The Beauvoir mansion is one of the more historically significant houses in Mississippi considering its most famous resident, Jefferson Davis, who used the house as a writing retreat in his later life. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, the estimated twenty seven foot storm surge at Beauvoir devastated the mansion. Katrina also offered a unique opportunity to restore the house to its original Davis-era state. Beauvoir's various owners had changed several aspects of the houses during its one hundred and fifty year life span. Restoring the home to its Davis-era state began immediately. The millwork, ground level lattices, and other historic features were fully restored and after three years, Beauvoir was fully revitalized to its original historic identity.