Katherine died in 1983 and Balfour shortly thereafter, when it was sold to Ethel Banta, a Natchez native who wanted to move back home after her husband died. It's been almost two....three? years since it burned. Unfortunately, Ethel was lost in the fire. It was a tragedy all the way around. Everyone thought the house was a total loss, but historic preservationists Kevin and Laine Berry happened to be in town that day and decided to take it on. Like any major project its progress has been in fits and starts, but steady, and she's starting to look like her old self again. They've got drywall installed, windows installed and finished, and are starting on the final stages in the main house while the ell in back still has a ways to go.
Thank you, Kevin and Laine, for taking on this massive undertaking and restoring hope that was almost lost when the house burned. You have been and are a positive addition to our little town and are bringing new ideas and ways of thinking about how to tell the stories of the past.
This Saturday was the third Restoring Hope celebration, an open-air dinner held under the boughs of a huge live oak tree with the scent of azaleas and sweet olive permeating the air. I know that next year's dinner will be held inside, and I, for one, can hardly wait. Laine has done extensive research on Hope Farm and talked about things I'd known nothing about until this weekend. Laine, if you'd like to write a guest column about the history of Hope Farm, here's my invitation.
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| Laine Berry and me at Hope Farm |
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| The front porch has been painted to look like marble stones by the talented Matthew McGinley. The doors are faux bois, painted by the equally talented Austin Billhime. |
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| The view from the back porch |
