Vicksburg

John Klein was married to a cousin of Union general William Tecumseh Sherman, and the couple had ten children, six of whom lived to adulthood. In 1868 he built this brick Victorian-Italianate mansion on the grounds of his Cedar Grove estate for his son Madison Conrad Klein. Carolyn and George Mayer have been providing bed and breakfast lodging in this historic Garden District property since 1992, and they named it for the Annabelles in three generations of Carolyn’s family.

Carolyn is from New Orleans, and George first saw light of day in Moravia in the Czech Republic. Incidentally, his great-great-grandfather was once mayor of Prague. When we arrived at about 3:00 P.M., Carolyn was outside watering her flowers, but she immediately came inside and served tea and homemade cookies to us from a silver tray in her formal living room.

Many of the antiques that fill the home are family pieces. Included among these was a cockfight chair—something we had never seen before. It is made to be straddled backward and has a padded rest across the top of the back, which opens to provide a compartment for keeping money while betting on the birds.

We stayed in the Rose room, the others in the main house being the Peach and the Magnolia, where guests can view blooming magnolia trees. The Gardenia, the Camellia, and the Natchez Suite are located in the guesthouse on the grounds. This Queen Anne-style guesthouse was moved from Pearl Street in 1881 on a mule-drawn wagon, according to Carolyn. The Mayers added porches and columns. The B&B pays commission to travel agents.

A typical breakfast here can include eggs Benedict, omelets, French toast, homemade banana bread, fresh fruit, juice, and coffee or tea. Carolyn furnished us a non-breakfast recipe, which follows.