Want to stay in a luxurious pre-World War II mansion in Jackson? Now you can. See how

If you’ve ever dreamed of spending the night in a castle built for a king (or at least a home built for one of Mississippi’s most prominent and wealthy merchants), a stately mansion in Jackson’s historic Belhaven neighborhood awaits your visit.

Called the Kennington Mansion, the property at 1020 Carlisle Street was purchased last year by the Ragland Hospitality Group, LLC and has been restored to welcome visitors in search of luxurious short-term rentals.

“We expect a lot of our guests will be people who are originally from Jackson or attended school here but now live out of town and will be returning for homecomings and family reunions,” said property manager Ben Herring. The home can also be used for a variety of meetings and special events. “We are happy to offer deep discounts to non-profits,” Herring said.

Although food is not served like a traditional bed and breakfast would, the home does feature a spacious, modern kitchen where guests can prepare their own dishes or hire caterers.

The Greek Revival structure boasts four bedrooms, four full baths, two half-baths, a grand foyer with “courting” alcoves, huge formal living and dining rooms, a family room and more.

In the back there is also a separate guest house, built in mid-century modern style, along with a 50,000-gallon swimming pool and a pool house featuring additional bath and exercise facilities.

Groups of up to 14 people can be accommodated with a minimum two-night stay, Herring said.This is the second historic home in Belhaven purchased and renovated by the Ragland Group.

The first, known as the Kendall House, is located on Euclid Avenue and has been open for more than a year. “It was very much an experiment, but now we are booked almost every weekend and often for longer stays,” Herring said.

Chris Ragland, founder of the Ragland Group said, “We firmly believe that investing in historic properties isn’t merely about preserving bricks and mortar, it’s about investing in our communities and creating jobs while providing world-class hospitality. As we continue our deep commitment to preserving Mississippi’s rich architectural history, we are thrilled to open Kennington’s Mansion as our latest venture in luxury short-term rentals.”

The name Kennington is synonymous with what was for much of the 20th century known as one of the most prestigious department stores in Mississippi.

Located at 401 East Capitol Street at what is now known as the Heritage Building, the Kennington Company became so successful that people from all over the state would come to shop for the latest in fashions, jewelry, gifts, home furnishings, kitchenware, and major appliances.

For a time, the store became so popular they even opened a sister location in New York City. And its owner Robert Estes Kennington, who had co-founded the store in 1905 as Jones-Kennington Dry Goods, quickly became known as one of Jackson’s most prominent businessmen and community leaders.

Kennington bought out his partner’s share of the business by 1911 and continued its operation for the next half century along with his son John A. “Jack” Kennington. Each floor of the spacious building was like a separate store to itself, catering to every age and lifestyle. The senior Kennington died in November 1969 at age 94.

The department store today remains only a memory, having sold out around 1970 to the then-growing McRae’s chain of department stores (which later became Belk). Only the 5,500-square-foot home Kennington built on Carlisle Street remains as a tribute to the fabled patriarch’s leadership.

It might surprise some people, however, that the mansion bearing his name was only lived in by the Kennington family for a relatively short time.

The original Kennington home, known as Kenwood, was built on the same property but faced west toward what is now Kenwood Street. It was designed by architect V. W. Overstreet and completed in 1912.

By the 1930s, however, that structure was found to have developed serious foundation problems, so the family decided to begin disassembling the mansion piece by piece, and use the original columns, bricks, molding, mantels, and other salvageable material to build the new home facing Carlisle.

Designed to closely resemble the original family home, the new mansion was designed by architect R. W. Naef and completed in 1939.

Having learned the pitfalls of foundation problems resulting from Jackson’s shifting “Yazoo clay,” Kennington spared no expense, using reinforced concrete throughout. “They over-engineered this house,” Herring said. But more than 80 years later hardly a crack in the walls or floors exist anywhere.

In April 1945 the Kennington family sold the house for $46,500, then a record amount locally for any residential property, to Warren Reimers, an oil producer and former wing commander in the Civil Air Patrol. Reimers died in 1968 but his wife Lorna continued to live there until her death in 2001.

Original features still present include gorgeous oak wood floors and hand-printed Zuber wallpaper from Paris. “It is what is called the ‘Isola Bella’ design and was printed using 760 pressings of different blocks,” Herring said. Wallpaper from the same prestigious company exists in the White House in Washington, he noted.

Assisting the Ragland Group with interior design concepts has been Mary Sanders Ferriss Cavicchi of Ferriss & Company. Vintage clothing and accessories of the type Kennington’s would have sold adorn the walls and tables and the store’s original nameplate from the building on Capitol Street is displayed in the pool house.

Taylor Bird and Abi Leigh Doss, associates of the Tell Agency in Fondren, have also been assisting the new owners with marketing and public relations services.

Guests will be able to enjoy secure, gated parking for up to nine vehicles, and shopping, restaurants and nightlife at the new Belhaven Town Center is only a block away, within convenient walking distance.

For booking details and more information you may visit kenningtonsmansion.com or speak to the property manager by calling 601-951-0831.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Kennington Mansion available for luxury mansion rental in Jackson, MS