau’s expansive culinary career. From her childhood in Natchez growing up as part of the Trosclair family – with her father’s cookbook collection and culinary skills nurturing her love of the craft – her career has taken her to Alaska and Paris, San Francisco and Minneapolis and, eventually, back home to Natchez, where she writes; cooks; and teaches classes.
Her newest cookbook is Six Courses: An Entertaining Life, and in it Charboneau shares memories and recipes from her journeys and her travels. She also shared some of those recipes with us for our Natchez Magazine readers, including suggestions for a traditional Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner.
Traditions such as that are at the heart of the holiday season, and we celebrate those in this edition of Natchez Magazine. From Kathy Killelea Sizemore and Phillip West’s memories of childhoods spent in Natchez at Christmastime to the jeweled Christmas celebrations hosted by Ginger Hyland each year at the Towers, our community celebrates in so many varied ways.
And there’s more than just holiday celebrations in this edition. Readers will enjoy getting to know Lexi Lerhman, whose vivacious personality is reflected in the remodeled downtown apartment she calls home. Artist Rhonda Huff talks about the inspiration for her colorful wildlife paintings, and Natchez native Wray Eidt shares how his hometown roots are inspiring his budding career as a songwriter.
Their stories take us from downtown to Nashville, and back again, and remind us that no matter how different our lives may be, we share the connection of Natchez
So sit back, grab a biscuit and a mimosa and enjoy this edition of Natchez Magazine.
HELPING FAMILIES DESIGN AND CREATE UNIQUE WORKS OF ART SINCE 1953
A LIFE OF
entertaining
Natchez-born chef reflects on life’s journey in new cookbook
Natchez-born chef and entrepreneur
Regina Charboneau reflects on her life and the influences have shaped her career in her newest cookbook, “Six Courses: An Entertaining Life.”
Written by Charboneau with food photograpy by Dub Rogers, the book explores her culinary life. In it, she writes “I think of my life and career spanning decades as a six-course meal, each on adding flavor and depth to who I am as a chef and as person.”
A trailblazer in Southern cuisine, she is known for acclaimed restaurants, celebrated cookbooks, and widespread recognition in the culinary world. Charboneau grew up in Natchez on the Mississippi River.
Often hailed as the “Queen of Biscuits,” she transformed her hometown of Natchez into the “Biscuit Capital of the World.”
In her 50-year career as a Chef, she has authored four cookbooks and opened her acclaimed San Francisco establishments, Regina’s at the Regis and Biscuit
and Blues, as well as King’s Tavern and Regina’s Kitchen in Natchez. She is also known for her influence on the cuisine of the American Queen River boats, which inspired her book “Mississippi Current.”
The courses reflect the stages of her life: The Soup course offers warmth and inspired by her early years in Natchez, where her Trosclair family formed her foundation.
She moves on through the Amuse Bouche – discovering literature and the world outside Natchez – to the Appetizer course, inspired by her time as a cook in the Alaska bush to Paris, where her love of food and entertaining deepened; the Entrée, inspired by her husband and sons, and their time in San Francisco when she embarked on her career as a chef and restauranteur; to the Side Dishes, inspired by her time in Memphis and New York; ending with the Dessert Course, the sweet conclusion that has seen her return to Natchez where she now teaches at Regina’s Kitchen.
The narrative is filled with
photos and tales from her life, stories of family and adventure, as well as 200 recipes and tips entertaining, such as the spread on how to set up a martini bar for 16 guests, along with recipes for classic and specialty martinis. Her culinary journey continues, she writes, as she hopes others will be inspired to open their home and hearts, while finding the same joy and cooking and
entertaining as she has found. No matter where she’s traveled and cooked, her food and hospitality has always had a touch of that Southern accent. At this course of her life, she now shares her passion for food and entertaining by hosting guests at her cooking school, Regina’s Kitchen in Natchez. She considers this the dessert course of her life.
1. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with oil or cooking spray.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the onion, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Toss the ingredients until blended, then gently toss in the crab to avoid breaking apart. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until the baguette slices are toasted.
3. Mix garlic with the melted butter and brush it onto each slice of baguette. Arrange slices on sheet and bake at 400 F for 5-6 minutes, or until they are slightly but not too crisp.
4. Once toasted, evenly divide the crab mixture over each piece of baguette and serve warm.
EGGS TONNATO
Yield: 16 halves
INGREDIENTS
• 8 eggs, 13 minute boiled eggs
• 4 ounces tuna packed in oil
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons capers
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add tuna, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and Tabasco into food processor. Pulse until completely smooth.
2. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and add them to the tuna mixture, pulsing until smooth. Place the egg whites, hollow centers up, on a serving plate.
3. Spoon the tuna filling into the whites. Or, for a more elegant presentation, transfer the egg yolk mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe it into the egg whites.
