The Henry Smith House

The present-day Henry Smith estate rests on the land that was once the Farr Plantation. On August 18th, 1869, brothers Billy and Joshua Stockstill paid $1,200 dollars for the land. They separated it into two sections.  Joshua chose the north half of the property, on which the Smith house is now situated. His daughter, Cordelia, married Henry Smith on December 25, 1888.  Around 1905, she and Henry bought all of the acreage from the Stockstill heirs. They lived in the log cabin on the land, which was constructed c. 1874. Around 1909, Henry Emmitt Smith hired the premier carpenter of the South, Hector Puyper, to commence building his home. Smith paid seven dollars per thousand board feed for knotless heart pine lumber, which was fashioned into tongue and groove boards with cypress shingles for the roof. All of the materials originated from trees on the property and were milled on the site. Puyper approached the construction of the house as though solving a puzzle – he visualized the house piece by piece and built it as such. The home had nine large rooms and a front porch, which acted as a gathering place when people came to visit. Member of Bed & Breakfast Association of Mississippi.