Historical Homes, Churches and Museums Open for Touring 

A Greek Revival home built in 1857 by Mrs. Rufus Jones. The Jones family were early pioneers in the area. The home was designed and built by local architect Spires Bolling. The octagonal columns supporting the portico are a trademark of Mr. Bolling. The Finley family owned the house for most of the 20th century and the house was later deeded to the National Audubon Society as part of the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center. The present owners of the home are Ken and Leslie Cardelli. 

Live Oaks was originally a brick, Greek Revival house, built in 1848. It was owned by Walter Goodman, the President of the Mississippi Gulf Railroad and co-owner of The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN. The house burned in 1880, however, four of the original rooms survived. The house was then sold to Eagleton Smith and his wife, Lucy Deadrick Smith. They built the current Victorian Eastlake style house, incorporating the original four rooms. The kitchen/hearth room once housed the outdoor kitchen and servants’ quarters. The house is named Live Oaks because the yard contains the only Live Oak trees in town. The current owners are Mike and Lisa McCarter. They have owned the house since 2015. 

Montrose is a Greek Revival home built in 1858-1861 by Robert McGowan and his bride Margaret. Montrose is a completely restored, two-story, flanking-gable brick Greek Revival mansion, with a monumental tetrastyle portico and cast-iron Corinthian columns. Interior features include a spiral stairway, marble mantel pieces, a parquet entry floor, and ornate ceiling medallions. The home is completely furnished in late-1860s style. In 1981, Montrose was designated as a Mississippi Arboretum, with more than 50 labeled specimens of native trees on the grounds. The home now serves as a headquarters for the Holly Springs Garden Club and the town's annual Pilgrimage Tour of Homes. The home also serves as a rental site for weddings, receptions, and parties.

Built in 1856 on the site of the original Holly Springs settlement, Hilltop is a classic Mississippi Planters Cottage. The house was built by George Reynolds, the young son of a wealthy planter from North Carolina. George only lived in the home for a few years. It was purchased by the Fennel family in 1860, and family members owned it until 1940. A lightning strike in 1960 heavily damaged the second floor, and a major renovation in 2002 replaced the rear of the house. The main rooms, still intact, feature classic Greek Revival detailing, with 14' ceilings and 10' 6" doors. The home is currently owned by Dave and Pamela Zelman.

This home, originally built in the Federal style with the later addition of an Italianate portico, was built by Mary Malvina Shields Burton and her husband. It was named Fleur de'Lys after its cast-iron fence which once surrounded the Court House on the town square. The Burtons were world travelers and often entertained Sam Houston. The walls are two feet thick and there are two sets of window frames for each window opening to keep out the cold in the winter. The property retains its original slave quarters and outdoor kitchen.

Home of more than 1200 original art pieces of Kate Freeman Clark, the museum was built in 1963 at the instructions of Ms. Clark discovered in her will after her death.

The church sanctuary preserves the oldest church bell in Holly Springs. A two story brick building featuring double spiral staircases, 10 dedicated stained-glass windows lining the sanctuary and another two at the front entrance, along with one of the oldest working Pilcher Organs in the country (1920s).

The church features a lofty octagonal spire and 16 stained glass windows as memorials. The Pilcher tracker organ is the oldest in the area.

Built in 1860, the church is the third church built by the congregation. The original Presbyterian Church was built in 1837, on this same spot. The Church is built in the Romanesque Revival style, and is a two-and-a-half story gable-front building, with recessed central tower, stepped polygonal buttresses, and polygonal towers at the corners.

Ida B. Wells, one of the most important civil rights advocates of the 19th century, was born on this property soon after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The house now serves as home of the museum.

Built by the Episcopalians in 1841, then sold to the Catholics in 1858, the structure was completely disassembled by hand and moved to its current location.

Soldiers’ uniforms spanning many eras, antique quilts, toys and an extensive collection of historic clothing. A classic Victorian- era museum “curiosity collection” mingled with rare treasures.