The low sweeping roof extending over a broad portico across the entire front of the house is upheld by seven hand-hewn cypress columns. Broad steps lead from the driveway to the terraced yard. This yard is a veritable bouquet of old-fashioned small flowers, bordered by boxwood and flanked by syringa, japonica, and other old-fashioned evergreen shrubs. A radiant variety of orchid-like irises dot the entire approach to the old brick steps of the terrace. For ninety years Hope Farm belonged to the Montgomery family; of the last generation of ten children (seven girls and three boys) two of the sisters lived in spinsterhood at Hope Farm until within the last few years when the property was acquired by the Millers. Restoration of exterior and interior has been done with exceeding care to hold every line of the original house. There were no nails in the day when Hope Farm was built and its timbers are held together by wooden pegs. The front door leads directly into a huge living room, which opens through an archway into a large dining room. These two rooms extend across the entire front. The welcoming gate of Hope Farm opens at the intersection of Homochitto street on the drive to Duncan Park. [Illustration: Hope Farm] _Homewood_ [Illustration: Homewood] It required five years to build this palatial mansion of brick, cement, and iron grill, and until recently “Homewood”, exterior and interior, was in a perfect state of preservation—just as it was the day of its completion, more than 75 years ago. Homewood was destroyed by fire, January 2, 1940. By reason of its solid masonry (built to withstand the storms), its architectural lines, and the grace and magnificence of its iron trimmings, architects of note from all over the country came to inspect and to study “Homewood”. One million home-burned brick were used in the main structure. Copper pipes laid in cement supplied the huge cisterns throughout the years with cold drinking water. This construction represented the work of hundreds of slaves. All locks, hinges, and door knobs were of silver. The fluted Ionic columns and grill work were imported from Spain. Approaching Homewood by the magnificent forest driveway, it was a wonderfully imposing structure with a front of thirty-foot columns, an upper balcony of cast iron grill, and massive double panel entrance doors flanked on either side by expensive ruby glass which was imported from Belgium. [Illustration: (unlabelled)] There were six rooms on the ground floor, connected by huge sliding mahogany doors, making it possible to open the entire floor into one immense room, 80 feet long. Leading to six rooms and cross halls above was a fan spread stairway. The top floor was a peculiarly constructed octagonal hall surrounded by eight large closets or storage rooms with cedar linings.