Anchuca, one of the city’s oldest homes and its first bed and breakfast, will observe its 60th anniversary as a tour home Thursday at 9 a.m. with an unveiling of a state marker and free tours of the home.

Owner Tom Pharr said when the state historical marker in front of the home was installed in March 2013, he was unable to hold a ceremony at the time “so I decided to wait until the 60th anniversary to do it, because I knew it was coming up.”

He said the state marker will be dedicated to the memory of his maternal grandmother, Gladys Marie Garner Barnette.

“We wanted to honor her memory because she provided the funds to secure the marker through a gift she left for my mother, who passed it on to me,” Pharr said.

“We knew we wanted to do something special with the gift, and placing the commemorative marker for everyone who visits to see and learn about the significance of Anchuca seemed like the perfect fit.”

He said Bertram Hayes-Davis, great-great-grandson of Jefferson Davis and president of the Jefferson Davis Foundation, and his wife Carol will help with the dedication ceremony. The Davis’ stop in Vicksburg is planned as part of an exclusive tour of Jefferson Davis sites along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Memphis on the American Queen.

Jefferson Davis, according to local legend, gave his last public address to friends and neighbors in 1869 from Anchuca’s front balcony while his brother, Joseph E. Davis, lived at the home.

“The house is on the American Queen’s tour, and guests from the American Queen will be touring the house,” Pharr said.

Built in Greek revival style in 1830 by local politician J.W. Maudlin, Anchuca was the first columned mansion in Vicksburg and the first historic home in the state to be turned into a bed and breakfast inn.

The mansion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was opened as a tour home in 1955, and later became the first historic home in Vicksburg to become a bed and breakfast.

“Historic homes are an important part of tourism today, especially with the involvement of the evolution into a bed and breakfast,” Pharr said. “We are excited to celebrate this important milestone in Anchuca’s history.

“When I think of how far tourism has come — especially the opportunities and the reach we now have in this digital age — and the positive economic impact on this community that we have had not only as an attraction for tourists, but also as an employer, I can’t help but be proud of our contribution to preserve such a unique, American historic neighborhood.”