4. Garnish with capers
GREEN GODDESS WEDGE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY
Notes: This dish is served cold. They can be plated before your dinner and kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. That is the beauty of iceberg lettuce. Romaine hearts work well too.
• 3 anchovies packed in oil (plus 6 filets to top each salad with 1)
• 1 teaspoon dry tarragon or tarragon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup green onion
• 1 cup parsley tops
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 head of crisp iceberg lettuce, cut into 6 wedges These garnishes are optional but always appreciated if someone does not eat anchovies.
• 3 strips of thick bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces and fried crisp
• 3 large radishes, sliced thin
• 18 cherry tomatoes cut in half
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a blender or an immersion blender, add green onions and parsley tops and blend for 2 minutes.
2. Add mayonnaise and sour cream, Blend for 2 minutes more. Add garlic, salt, sugar, white pepper, anchovy, tarragon, and blend until it is a smooth puree, about 3-4 minutes.
3. To serve: Place a wedge of lettuce on salad plate, spoon 2 tablespoons of dressing over the top. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, thin radish slices, and crisp bacon.
SICILIAN LEMON COOKIES
Yield: 12 cookies
INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup (155 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) fresh lemon peel
• 2 ounces (57 g) melted salted butter, left to cool slightly
• 1 ounce (30 ml) light olive oil
• 1 ounce (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (227 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) baking powder
For Rolling
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C) and arrange the rack in the middle. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
1. Add sugar and lemon peel into the bowl of a food processor. Using the blade attachment, pulse until lemon peel in completely pureed into the sugar.
Add the melted butter, oil, and lemon juice to the sugar mixture. Pulse to combine, then add the egg and vanilla extract. Pulse until the mixture thickens slightly and is well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the lemon and egg mixture. Pulse until just combined.
3. Remove dough into a bowl and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes to help the powdered sugar adhere.
4. Form 12 dough balls.
5. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar first, continuing to shape it into a ball. Then roll it in powdered sugar. Gently squeeze the dough balls on their own, but do not flatten them further.
6. Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes, ensuring they are not under cooked.
7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 15 minutes. After that, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Classics old and new
From Eudora Welty’s stunning photographs to an intriguing love story that weaves it way across centuries, the latest reading lists offers plenty to pique your interest.
At Heaven’s Gate
At Heaven’s Gate is a novel of violence, of human beings struggling against a fate beyond their power to alter, of corruption, and of honor. It is the story of Sue Murdock, the daughter of an unscrupulous speculator who has created a financial empire in the South, and the three men with whom she tries to escape the dominance of her father and her father’s world. The background is the capital of a Southern state in the late twenties and the promoters and politicians, the aristocrats and poor whites, the labor organizers and the dispossessed farmers, the backwoods prophets and university intellectuals who are drawn into its orbit.
Razorblade Tears
Ike Randolph has been out of jail for 15 years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss. Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.
A Grave Talent
Read the first Kate Martinelli Mystery by New York Times bestselling, Edgar award-winning novelist Laurie R. King. In Grave Talent, the unthinkable has happened in a small community outside of San Francisco. A series of shocking murders has occurred, the victims far too innocent and defenseless. For lesbian Detective Kate Martinelli, just promoted to Homicide and paired with a seasoned cop who’s less than thrilled to be handed a green partner, it’s a difficult case that just keeps getting harder. Then the police receive what appears to be a case-breaking lead: it seems that one of the residents of this odd colony is Vaun Adams, arguably the century’s greatest woman painter and a notorious felon once convicted of a heinous crime.
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes brims with Robert Louis Stevenson’s wry and exquisite observations and his obvious delight in the farmers and peasants he encounters in the Cévennes, a region of south-central France that was remote and largely inaccessible in 1878. Modestine, Stevenson’s much-adored but predictably stubborn donkey, sets the pace and becomes a central character in the account of this twelve-day adventure. Beguiling and charming, this pioneering travelogue lends itself beautifully to Stevenson’s dry humor and razor-sharp reflections.
Check with the Judge George W. Armstrong Library and the Concordia Parish Library for these titles.
Great Big Beautiful Life
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
Sandwich
This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past – except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing-her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers. It’s one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves”
Last Twilight in Paris
London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.
One Place One Time
The 100 pictures included here are Eudora Welty’s selections from many she took during the Great Depression as she traveled in her home state of Mississippi. These pictures are poignant images of human endurance. For her, looking back, they showed a record of a time and a place, an impoverished world that against great odds sustained a sense of community.
