The
"great house," as the dwelling of the master was called, was two stories
high, built of huge logs, chinked and daubed and whitewashed. It was
divided, from front to rear, by a hall twenty-five feet long and twelve
feet wide, and on each side of the hall, in each story, was one large
room with a large fire-place. There were but four rooms in all, yet
these were so large that they were equal to at least six of our modern
rooms. The kitchen was not attached to the main building, but was about
thirty feet to the rear. This was the common mode of building in the
south in those days. The two bedrooms upstairs were very plain in
furnishings, but neat and comfortable, judged by the standard of the
times. A wing was added to the main building for dining room. In rear of
the kitchen was the milk or dairy house, and beyond this the smoke house
for curing the meat. In line with these buildings, and still further to
the rear, was the overseer's house. Near the milk house was a large
tree, and attached to the trunk was a lever; and here was where the
churning was done, in which I had always to assist. This establishment
will serve as a sample of many of those on the large plantations in the
south. The main road from Pontotoc to Holly Springs, one of the great
thoroughfares of the state and a stage route, passed near the house, and
through the center of the farm.
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