Great Houses of Mississippi highlights the state's antebellum houses in color photos and informative text. Federal town houses, Greek Revival plantation homes, and Italianate and Gothic villas recall the decades when Mississippi led the nation in architectural excellence. The stories behind these houses mirror Mississippi's history. The tales of the families and slaves who built them, the people who preserved them through multiple generations and often saved them from destruction, convey the story of the state from its earliest territorial years to the present day.