McRaven House

McRaven was built in three distinct periods, producing a single structure with three different architectural styles preserved within it. The earliest section, dated to circa 1797, is a pioneer kitchen with a single room above. It was built by Andrew Glass, a highwayman who robbed travelers along the Natchez Trace and used the building as a hideout. Walnut Hills, as Vicksburg was then known, sat at the trace's southern terminus on the Mississippi River.

In 1836 brick contractor Sheriff Stephen Howard built an Empire-style addition that more than doubled the building's size. Howard's young wife Mary Elizabeth died in childbirth in the house in 1836. The building changed hands in 1849, when John H. Bobb purchased it and added a Greek Revival front section with formal parlors.

During the 47-day Union siege of Vicksburg from May to July 1863, the grounds were used as a Confederate encampment and the house served briefly as a field hospital. After the city fell on July 4, 1863, Union troops occupied Vicksburg. Bobb was killed in 1864 after a confrontation with Union soldiers on his property.

The house was occupied by the Murray family from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. After standing vacant for periods, the property was restored as a museum and tour home in the late 20th century. The current owners completed extensive preservation work and present the house under the name McRaven Tour Home.

McRaven has been featured by National Geographic, A&E, the Travel Channel, 48 Hours, and other major media. National Geographic Magazine described it as 'The Time Capsule of the South,' citing its unusual stratigraphic preservation of three distinct early-American building periods within one structure.