Merrehope: Pre-Civil War Home Dresses Up for the Holidays

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

While the original 1858 Greek Revival cottage exterior is now part of the backside of Merrehope, the front exterior became Italianate in architectural style due to two stories added in 1868. Other Italianate distinguishing factors are the decorative corbels (projections that support or decorate a structure) under the wide roof molding, the imposing columns, and the ruby-red, main-door side-lights (glass). Neoclassical style was added as part of the 1904 wrap-around porch and a cantilevered upper porch. Courtesy of Jeff Homan

What started as a wedding gift in 1858 of a small cottage and 160 acres from one of Meridian’s first settlers to his daughter has grown in square footage and height over the past 164 years. Originally designed by Juriah Jackson, the home was remodeled in the Neoclassical Revival style by S.H. Floyd when he purchased it in 1903. The home’s architectural style has been added to through the years to transform it from quaint Greek Revival to ornate Italianate to grand Neoclassical.

Located in Meridian, Mississippi, the home has witnessed not only its own architectural evolution, but that of history’s impact on the area as well. Union Gen. William T. Sherman famously marched with 10,000 troops on the Confederate-loyal town in February 1864, and although he burned much of Meridian, the antebellum mansion was spared—perhaps because of its aesthetic beauty, though no one knows for certain.