The Outcast Dead
The service of the Outcast Dead is held annually in Norwich, commemorating the bodies in the paupers’ graves. This year’s proceedings hold special interest for forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway, who has just unearthed the notorious Mother Hook, hanged in 1867 at Norwich Castle for killing multiple children. Now Ruth is reluctantly starring in a TV special, working alongside the alluring historian Dr. Frank Barker. Nearby, DCI Harry Nelson is investigating the case of three children found dead in their home when another child is abducted. A kidnapper dubbed the Childminder claims responsibility, but is the Childminder behind the deaths too?
The Ministry of Time
A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley. A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all.
TRIM THE TREE
Nature lovers, gardeners and bird enthusiasts will appreciate these birdseed ornaments.
Shops at Kress/The Junky Monkey, $12
‘Tis the season …
FOR SHOPPING
GAMES WE PLAY
Who doesn’t love a little holiday bingo?
One of a Kind, $18.95
A NATIVITY TO TREASURE
This nativity set will be a treasured family heirloom.
Moretons, $650.
It’s easy to get into the holiday spirit at the local stores of Natchez and the Miss-Lou. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a friend or a treat for yourself, you’re sure to find what you’re seeking.
FOR ALL THE GOOD BOYS
Those guys who made the good list this year will certainly appreciate any of these gifts.
Mile 363: Smathers & Branson x Duck Head Flask: $75; Performance Buttondown, $118; Festive Socks, $24.99
DECK THE HALLS
Nutcracker fans would love this traditional addition for their collection. Moreton’s, $297.50
DRESS THE PARTY
Holiday parties call for plenty of festive and fun outfits. This floral jacquard knit pullover hits the right note. RRus, $49.
STOCKING STUFFERS
What little one wouldn’t love a Toy Story Tumbler? Bless this Mess, $15
SPIRITS OF THE SEASON
From eggnog to peppermint twist vodka, holiday cocktails are easy with the right ingredients. Davidson’s Package, William Evan’s eggnog $22.45, Smirnoff peppermint twist, 15.20
A TOUCH OF THE SEASON
This stunning nativity pillow adds a touch of the season to any elegant home. One of a Kind, $75
SPREAD THE CHEER
These fun and festive candy cane spreaders add a charming touch for holiday gatherings. Silver Street, $22
TREATS FOR MRS.CLAUS
Santa’s most devoted helper deserves a little TLC at the holidays, and these treats are sure to help her look her best. RiseNShine Studio, Kitsch Satin Pillow Case $19.99; Makeup Eraser Cooling Clouds Undereye Patches, $20.99; Makeup Eraser Gua Sha: 2-N-1 $15.99; Makeup Eraser Fab-Bow-Lous 7 Day Set,
Artist Rhonda Huff does not consider herself an animal person.
“My kids laugh at me because I don’t like dogs and cats. I am not an animal person, per se,” Huff said. “But I do love to paint animals. I really don’t have a good answer for why that is. I’m definitely not a bird person, but I paint a lot of birds. I think maybe I’m fascinated by their colors and things you can do to create those with paint.”
Originally from Monterey, Louisiana, Huff and her husband, Chuck Huff, a native of Natchez, live in Woodville.
“I grew up in Monterey, a small farming community, steeped in quiet living and nostalgia. Chuck and I have two children, Nathan and Nicole,” Huff said. “Nathan and his wife, Kathleen, gave us two beautiful grandchildren and we recently moved to Woodville to be close to those grands.”
A self-taught artist, Huff’s work was on display during November at ArtsNatchez.
“I dabble in acrylics and watercolors, but I mainly do oil painting,” she said. “My heart is forever bound to the South; its unique atmosphere, hometown hospitality and an amazing array of art subjects. My art leans primarily to birds and animals, but I also paint some landscapes and florals. I do not do portraits. Portraits are not my forte.
“I began drawing at an early age and
picked up my first paint brush after high school,” Huff said. “A lot of life has happened since then, but I’m finally serious about my work. I give God all the glory for any ability that I may have. I have no formal training but have picked up techniques and skills from numerous mentors.”
Huff was displaying and selling some of her art at a vendors’ event at St. Francisville when she met Brad Bruce, a member of ArtsNatchez, who saw her work.
“He is the artist liaison for the gallery and he spotted a canvas I had painted and said, ‘You need to be in ArtsNatchez.’ He introduced me to the people and I was accepted and now I do public relations for ArtsNatchez, as well. I love that we are a small gallery. I like the feel that it has,” she said.
At the ArtsNatchez Gallery, Huff showed a number of paintings, including native Louisiana birds including pelicans and egrets, as well as landscape works of cypress trees and a combine at work harvesting in a field.
“I love the colors in that painting. I basically paint what speaks to me, for lack of a better way to put it,” she said. “I enjoy a quiet day in front of a fresh canvas and seeing my imagination take root. The future is wide open. I hope to continue my passion for many years to come.”
