By Stephanie Swogetinsky
Quitman lost a piece of its history this week. Watching a historic home come down is sad, to say the least.
The C.C. Ferrill House was built around 1900, during a time when Clarke County had seen real economic growth.
From 1880 to 1914, Mississippi saw changes in its economy and its communities. The state became more industrial, and a new group of business leaders grew in power. Many of these families chose the Queen Anne style when building their homes.
Clarke County also grew during this time. The lumber and textile industries brought jobs and money to the area. The New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad also helped the county grow.
The Ferrill House was built for Capt. C.C. Ferrill around 1900. Capt. C. C. Ferrill was a member of the 37th Regiment Infantry during the Civil War and Clarke County’s Chancery clerk from 1888 to 1899.
By 1910, the house was owned by the Kirkland family, prominent businessmen in Quitman who lived there until 1950.
The home was later sold and fell into disrepair. It was demolished Sept. 28, 2026.
During the demolition, workers found a steel beam with W. G. Kirkland, Quitmand, MS written on it. No, we did not misspell Quitman. Someone else did but the discovery gave another look at the history of the home and the people who lived there.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service Register of Historic Places, the Ferrill House was one of the best examples in Clarke County of the spindle-work mode of the Queen Anne style.
The two-story, four-bay-wide frame home stood on a stucco foundation. It had a large, complex roof with several gables.
The front of the home had a two-story bay that came out from the main wall. The top of the bay had a gable roof covered with decorative shingles. Curved brackets and pendants added detail to the gable.
Each floor of the bay had three double-hung windows.
The home also had a large wraparound porch. Both levels had turned posts and decorative spindle work. The second floor also had a railing, called a balustrade.
The first-floor front entrance had a door with glass panels, a glass transom above it and glass panels on both sides. The porch also wrapped around the east side of the home. Part of the first-floor porch was enclosed with French doors. That area also had a pair of windows. Other windows around the porch had two panes over two panes. The gables were covered with decorative shingles and had curved woodwork.
Today, the C.C. Ferrill House is gone, but its history remains part of Quitman’s story. The discovery of the steel beam during the demolition is one more reminder of the people and families who once called the home theirs.
