NATCHEZ — Sandwiched between the Natchez Trace Parkway and U.S. 61 and shaded by hundreds of live oaks, Brandon Hall is a hidden jewel of Adams County.

Brandon Hall, a Greek Revival house built in 1856 and located about 10 miles from downtown Natchez, was recently donated to the Historic Natchez Foundation by Edward L. and James R. Diefenthal, both of New Orleans.

The property was purchased by Stanley and Elke Diefenthal, Edward and James Diefenthal’s parents, in 1983. The couple then began a three-year restoration that took the property from deplorable condition to the immaculate antebellum house it is today.

Sitting on 48 landscaped acres, the house is easy to miss, Property Manager Tommy Welch said.

“You’d be surprised at the number of people who have lived in Natchez for 30 years and don’t know about Brandon Hall,” he said.

But for Welch and his wife Sharla, who have been managing the property for 21 years, the house and surrounding property are a bit of an oasis.

“The peacefulness of the property is my favorite aspect,” Sharla said. “It is a park-like setting out here.”

But it hasn’t always been that way. When the Welches first arrived at the property, the lawn and surrounding property was overgrown.

“It was a jungle when I took it over,” Tommy said. “You couldn’t hardly see the pond and there were thickets all over the place.”

But all the hard work that it took to return Brandon Hall to its majestic state was a true labor of love for Tommy and Sharla.

“It never felt like work for us,” Tommy said. “We really loved this place from the get-go.”

And as manicured as the outside is, the interior of the house is just as impeccable.

The three-level house, two living levels and a basement level kitchen, is appointed with period furnishings, silver and custom floor coverings.

The exterior of the house is constructed from Cyprus and the interior wood is all mahogany, Tommy said.

“It is remarkable,” he said. “It’s a special place like no other.”

The main level of the house includes two parlors, a formal dining room, a library, an enclosed porch and a piano room. The house has a main hallway that divides the level.

“The first time I walked into the house I thought “Man, you could play basketball in here,” Tommy said. “There isn’t another house that has a hall like this.”

The upper level of the house features bedrooms, bathrooms and “the most relaxing place in the house” according to Tommy — a balcony overlooking the pond on the front side of the house.

The bottom level is Sharla’s favorite area. The entire level is dedicated the houses kitchen, which is divided into two connecting rooms.

“She says she wants a kitchen like that in her next house,” Tommy said. “I told her if she gets a kitchen like that, the entire house would be a kitchen.”

When the house was donated to the Historic Natchez Foundation, all of the furnishings and equipment on the property were included in the donation.

“The Diefenthals always did a great deal for Natchez,” Sharla said. “Many times the gifts were anonymous and no one ever knew it was them, but the family donating this house to the foundation was just who they were.

“They are great people.”

And they created a special place, Tommy said. But the Welches aren’t the only people to understand the grandness of Brandon Hall. Over the years, many community events have been hosted in the house and a number of dignitaries have called Brandon Hall home for a night or two.

“We’ve had guests that did not ever leave the property,” Tommy said. “We would ask them if they wanted to go into town and they said ‘No, this is where we want to be.’”

Brandon Hall hosted chef Julia Child in 1992 during the Natchez Food Festival. Sharla said a limousine had been secured for Child to use during her stay in Natchez.

“She didn’t use it though,” Sharla said. “She said she wanted to ride in the bus with everyone else. She was just a normal, down-to-earth person when she was here.

The house is on tour during Fall Pilgrimage.

And that is always an exciting time for Tommy and Sharla.

“You never know who is going to walk in the door next,” he said. “And when they leave, they are singing Brandon Hall’s praises.”