STORY BY JAN GRIFFEY SUBMITTED PHOTOS
HOME AND GARDEN
Butter Cakery owner finds a home within bakery shop
At first glance, one could easily mistake the color of the kitchen and dining room walls in Lexi Lehrman’s apartment above the Butter Cakery bakery shop in Natchez.
Are they white? Certainly not. Cream maybe? No, they are a very soft-subtle shade of pink — Benjamin Moore’s “hint of pink.”
“It’s a complex shade of pink, which I love. It has black and yellow undertones,” she said. “It’s perfect. Pink, but still neutral.”
Unlike the walls of her apartment, Lehrman is not one for subtleties.
She fills her living space with things that she loves — swans, dogs, hydrangeas, pink and gold trim — mirroring the antique femininity of her bakery downstairs. She breaks away from the subtle pink in her bedroom and bathroom, which are a pale blue to match the blue hydrangea accent walls.
Lehrman came to Natchez visiting family friends in 2020, and after falling in love with the community, decided to open up her bakery backed by the full support of her parents, Richard and Sheila Lehrman.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SABRINA ROBERTSON
While the rest of her family still lives in Miami, Florida, they’ve made Natchez their part-time home and often take stay-cations here. They’ve been active members of the Downtown Merchant’s Group and Sheila Lehrman joined the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission.
“My dad has been a real inspiration to me. My parents, through all of this, have been ridiculously supportive,” Lehrman said.
Bean, her security dog, guards the comfy living space with no complaints. But it took a lot of work — two and one-half years of it — before the space was comfortable to look at, let alone live in, Lehrman said.
“It was this booky office space. It was scary,” she said. “Drop ceiling, cubicles and a scary little bathroom. We never really imagined that it could be a living space until we started stripping it down.”
The Lehrmans took a leap of faith when they bought the building as it went up for sale, choosing not to risk losing the bakery downstairs.
Once they started to cut through the ceiling they found hidden treasures, like the original wood support beams from the 1870s building and a cupola in what is now Lehrman’s bedroom. The apartment isn’t a lot in square footage, but it
TOP: The living room of the upper-level apartment at Butter Cakery that overlooks Main Street in Downtown Natchez. MIDDLE: Cabbage leaf pink and green place settings and gold utensils on the dining room table. BOTTOM: Original wood beams and their joints of the historic building are exposed.
HOME AND GARDEN
provides all that is needed.
Her parents have their own bathroom and an upper-level suite to stay in with a window wall overlooking the sitting room for natural light. The downstairs provides the perfect open floor plan with the essential communal space — a kitchen, dining and sitting room rolled into one.
“It’s just enough and we’ve really maximized every inch,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. My family and I feel honored to be a small part of what we see happening all over Natchez. We really believe in the business community here. It’s really special and we’re just happy to be a part of it.”
Because it took so long to remodel, Lehrman said she had time to shop estate sales and for Sissy Blackwood at Consign and Design to hook her up with the finest furnishings. Her taste includes antique-style furnishings that fit nicely in the old southern townhouse setting.
“It’s frilly and girly but that’s my nature,” she said.
Pink and green cabbage leaf place settings with golden utensils and gold gold-trimmed glasses and a swan centerpiece set the dining table. A swan-patterned accent wall in the kitchen ties in seamlessly with the light gray granite countertops and backsplash. Golden rod and green glass shelves that she found on Esty hold up beautiful antique China.
TOP: An electric fireplace in the sitting room of the apartment add a homey touch. MIDDLE: The hydrangea wallpaper and sink bowl add cool blue touches to the apartment. BOTTOM: Blue dog pillows were a must-have decoration for the apartment in honor of Bean the security dog.
HOME AND GARDEN
“It’s hard to live in Natchez and not acquire this stuff,” she said.
It took “a herculean effort,” before the apartment was ready to move into in Jan 2024, but it all paid off, Lehrman said.
The building’s remodel didn’t start with the apartment. The façade has been reworked to look like it originally did in the 1870s.
“This building has history,” Lerhman said. “I think at one point it was a brothel and it must’ve burned because these beams were solid black and we had to sand them down.”
They had to build out the store from where it was to be even with its neighbors on the block and to recreate the look of its arched windows.
A slight tweak made from the original concept separates her apartment door from the bakery entrance so that strangers wouldn’t “accidentally be walking into my house,” which is now clearly marked as a private entrance, she said.
While she didn’t have far of a commute to Butter Cakery while she lived on Franklin Street, Lehrman said living downtown right above her business has been the dream. She can work late and never have to step outside to go home for the night.
Plus, she can walk to Pearl Street Pasta, to Darby’s, or even take a stroll to the Natchez bluff without using her car.
“Once my car battery had died and I didn’t know it for weeks because I never go anywhere,” she said with a laugh. “I never have to leave. It’s all right here. ... There’s a genuine community here that you can’t recreate anywhere else and you can’t buy history. You can fix a building, but you can’t create people who care. People really care here.”
