On the Beach, Teddy Roosevelt Stayed Here. Pet friendly, large fenced property

After being off the VRBO rental market for two years we are back! Newly painted inside and out, new lighting inside and out and new sofas with a new covered porch. new washer /dryer, new hot water heater. The log cabin is a building that is about 100 years old and partially survived Katrina (we lost the living room which is now the covered porch.) If you would like a brand new place to stay, there are many available. If you would like a place with a long history, beautiful grounds, fenced yard and a view to the water, that is dog friendly, this is your place.

This property is the only remaining part of the estate of Governor Parker who, in 1915, hosted a visit here by Teddy Roosevelt. The log cabin lies in its own garden. We recently built a new house toward the front of the property designed by Frank Gehry and Robert Tannen. This cabin was one of the very few structures to survive Katrina, though it was halved in size by the storm. With the beach at its feet, it is also only a short distance further to the picturesque port and to the center of Pass Christian, which is being rebuilt.

Our cabin has been on tour with the Pass Christian Historical society, come stay in a historic site.

We just finished painting inside and out and adding a roof to the porch with a new sofa, lamps and rug. There are just 2 rooms, as well as the bathroom, the bedroom with king sized bed, and 42” television, with cable and wireless Internet. We only have one TV; there is no TV in the living room, kitchen area. If you would like a second TV bring your own. The main room, which serves as sitting room, dining room and kitchen, has a dining table seating 6 and a queen size sofa bed. Both rooms open onto a large screen porch (the former great room) ideal for enjoying relaxing drinks, and on cooler nights sitting in front of the wood-burning fireplace or generally sitting and admiring the garden, under the ceiling fans with a view to the gulf through ancient oak trees. There are lights on the two north corners of the house that illuminate when their motion detector is activated so you have light when you arrive and leave.

There is a fenced pool in the garden, a short walk from the cabin. The property is fenced. During the summer, if there has been a lot of rain the grass can be long. Due to the expense of mowing we only mow every other week. If this may be a problem for you please contact Rebecca O’Dwyer, our manager and ask when the grass will be mowed to make sure it doesn’t disturb you. All other times of the year this is not a problem.

This property has been in my family for over 120 years. It is a place of tranquility, serenity and beauty. I am delighted to share it with those that would like to experience its beauty. The log house was built in the 1920’s by my grandfather. If you want new construction, this is also not the place. It is a place for writers, artists and those of us that want to unplug from everyday life to come and be renewed. If you are looking for TV in every room, perfectly manicured lawns where your dog is not welcome this is not the place for you.

An excerpt from A Book-Lover’s Holidays in the Open. 1916. By Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919).


“ON June 7, 1915, I was the guest of my friend John M. Parker, of New Orleans, at his house at Pass Christian, Mississippi. For many miles west, and especially east, of Pass Christian, there are small towns where the low, comfortable, singularly picturesque and attractive houses are owned, some by Mississippi planters, some by city folk who come hither from the great Southern cities, and more and more in winter-time from the great Northern cities also, to pass a few months. The houses, those that are isolated and those in the little towns, stand in what is really one long row; a row broken by vacant reaches, but as a whole stretching for sixty miles, with the bright waters of the Gulf lapping the beach in front of them, and behind them leagues of pine forest. Between the Gulf and the waters lies a low ridge or beach of white sand. It is hard to make anything grow in this sand; but the owners of the houses have succeeded, using dead leaves and what manure is available; and in this leaf-mould the trees and grasses and flowers grow in profusion. Long, flimsy wooden docks stretch out into the waters of the Gulf; there is not much bad weather, as a rule, but every few years there comes a terrible storm which wrecks buildings and bridges, destroys human lives by the thousand, washes the small Gulf sailing craft ashore, and sweeps away all the docks.”

Why do I say that the property has been in my family for over 120 years? And Roosevelt visited in 1915. My grandparents owned the property next to Gov. Parker. In 1969 my mother bought the Governor’s house and incorporated it into our lot.

"We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we'll also have a lot more joy in living." -Thich Nhat Hanh






Keywords: Beach House, Log Cabin, dogs, pool