An Important House Needs Our Help

A reader contacted me about a house north of Natchez that is very important to Mississippi’s history but that needs some tender loving care to be restored to its former glory. The house was built in 1854 and is a fine example of the Greek Revival style, with 2-panel doors, fluted porch columns, dentilled cornice, jib doors opening onto the porch, and that type of center hall plan that widens at the back to form another room. The house is in the forested countryside and is surrounded by about 87 acres–for those of us who love peace and quiet, a slice of heaven! And if that’s not enough, you even get your very own Spanish moss to complete the Southern scene.

The front porch was heavily damaged in a storm a few years back and will need to be mostly reconstructed, along with other repairs from sitting vacant for a while. The owner is asking in the $160,000 range, which includes both the house and all that acreage, so it’s a bargain, if you’re willing to undertake the task. Check out a few more pictures at flickr and I will hope to find and post a few better photos in the next several weeks.

Many of us have heard the story of the Snows, who bought Waverly in Clay County after it had been abandoned for decades and overgrown. They fixed the house with their own (and their children’s) hands and made it a showplace that they have shared with awed visitors for many years now. Maybe one of us can create a new story of our own that generations of history-lovers will tell their children.

If you or someone you know is interested, e-mail me at malvaney@misspreservation.com.