Above is a comparison of the new bakery shop front after its remodel to the original look in the 1800s. These two photographs are submitted courtesy of Lexi Lehrman.
RESTORING
Rare film piece joins Hyland’s jeweled Christmas collection
Tbeauty
he peacock is symbolic of many things. Most know it as a sign of vanity or pride, as it struts its fan of magnificent feathers, drawing attention to itself. It is also a symbol of renewal. As its feathers
shed and regrow, it represents a cycle of transformation and immortality. Both of these attributes make The Towers of Natchez a fitting place for the peacock to perch — particularly one peculiar peacock-
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SABRINA ROBERTSON
HOME AND GARDEN
shaped lamp seen in the 1939 Civil War romance “Gone With the Wind.”
James and Ginger Hyland have an affinity for collecting rare or unique and beautiful things and restoring them to place carefully on display throughout the one-of-a-kind late 18th-century home.
USA Today has called “The Jeweled Christmas at The Towers” in Natchez one of the top ten most unusual Christmas displays in the United States. The smell of baked gingerbread spices mixes with the soft instrumental Christmas music playing while something sparkles at every turn.
Tours are always changing from one holiday season to the next, as the collection of beautiful pieces artfully and carefully displayed throughout the house is always moved around each year and is always growing.
Among the many displays in the jeweled
TOP: A Gone With the Wind Film poster shows the Peacock lamp in Madam Belle’s parlor. The same lamp sits behind the poster in The Towers of Natchez. BOTTOM: More costume film jewels from the 1900s decorate the table around the Gone With the Wind lamp and cigar case.
Christmas at the Towers is a Mardi Gras king display around a portrait of Ginger’s father, Lawrence A. Hyland, who was born in 1897 in Nova Scotia, Canada and former president of Hughes Aircraft after Howard Hughes. Hyland led a life of privilege and was a champion quarter-horse breeder and trainer. In 1987, she became the American Quarter Horse Association’s first woman president.
Nearly 20 years ago, Ginger and James Hyland began a new chapter of restoring things to what they once were when they purchased The Towers, which at the time no longer had the twin third story rooms for which it was named.
The home dates back to 1790, built in a West Indies-style with barge board elements taken from the river boats that landed at the Natchez port. Like the ever-growing collection of jewels, the home itself grew and expanded through its early years. In 1826, the floor plan shifted to the Neo-Classical style with a row of square columns added around the entire house.
By 1859, a third expansion by William Chamberlin showcased an enormous Italian Villa-Renaissance Revival façade. In the 1920s, the north tower was damaged by a fire and both towers were dismantled.
After 12 years of explaining to tourists how the house got its name, the Hylands set out to rebuild the towers on The Towers, which was completed in 2019 with the help of Natchez architect James Germany.’
Inside, like a peacock regrowing its feathers, these restoration efforts continue for the many rare, period antiques and featured items from movies and stage productions.
Pieces from around the world are gathered into one place — trees from Czechoslovakia and wedding veils from India with handembroidered designs that make surprisingly beautiful table coverings.
Ginger Hyland enjoys collecting movie jewelry from the 1930s through 1950s, which is not only for display.
“I do (wear them). I can get away with a lot,”
she said with a laugh.
There are clothing pieces too, one of Naomi Judd’s dresses and an evening blouse that belonged to Betty White, next to a picture of her wearing the same blouse standing next to Hyland at a fundraiser in 1992.
“After she (Betty White) passed away, I noticed an auction of some of her evening things and thought ‘what was she wearing the night of that fundraiser,’ and I found it,” Hyland said.
The Hylands have added yet another treasure from Hollywood to this collection this holiday season — the peacock lamp.
The lamp is a focal point of Madam Belle’s (Ona Munsen) luxurious parlor.
“I’m always watching for movie memorabilia coming through auctions to see if there’s something that could be a part of jeweled Christmas and it was promoted and featured in an auction off in California, the same one I
Ginger Hyland points out the handmade Christmas jewels she created that hand in the garland around her fireplace.
bought (Rhett Butler’s) cigar case from. My husband noticed it and once I realized what it was, I thought it was perfect for the jeweled Christmas but I knew it was probably going for a lot of money. I just became infatuated with it,” Hyland said.
It is captured in several close-ups, including the opening of a scene where Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) confides in Belle about his feelings for Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh).
“This is three hours into the film and Scarlett has tossed Rhett Butler out of the bedroom and he’s mad. He comes over to Belle Watling’s parlor and that opening scene is on the peacock lamp,” Hyland said. In the film, the clear crystal lamp is electrified and glows red.
One hundred years later, Hyland flipped a switch and it still has the same red glow, with the addition of a soft yellow to create a romantic amber look.
