I was in Brookhaven on one of our rare sunny days recently and noticed that the Capt. Jack Hardy House (not to be confused with the Capt. Jack Sparrow House) is for sale. The Hardy House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 and the MDAH website has this to say about it:
Built in 1877, the Captain Jack C. Hardy House is an excellent example of a well-preserved Italianate town villa. Characteristics of the style are reflected in bracketed cornices, arched window openings, hipped roof, and semi-octagonal bays. The interior retains its ornate plaster moldings, ceiling medallions and mantelpieces. Hardy married Ellen Hooker, whose extended family resided in the home. Ellen’s niece, Lulah Ragsdale, became one of Mississippi’s first female authors.
I couldn’t find much information on the Penn Realty website, but zillow.com tells us that the house is in foreclosure, that it has 6 bedrooms and 2 baths, that it’s on 4.1 acres, and it last sold in 2001 for $233,750.
As usual, click any image below to get to a larger slide show. Notice especially the highly decorative interior plasterwork in the double parlor and those great bay windows! Maybe you’re looking for a historic house in a good location to fix up and retire to? This one is just down the street from downtown Brookhaven and the Mississippi School for the Arts and just a hop onto the interstate to NOLA, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Natchez, or even Baton Rouge.
Categories: Brookhaven, For Sale, Historic Preservation
Preservation in Mississippi 
A 2007 press release by MDAH says the building was the recipient of a $110,000.00 grant. That completed work should ease the load of someone looking to fix the place up.
Looking at the photos in the post and the photos in the NRN it looks like a lot of work has been completed on the house, like porch repairs and plaster work.
The NRN also has great floorplans of the house.
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While the plasterwork is indeed gorgeous, the previous owners wasted the money on that rather than fixing the roof and other underlying problems, leading to severe mold and moisture problems inside. So all that plaster will likely have to be redone. A recent bat infestation also did not do much to help matters.
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Well that is unfortunate. It’s sometimes hard to get people to focus on the infrastructure, which most people don’t see, before concentrating on the fancy stuff. I once heard of a woman here in Jackson who refused to pay for the 25-foot concrete pilings that the engineer said she needed to support the three-story house she planned to build on Yazoo clay. Less than ten years after the house was finished, none of the front doors (there are seven, did I mention that?) would open and there were cracks all over the walls. The verse about not building your house on the sand comes to mind.
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The house was sold on July 21, 2005 for $400,000. to Roy Segers who was remodeling the home as a bed and breakfast. The seller was Thomas Hardy Little. A new roof was placed on the home in 2000. However, a month after the sale Katrina came thru and severe damage was done. The grant was received but the work was never completed at last viewing as Mr. Segers pasted away.
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Hello, I am helping ms. Marcelle Brennan of Brookhaven try to locate any living relatives of Jack and Catherine Hardy Little and their son Tommy Little. She was contacted by a lady in the Jackson,ms coroner’s office this evening. Tommy has passed away today and they are having trouble locating any living relatives. Is there any way you may have information on this? I was looking on the internet for Hardy and this article came up. Ms Brennan lives across the street from the Hardy House and is 90 yrs old. She is trying to locate any living relatives. If you have any information please call 601-695-6362. My name is Shelia Lambert. I sit with ms Brennan. Thank you
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This is the Deputy Coroner for Hinds County. I appreciate your help very much! I have been in contact with Ms. Brennan as well as his prior employer, the MDA, a Presbyterian church he once belonged to as well as a number of others that were located in his phone. I am interested in finding ANYONE who is related to him via parents…i.e. cousins etc. I may be contacted at 601.715.7944. Please feel frere to text if I am unable to respond. Rene’ Crawford, Deputy medical Examiner of Hinds County, Mississippi.
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I have been researching the Hardy house for some time now. I grow up in Brookhaven and was always fascinating by the old home. I am a avid metal detector and would love to have the chance to detect the Hardy house but can’t seem to find out who owns it now. If anyone has any information on the present owners it would be greatly appreciated
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