| Junius R. Ward House | |
| Coordinates: | 33.1036°N -91.0472°W |
| Built: | 1830 |
| Refnum: | 75001060 |
The Junius R. Ward House (a.k.a. Erwin House) is a historic house and former Southern plantation in Erwin, Mississippi.[1]
It is located in Erwin, Washington County, Mississippi.[2] [3] [4]
The house was built on a plantation from 1827 to 1830, making it the oldest house still standing in Washington County, Mississippi.[2] [3] Prior to this house, a log cabin had been built at this location.[2] The logs can still be seen in the attic.[3] Thus, in 1830, Junius R. Ward, a planter from Kentucky who used the forced labor of enslaved people, built this house.[2]
In 1877, the house was passed on to his daughter, Matilda Ward.[2] [4] She was married John Erwin, the original owner of Mount Holly in Foote, Mississippi.[2] [4] Painter George Caleb Bingham did a portrait of Maltilda Ward, which still hangs on a wall inside the house.[4]
The house was inherited by their son, Victor Erwin, who lived there with his wife, Margaret Preston McNeilly, the daughter of Confederate veteran and newspaper publisher J. S. McNeilly.[2] [4] A loggia at the back of the house was added in 1910, as well as a rear cabinet in 1925.[2] During that time, William Alexander Percy, the author of Lanterns on the Levee, was often invited to the house.[4]
In 1940, it was inherited by their daughter, Margaret Erwin Shutt, who lived there with her husband, William Shutt.[2] [4] They restored the house.[2]
It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 28, 1975.[2]