Captain G.C. Adams built this house between 1848 and 1853 in the
then-booming town of Red Banks, Mississippi, not far from Holly
Springs. Cotton was king, and the land here was fertile. In 1853, James
Wells bought the house and 20 acres. He enlarged the land holdings and
lived here during the Civil War.
Originally, the house stood in an oak grove. When Grant was based in
Holly Springs, some of his officers were quartered at Cedar Crest, and
they felled the hardwoods to provide fuel for cooking and heating.
After the war, Lebanon cedars were planted, and the house is named for
the surviving trees.
Family lore maintains that Adams built this Greek Revival house to
resemble his daughter’s doll house. After the War of 1812, the new
American republic rejected its ties to England and embraced Greek
Classicism, because Greece was seen as the cradle of democracy. The
low-pitched roof and columned front of Greek temples became the
principle elements of the new architectural style. Round columns were
more true to the Greek prototypes, but in rural areas, square box
columns were easier to build, as seen here.
Adams harvested all the lumber for the house on the site. The
ceilings are an impressive 14 feet high to cool the house and are
covered in hand planed, butt-jointed boards, some still showing the
original blue calcimine paint. Two large chimneys provided fireplaces
to heat three rooms.
Double doors on the front porch open to the center hall, with a
parlor to one side and dining room to the other. The four-paneled,
pegged doors are 8 feet tall. Windows are even taller to provide ample
cross ventilation. The floors are wide, heart pine boards.
The house was fully updated in 1992, including a new roof and
central heat and air. The kitchen has a galley layout, with painted
cabinets and Mexican tile floors and counters. The current master
bedroom was a detached building moved over and appended to the house at
the beginning of the 20th.
The house sits on eight acres and has several cypress barns. The
drive winds through the property, ending in the cedar grove in front of
the house.
Cedar Crest offers a renovated, historic house and enough land to
develop extensive gardens or a hobby farm. The rear south yard is open
and would be perfect for a kitchen garden and a large entertaining area
with a pool. It’s rare to find a 160-year-old house only a 35-minute
drive from Midtown with such enticing opportunities.