After the film, the lamp sat at Cinema Mercantile until around 1968. For unknown reasons, it had been changed before it was auctioned off in 1983. The hangings on the neck were swapped out and an ornate addition was made to the head and back of the bird, giving it more dimension.
To put it bluntly, “It looked stupid,” Hyland said. “It looked like a stegosaurus.”
At that time, it sold for $42,000 — worth well over $100,000 today, she said.
The minute it arrived safely in Natchez — Hyland said it took 30 minutes just to open the crate — they began restoring the lamp to the way it appeared in the film, studying photographs to match the crystal beading that hangs from the neck and tail of the bird exactly.
“Each one has to be real crystal and not just fired glass or it would start to yellow over time,” Hyland said. “It’s a high-quality piece and beautifully made.”
The task was finished within a day.
“It was about five hours of work with the cleaning, remaking the beads and resetting everything,” she said.
Hyland is already planning more she could add to her “Gone With the Wind” collection.
“I’ve got something from Rhett Butler. I’ve got something from Belle Watling. Now I need something from Scarlett,” she said.
Her collection of jeweled treasures also contains many that the Hylands created themselves — hundreds of ball-shaped ornaments hanging from several Christmas trees throughout the house sparkle with detailed beadwork.
James hand-sketched the intricate designs, patterns of shapes and swirls, which Ginger colored with thousands of Swarovski crystals, attaching the crystals one-by-one, she said.
“They’re really special. I’m sure there is someone else out there doing them, but I just haven’t heard of anyone, so I handmake all of
these,” she said.
Hyland said she mostly makes them to display, as the weeks of work that go into each ornament would make them too costly to sell. The largest ball that she made holds about 20,000 crystals and took about four months to make, she said.
“You have to do a little at a time and let it dry as you go or you’ll smear your work,” Hyland said. She has made probably 1,000 or so ornaments over the course of 25 years, Hyland said.
“It’s a joy, and people love it.”
Before 1998, jewelry decorations for Christmas were non-existent apart from “the occasional rhinestone on a ball,” Hyland said.
“If I were going to have these things, I’d have to make them myself because there was no other option.”
More jewels hang from trees independently, like dripping ice crystals in a pattern of different sizes and shapes. Golden reindeer sitting on tabletops wear red and greenjeweled harnesses, which she also made.
It’s a hobby that occupies her time while manning the giftshop at the Towers.
As the collection of rare and beautiful things grows, so does the number of unique treasures that are being restored to their original beauty.
“There’s a satisfaction in being able to restore something so beautiful to what it was before,” she said.
A partridge purse sits nestled in a nest filled with handmade eggs embellished with tiny Swarovski crystals that Hyland herself made.
STORY BY STACY GRANING SUBMITTED PHOTOS
MUSICAL
roots
Wray Eidt pulls from his hometown roots in new songwriting adventure
“I’m heading home to a small river town; most of my kin are no longer around. But my deep crepe myrtle roots stamp the sidewalks of my youth. Just crusin’ ‘round, the one way streets downtown.”
Growing up in Natchez, Wray Eidt never thought of his hometown as special.
Crepe myrtle lined sidewalks, large families and friends that were like family, the Mississippi River flowing along every day … it was simply Natchez.
But like so many people, Eidt’s fondness and appreciation for his hometown grew as he matured and moved away, working in medical supply sales, raising a family and living his life in Jackson and, now, Nashville, Tennessee.
So it was a natural evolution that he would turn to Natchez for inspiration as he began writing songs and playing guitar.
“I love writing about things I know about, and Natchez is top of the list,” Eidt said.
“I’m never alone in this small river town. I go to the bars, see who’s still around.
“And to some it’s the same ol’ scene, but to me rich memories growin’ up in The Little Easy Town.”
A graduate of Cathedral who was known for his athletic skills and large family, Eidt began playing guitar about 13 years ago, while living in Jackson. As he learned to play, Eidt developed an interest in songwriting.
A connection with Steve Azar, a Mississippi native and singer, songwriter and musician, led to songwriting workshops and mentorship. “He got me so interested in writing,” Eidt said.
“Then we moved to Nashville,” he said.
There, Eidt has joined a songwriting group and worked to refine his skills. Among the fruits of his labors are “River Town,” an ode to Natchez, and “The Buccaneer,” a
tribute to the late John David Montgomery at Natchez Under the Hill.
Both are tributes to his hometown.
“In the first verse (of ‘River Town’), all I could think about was where my grandmother lived in downtown Natchez on the corner of Rankin and Washington streets.”
The result is the tribute to crepe myrtle roots in “River Town, a song that gives nods to many of the Natchez touchstones, from one-way streets to trips to Lake St. John.
“And I don’t know just where you’re from or what you did for fun. Will our histories compare or do you even care? I learned social graces and all the skills that would take me places. Oh yea.”
