Phoenix Hall is located on East Palestine Street. The house, featuring Greek-Revival architecture, was built prior to the Civil War and later became the home of George Harper, owner and editor of the Hinds County Gazette.

Margaret Jackson, former owner of the home, recalled the unusual name of the house: “The origin of the name Phoenix stems from one of the homes earliest owners, O. R. Johnson. Mr. Johnson, a lawyer and scholar in Raymond during the 1850s and 1860s, lived in the first house built on the property. Tragically, the house burned and he rebuilt the structure as an exact replica of the original house. When the house was completed he named it Phoenix, based on Greek and Egyptian mythology. According to myth, the phoenix was a bird who, when consumed by fire, rose again from the ashes. The second house included four wood burning fireplaces, each with a marble mantle. When Johnson sold the house and moved to Jackson, he took three of the four marble mantels with him, leaving the only one that is in the house today.”

O. R. Johnston later moved to Raymond and the house was sold. Land records show that in November of 1866, Amos R. Johnston sold the house to the house to Anna Harper, wife of George Harper, owner of the Hinds County Gazette. The Harpers raised ten children, the baby being Mamie Harper. Mamie was the grandmother of Willie Morris, who, during his lifetime, became one of Mississippi’s most prestigious writers.

George Harper died in 1894. Ten years later Anna sold the house to Thomas Bridges, a prominent citizen of Raymond. In October of 1912, the house was purchased by Lamar and Nellie Puryear. Mr. Puryear, a businessman, was a staunch supporter of the establishment of a junior college in Raymond. In later years, their daughter, Margaret Puryear Jackson, inherited the house. Today, the Phoenix Hall is owned by Margaret Jackson’s niece, Mary Nell Jeffreys, and her husband, Kirk.