George Washington Ball House
Introduction
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This historic home was constructed in 1822 and named after George Washington Ball, a distant relative of the first president of the United States. It is the oldest antebellum homes in the area and is located in the oldest neighborhood in Vicksburg. The house was in a dilapidated state until a local restored it in the early 2000s.
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Backstory and Context
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Ball's father, Joseph, was the nephew of George Washington's mother, Mary Ball, who was from Pope Creek, Virginia. This connection is why Joseph named his son George Washington Ball. It is unclear whether Ball or his father built the house but it appears that Ball did. Joseph operated the original Vicksburg Hotel, which was located where the Vicksburg Auditorium is now. The hotel offered basic amenities such as stables horses and was open to men who worked on the river. Ball took over the hotel after Joseph died in 1832. In addition to running the hotel, Ball was also a land speculator and owned land in Washington County. In 1836, Ball sold the hotel and moved to Kentucky and got married there. He and his wife returned to Vicksburg for a short time before moving back to Kentucky. It appears they never came back to Vicksburg.
Sources
"Nation's first president had Vicksburg ties." The Vicksburg Post. February 22, 2009. https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2009/02/22/nations-first-president-had-vicksburg-ties-3.