Junius R. Ward House

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Junius R. Ward House
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The house in 2014
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LocationOld Hwy. 1, Erwin, Mississippi
Coordinates 33°6′13″N91°2′50″W / 33.10361°N 91.04722°W / 33.10361; -91.04722
Area5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built1830
NRHP reference No. 75001060 [1]

The Junius R. Ward House (a.k.a. Erwin House) is a historic house and former Southern plantation in Erwin, Mississippi. [2]

Contents

Location

It is located in Erwin, Washington County, Mississippi. [3] [4] [5]

History

The house was built on a plantation from 1827 to 1830, making it the oldest house still standing in Washington County, Mississippi. [3] [4] Prior to this house, a log cabin had been built at this location. [3] The logs can still be seen in the attic. [4] Thus, in 1830, Junius R. Ward, a planter from Kentucky who used the forced labor of enslaved people, built this house. [3]

In 1877, the house was passed on to his daughter, Matilda Ward. [3] [5] She was married John Erwin, the original owner of Mount Holly in Foote, Mississippi. [3] [5] Painter George Caleb Bingham did a portrait of Maltilda Ward, which still hangs on a wall inside the house. [5]

The house was inherited by their son, Victor Erwin, who lived there with his wife, Margaret Preston McNeilly, the daughter of Confederate veteran and newspaper publisher J. S. McNeilly. [3] [5] A loggia at the back of the house was added in 1910, as well as a rear cabinet in 1925. [3] During that time, William Alexander Percy, the author of Lanterns on the Levee, was often invited to the house. [5]

In 1940, it was inherited by their daughter, Margaret Erwin Shutt, who lived there with her husband, William Shutt. [3] [5] They restored the house. [3]

Heritage significance

It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 28, 1975. [3]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ William C. Alien (March 31, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Junius R. Ward House" (PDF). National Park Service . Retrieved November 12, 2014. Photos
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Jim Fraiser, The Majesty of the Mississippi Delta, Pelican Publishing, 2002, p. 46
  4. 1 2 3 Mississippi: A Guide to the Magnolia State, US History Publishers: Federal Writers's Project, pp. 355-356
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Woody Woods, Delta Plantations - The Beginning, 2010, pp. 26-27
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