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Arrival
9:30 am - 10:30 am Merrehope/ F.W. Williams Homes
Merrehope is a stately 20-room Victorian mansion, restored and furnished by Meridian Restorations Foundation, Inc. It features unusual woodwork, handsome columns, mantels and stairway. Original part of the home was used as headquarters for confederate General Leonidas Polk and was spared by Union General William T. Sherman.
A major project of the Meridian Restorations Foundation, Inc., the F. W. Williams home was moved adjacent to Merrehope. It is an excellent example of Queen Anne Victorian, with stained glass, oak paneling, parquet floors and detailed gingerbread. Many original feature and antique furnishings. www.merrehope.com
Admission to both houses: $10.00
10:45 am - 11:15 am Rose
Hill Cemetary
This historic cemetery contains the monuments of John Ball and Lewis Ragsdale, founders of the city of Meridian. It also contains the graves of the King and Queen of the Gypsies, Emil and Kelly Mitchell. There is a large mound that contains the remains of the confederate dead. Buried in the confederate Mound is Lt. Charles W. Read, regarded as the John Paul Jones of the confederacy. Admission: Free.
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch at Weidmann's
Restaurant
This restaurant is located in historic downtown Meridian and is the oldest restaurant in the city, open since 1870 in the same location. Menu prices available upon request.
1:15 pm - 1:45 pm Jimmie Rodgers Museum
"The Father of Country Music," Jimmie Rodgers was born and reared in the Meridian area. The museum displays the original guitar of "The Singing Brakeman" and other memorabilia of his life and career as well as railroad equipment from the steam engine era. Admission: $2.00 per person or $1.50 per person for groups of 20 or more.
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm Dentzel Carousel
In operation since 1909, this National Historic Landmark is the world's only two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie.
Manufactured around 1895 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia, Penn., the carousel features meticulously hand-carved animals of bass and poplar wood. Original oil paintings of museum quality adorn the top crown. Each piece has been restored to its original beauty. Admission: $1.00 per person for tour and ride.
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Hamasa Temple Theater
Sit back and enjoy the sounds of a 100-piece orchestra. The music is produced by one of only two Robert Morton pipe organs known to exist. The Hamasa Temple Theater (circa 1928) is a Moorish-Revival style theater, listed on the National Register of Historic Place. At one time one of the largest stages in the United States, second only to the Roxie Theater in New York City. Admission: Free, but a $1.00 per person contribution can be made for upkeep of the organ.
Departure
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