McRaven House narrowly spared after 200-year-old oak falls on property

Published 1:29 pm Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Mississippi’s Most Haunted House, McRaven, was spared Monday evening when a nearly 200-year-old oak tree fell mere feet from the structure.

Owner Kendra Reed was on-site Tuesday morning to assess the damage as Anthony Cripps, of Cripps Custom Carpentry, worked with his crew to break down the tree.

“I’m just thankful the house was spared,” Reed said. “We can fill in (the hole where the tree stood), but you can’t rebuild a place like McRaven.”

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As it fell, the tree took with it a few branches from a nearby magnolia tree and damaged a portion of the enclosure around the home’s HVAC units.

“This tree was here before the house was here,” Cripps said.

Cripps and his team spent a total of five hours using chain saws to break down the tree for removal.

The hardwood, once broken down, will be transported off-site. The home was closed for tours on Tuesday but will reopen for guests on Wednesday.