By Nancy Bell

Vicksburg Foundation for

Historic Preservation

Last week the Polk-Sherard-Hinman House, 2615 Confederate Avenue, was placed on the nation’s list of architecturally and historically significant buildings, the National Register of Historic Places. 

The house was built in 1926 by Paul and Alice Downing Polk and was designed by M. J. Donovan, a Vicksburg architect who practiced in Vicksburg during the first half of the 20th century.

Designed in an English Arts and Crafts tradition, the two-story stuccoed frame residence is locally significant as an outstanding example of Donovan’s professional ability as an architect and as the only Vicksburg example of this variant of the style.

Donovan practiced in Vicksburg from about 1900 to about 1935. He began his career as a draftsman for the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad in Vicksburg and also maintained a private practice. 

In 1904, he left the railroad and opened his office in the Piazza-Botto Building in downtown Vicksburg. While the full extent of his work in not completely known at this time, there is evidence that he designed at least 300 residences, commercial buildings, churches, schools, major alterations to buildings, a swimming pool, green house, rifle range, and other structures in Vicksburg, in other Mississippi communities, and in Louisiana. 

Donovan’s early residential designs were Queen Anne inspired and when styles changed nationally, his designs did as well. While he designed a couple of small English-inspired residences, the Polk-Sherard-Hinman House is the only one of its size and detailing.

The house was built by Paul Montgomery and Alice Downing Polk, who had five children when they moved in, with a sixth born while they lived here. 

Paul was a civil engineer who began his career as a canal inspector for the government. The large country lot allowed the Polks to raise chickens and cows on the back lot and to maintain a large vegetable garden. A chicken house and barn were also built on the property, but are no longer extant.

The Polks also owned a farm in Warren County and, in 1936 when money became tight during the Depression, Polk chose to save the farm and let the bank foreclose on the house. 

In 1939, the house was sold to J. Gillan and Ruth Sherard for $7,750, less than half of the $18,000 that it cost to build. 

In 1967, the house was sold to Ed and Elizabeth Hinman and was home to Connie Hinman and her children following the death of Elizabeth.

The current owner, Mary Jane Wooten, has restored the house within the last year to its original beauty.