Welcome to the Cartney-Hunt House. This Federal-style house was built in 1828 only seven years after Columbus was incorporated in 1821. The builder of the house, Mr. James M. Cartney, acquired the tract of land that the house is located on April 10, 1824. Mr. Cartney conveyed the property to Henry W. Hunt sometime before June 20, 1836.Let's think back to the time when the house was built. Columbus was not much more than a village and most of the houses in town were log cabins. Columbus was easily accessible by steamboat via the Tombigbee River and by the U. S. Government's Military Road that stretched from Nashville to New Orleans through Columbus. The population did not increase rapidly, however, until the early 1830's when the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians ceded their land to the U. S. Government. Then, many families flocked from the East to buy this good prairie soil for about $2.00 an acre.The original house was two stories tall and two rooms deep, but only one room wide. The house was heated by a central triangular chimney with fireplaces in each room. The transomed doorframe survives from this early period, which reflects simple Federal detailing.This late Federal style is very unusual for this part of the country. It is one of the few in the area. It is the oldest brick house in North Mississippi.It was restored by a local attorney, Mr. Hunter Gholson, in 1983 to be used as a bed and breakfast which is now being run by the current owners, Marleen and Vagn Hansen.
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