I know nothing about this gorgeous two-story clapboard house in the little town of Gloster down in Amite County, except that I screeched to a halt in the middle of the street when I saw it and took these pictures right out of my car window. There has got to be a story here, but who will tell us? Clearly, an architect was involved somewhere in this combination Craftsman/Prairie design, and it seems too big to have been a kit house or otherwise standard published plan. We know that at least two Jackson architects, E.J. Hull and N.W. Overstreet, were working in these styles by the 1910s, so it would be intriguing to know who the original owner was and whether he had any connections with either of those. Or maybe, so close to Louisiana, there’s a New Orleans connection here.

I especially love that long wide eave with exposed rafters, the balanced asymmetry, the sturdy brick porch with an almost masonry-screen balustrade, the brackets under the pent roof sheltering the first floor windows, and of course those amazing windows! I’m curious if this red color is the original stain. Stain, rather than paint, was encouraged in Craftsman houses because it was considered a more natural finish. Red, green, and brown were especially popular colors.

Can’t get enough of Craftsman?

• Craftsman Style in Mississippi
• Greenville Craftsman: Leavenworth-Wasson-Carroll House
• Lameuse Street Craftsman (Biloxi)
• Hattiesburg Craftsman: Corley Griffen House
• Magnolia Craftsman
• Belhaven Craftsman: N.W. Overstreet House
• Fernwood Craftsman
• Webb School, Bay St. Louis
• Craftsman Porches of Yazoo City
• Purvis Women’s Club
• Brookhaven Craftsman: Y-Hut
• Drummond Street Craftsman (Vicksburg)
• Belhaven Craftsman: Emmett J. Hull House
• Money Craftsman
• Merigold Craftsman
• Terry Craftsman
• Itta Bena Craftsman

Categories: Architectural Research

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