Eidt is perhaps most proud of “The Buccaneer,” a tribute to Montgomery who was the longtime bartender at the Saloon and “mayor” of Natchez Under-theHill.
For that song, Eidt interviewed friends and family, diving deep into the legend of Montgomery. “It really gave me an insight into how big of a heart he had,” Eidt said.
In “The Buccaneer,” Eidt sings about the “four-foot-eight long-haired hippie who ran the house of the rising sun with a heart of gold a loaded gun.”
“I was nervous about writing that song because I really wanted to get it right for JD and his family,” Eidt said.
And while Eidt has yet to perform his music outside of small circles in Nashville and for his wife, Jen, and their two daughters, he said he’d welcome the opportunity to come home to Natchez and perform.
“That would be great,” he said with a laugh.
“When I come back to this small river town. I cross that bridge and slam a frozee down. And make my way to Lake St. John, killer buzz and a settin’ sun. There’s just something about this crazy little town.”
Home
Christmas in Natchez is something special, residents say
FOR THE holidays
STORY BY JAN GRIFFEY SUBMITTED PHOTOS
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Ginny Killelea and Kathy Killelea Sizemore in a photo as children at their grandmother’s home on Ferguson Hill.
While Natchez may have been discovered recently by filmmakers as a magical place at Christmastime, native Natchezians have known that secret forever.
Particularly for those from large families, Natchez Christmases are something special.
TONY FIELDS
For Tony Fields, Christmas brings up many fond memories from his childhood and he and his wife, Nita, have worked to replicate those for their three children.
“Of course, growing up as a kid, my favorite part was waking up to the gifts on Christmas morning,” Fields said, who grew up in a family of six children — four sisters and one brother. “We had to make sure we were in bed early on Christmas Eve. We would wake up early that morning and tear into those gifts!”
The city’s Christmas tree has always meant something special for Fields.
“My favorite part about Christmas in Natchez is that big ol’ tree in the middle of the street. When I was a child, that big tree was real,” he said.
Fields’ mother, Ellen Earls, gathered her children together each Christmas Eve and together they made cookies, always the same recipe.
“We would make these Christmas cookies where we would get Ritz crackers and spread peanut butter on them and put them together. Then we would melt almond bark chocolate and dip those cookies in that melted chocolate…they are so good. That’s a tradition that we have carried on with our own children. Even though our children are grown now, they still come on Christmas Eve and we make those cookies.”
And, for Fields who grew up in Zion Chapel AME Church, Zion Chapel’s annual Christmas program was the highlight of the Christmas season.
“Being in that choir and doing that concert…and now I’m directing it,” he said.
Katherine Killelea. Oh, the stories she and her siblings — Ginny Killelea, Margee Killelea Wohner, Donna Ann Killelea Bliss, Patty Killelea, the late Donald Killelea and Edward Killelea — can tell about Christmases in Natchez!
“With seven kids, that living room was filled on Christmas morning. We woke up to a mountain of presents in the living room,” Sizemore said.
And the Killelea household, located on South Union Street, had a Christmas tree in every room, thanks to their father’s fondness for the holiday.
“One of our favorite parts of Christmas was daddy loading us up in the station wagon and we would stop and pick up three or four nuns and go to Bill Godfrey’s at Mount Repose to cut our Christmas trees,” she said. “Every year, we would get a huge tree for the living room — 11 or 12 feet tall — and we would get a tree for the nuns and then daddy would say, ‘Go get a tree for your bedrooms!’ Mama would say, ‘No!’ But we got a tree for all five bedrooms in the house. Over the years, we really scalped the Godfreys’ property.”
KATHY KILLELEA SIZEMORE
Kathy Killelea Sizemore is the oldest of the seven children of Dr. Don and
Sizemore and sister Margee shared a room and in their room each year was the doll tree. Margee’s godfather, who was a Merchant Marine, sent her dolls from all over the world and they would decorate their tree with those dolls.
“Margee bought our house on South Union and she said she is going to put the doll tree back up. I told her to make sure to put it in our front bedroom,” Sizemore said.
Christmas at the Killeleas included mass at what was then St. Mary Cathedral and wrapping presents for the Poor Children’s Christmas Tree Fund., as it was known back then.
“When we got older, we would party all day with our friends and be home by 10 p.m. and watch White Christmas with daddy, then go to midnight mass. And we
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Top photo: Katherine Ferguson Killelea and daughter, Patty Killelea. Below, Ginny and Patty Killelea.
would party some more after mass!” she said. “And daddy would always make pancakes on Christmas morning. He didn’t do that any other time of the year. I think his mother must have done that when he was a child.”
Dr. and Mrs. Killelea were creative gift givers, Sizemore said.
