One of the most famous landmarks in Meridian is Merrehope. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home dates back to 1858, when one of Meridian’s first settlers, Richard McLemore, gave his daughter Juriah and her husband, W.H. Jackson, 160 acres as a wedding gift. Merrehope wasn’t always a grand mansion. Originally it was a small Greek Revival cottage. The antebellum section of the house is located in the back of the mansion.

In December 1863, Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk moved his family into the home and used it as his Confederate headquarters. During Union General William T. Sherman’s occupation of Meridian, some of his officers sheltered at Merrehope. For this reason, it is one of only six homes inside the city limits to survive the Meridian Campaign.

Merrehope changed owners and underwent extensive remodeling and expansion several times in the decades following the Civil War. In 1968, the home was purchased by its present owner, The Meridian Restoration Foundation. It is used for club meetings, is rented to the public for weddings, receptions and parties, and hosts the annual “Trees of Christmas” holiday event. Tours of the home are available.