The Ghost of Matagorda Plantation
This post is about the grandson of the famous Confederate General, John Bell Hood.
Farmer and former Confederate, David M. Russell, was a wealthy planter who owned a large plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi. In 1879, he adopted one of John Bell Hood’s orphans after both parents died in New Orleans of yellow fever. A call was put out by friends and this boy, John Jr., and nine other siblings (including three sets of twins) were adopted by families across the southern and northeastern United States.
John Bell Hood, Jr. was raised on Matagorda Plantation during the late 1800s by Colonel Russell. When the aging “Colonel” David Russell passed away in the late 1910s, John, Jr. married Russell’s second and much younger wife, Maggie. After John took over the plantation, it continued to prosper into the 1920s. For John and his once-stepmother/now-wife, they were living the American dream.
By the mid-1920s, the couple had two young boys, John Bell Hood III, and James – affectionately known as Robin (Hood). But tragedy struck the family during the 1930s. While playing near some farming equipment, the older boy John III, was mangled to death. He was less than ten years old. The family was devastated.
The boy’s mother, Maggie, was originally from Boston. She married Mr. Russell after first becoming his nurse, as he was suffering from an illness at the time. He died a few years later and left everything to John, Jr., who promptly married his adoptive father’s widow.
Maggie was a very religious woman – a devout Catholic, and she had one room in the Matagorda mansion made into a chapel. At this chapel, she encouraged young Robin to pray for his older brother for an hour each day.
- John Bell Hood, Jr.
- Matagorda
- Matagorda
At fourteen, Robin was sent away to boarding school in Arizona. It was a ranch school for boys where they would learn prep courses and also hands-on ranching ways and sports. At the start of World War II, the family and Robin changed his given name to that of his dead older brother, John Bell Hood III. And so when he volunteered for the draft and also on his Veteran grave marker, the name reads that of his deceased older brother: John Bell Hood III.
Robin had served with distinction during World War Two. After the war, the big Matagorda Plantation had prospered for a while, but the family’s fortunes had diminished. Robin’s father, John Jr., had died in 1947 at age 75. His mother, Maggie, was also gone. With just Robin left, the plantation and farm began its decline into the 1960s. And so did Robin’s mind. By the late 1960’s, his mental state had begun to decline. But even during the 1950’s, neighbors warned their boys to stay away from Matagorda because “Robin is crazy”. Rumors like these floated across the countryside of northwestern Mississippi near Clarksdale.
By Christmas of 1968, Robin had been fully committed to Whitfield State Insane Hospital as it was then called, near Jackson. It was and is a beautiful place. The one-hundred year-old oak trees that line Old Whitfield Road are symbolic of the peace and serenity which one would hope to receive at the equally beautiful hospital on its magnificent grounds with its colonial style buildings and rolling landscapes.
In 1975-6, Robin whether cured or not, was released by the hospital. He returned to his land, now just a house and about twenty acres – the family was flat broke. What had been sold off by administrators was to help pay taxes and debts.
Robin was often spotted wandering and shadowing the property into the 1980s. Robin aka John Bell Hood III, the grandson of the famous Confederate general, died at an old folks home in Mississippi in 1987 at age 60.
dan 5:56 am on June 28, 2020 Permalink |
This is a wonderful post. I was a teenager living near Matadorda in the late 1960’s when Johen Bell III was in and out of whitfield state mental hospital. Several of us would sneak in the house and look around and play without touching a thing. It had amazing historical things all about. Later on some vandels broke in and the state had the auction of all of the furniture when John was committed. I was a stamp collector and a freinds mother was one of the auction workes I called to make a bid on the stamps and old letters that were still on the desks in the house. I was horrified to hear at that time that the workers had burned all of the letters because auction bidders were reading the mail.. It was a treasure trove of old stamps some not used and a big wood dest with drawers with thousands of picture postcards from world trips the family took. We spent many hours in the old cool place on summer days playing hiding seek and always closing it carefully. The place was amazing. When Robin Hood got an occasional release from the hospital to come home before his final committment he was removing wood floor and digging a deep hole looking for condfederate gold that he thought General John Bell Hood who died there had buried. The house had old food chits from the company store of Matagorda plantation. The dinning room which wat the first part built was an old square cut log cabin buit by slave when it was first a bear hunting lodge. The grounds had a pecan orchid and there were big wicker chairs on the porch. There was a separte cooking kitchen for the slaves that connected to the dinning area. I remember the chapel that was mentioned in the original article.It was a great rambling two story home with servants stairs on back and master stairs in side. Floyd Graham of Friars Point has some great photos taken before the house was torn down by Kirk Haynes the planter who had the plantation after John Bell was finally committed.
John 6:41 pm on July 7, 2020 Permalink |
Thanks for the kind words.
John 3:46 pm on August 13, 2020 Permalink |
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