The John F. Cates House (sometimes locally referred to as "The Hill") is a historic structure that was built ca. 1859. The house, which stands on the north side of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and is a registered

Mississippi Landmark The following is a list of Mississippi Landmarks officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestow ...

History

The house, which has been in the same family for six generations (its entire history to date), is a

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

example of the type of

Greek Revival architecture The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

built by small farmers in the area during the

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

years. It is the sole surviving antebellum structure in Brownsville and was damaged during a Civil War skirmish, when a

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...

cap was blown off by an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

round. The house was restored in 1989-1992 by the late Marcus Charles Hammack, a descendant of the original builder.

Features

The John F. Cates House is a story-and-one-half, five-bay, side-gabled residence with a gabled

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

on the front and a full-width gallery across the back. The basic plan is a center hall with two large rooms on either side; there is also a modern apartment in the half-story, accessible by a stair mounting from the back gallery. Notable features include board-and-batten

siding Siding may refer to: * Siding (construction), the outer covering or cladding of a house * Siding (rail) A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch l ...

; eight-foot, paneled, single-leaf doors, tongue-in-groove, random width heart pine floors; and a mixture of original pilastered and shouldered-architrave mantels.

References

Houses in Hinds County, Mississippi Mississippi Landmarks Houses completed in 1859 Plantation houses in Mississippi Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Hinds County, Mississippi {{Mississippi-NRHP-stub