“They gave the greatest gifts. Some really unique things. I think they must have gone to New Orleans to Christmas shop. One year we got a Surry with the Fringe on Top. It was amazing. It was orange and was one you pedaled. We hopped on it and rode it all around the neighborhood. I wish we had a picture of it. And of course, I got a Chatty Kathy doll, and one year we got a cotton candy machine.
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Top photo: Patty Killelea holds a young Carlen Sizemore. Below: Patty Killelea and Kathy Killelea Sizemore decorate the “Doll Tree.”
“Margee remembers getting an Archie Manning football jersey, number 18. I was a tomboy. I loved to climb trees and things. I was my daddy’s boy until Donald came along,” Sizemore said. “One year he gave me this James Bond radio and when you pressed a button on it, it turned into a gun! It wasn’t a real gun, but a toy gun. We had toy day at school and all the boys hung around me because they loved that toy!”
One of her favorite toys was a turntable and 45 records.
“My first 45 was Petula Clark’s ‘Don’t Sleep in the Subway.’ And Daddy got a 45 of ‘Lady Madonna’ because he loved the Beatles.”
Christmas dinner at the Killeleas meant lamb and oyster dressing.
“To this day, we have lamb for our Christmas meal,” she said.
One of the most profound memories of all of the Killelea children is wrapping gifts for children who would otherwise not receive them on Christmas.
Katherine Killelea for many years spearheaded the gift-giving effort,
tradition. I think that’s part of our generation. We appreciate those traditions more.”
PHILLIP WEST
part of the Natchez Children’s Christmas Tree Fund. She was known in Natchez as Mrs. Claus.
“Wrapping presents was part of Christmas for us every year,”
Sizemore said. “I remember going many times with mama to meet with Mrs. West, who lived in a Victorian home near Cathedral.”
Mrs. West was Artimese West, wife of George F. West Sr, former Natchez alderman.
Together, Mrs. Killelea and Mrs. West joined their efforts for the poor children of Natchez.
“They both decided it was ridiculous to do it separately. Mama would go over there and meet with Mrs. West and they collaborated. That was part of our Christmas for our whole lives.
“I am very proud of my parents and the things they did. They were such good people. I would go with Daddy to buy gifts for some of his patients he knew needed them. We would go to Benoist and he would
also would buy bicycles and toys for his ill patients. We would drive by their houses and he would get out and put a bicycle or other toys on the porch and just drive away,” Sizemore said.
For most of his life, Dr. Killelea was involved with the Santa Claus Committee and its parade and after party.
“For years and years that party was held at our house,” she said. “I remember collecting as many quarters as we could.”
The Killelea children continue to return to Natchez for Christmas whenever possible.
“Even when we were in college or had gotten married, we would come home. Some of us, particularly Donna Ann, who lives in California, stays there to be with her children, but she comes every few years. The rest of us, Margee, Edward, Ginny and Patty, will go to mom and dad’s for Christmas dinner. We are big into
For Phillip West, Christmas in his family of 12 brothers and sisters was, “Huge. It was always an exciting time. It was something we looked forward to every year.”
While Christmas gifts were modest than most are for children today, he remembers a bicycle and a pair of roller skates as being among his favorites.
“We always had a tree, a small tree, but we would have lots of gifts up under it,” West said. “We lived in the city, but we lived on a gravel road. It had not yet been paved. I remember having to go to another place in the neighborhood to find a paved street to use those roller skates.”
He said his mother didn’t bake cakes, but Christmas was one time of the year when her mother would “go to the bakery downtown” and purchase four or five cakes to go along with “so many pies. We always had a lot of good sweets at Christmas. He also recalls an abundance of fruit at his house during the holidays.
His favorite part of Christmas in Natchez as a child was going with his friends to see the Christmas decorations at International Paper Co.
“My parents didn’t have a car. My father had a pulpwood truck. So the times we went we were in a neighbor’s car,” West said. “I thought that was something outstanding. It was something I looked forward to every year.”
BRUNCH WITH SPIRITS
Brunch With Spirits in November brought a delicious spin to open Angels on the Bluff weekend with a progressive brunch inside downtown businesses.
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6. Rusty Jenkins does a character portrayal of someone interred at the Natchez City Cemetery during the Brunch With Spirits.
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Melina Whittington and Carol Leven Brunch with Spirits at Hal Garner at Nest
Damon Tourere and Natilyn Tourere at Nest
Linda and Fredrick Ragan from Vicksburg at Mothers Natchez.
Diana Martello and Judy Wiggins doing a character portrayal for Brunch With Spirits at Mothers Natchez
Lana and Lida McCall at Natchez Olive Market.
Marylynn and Curt Johnson at Moreton’s Flowerland.
Jay and Ellen Sciambra and Bubby and Melissa Burns at Moreton’s Flowerland
