Beneath the staircase in the center hall, Cindy Hancock parks her vintage goat wagon and arranges a collection of copper cookware on the wall. Peek behind the colander—it hides the air conditioner controls! A slim secretary fits just so into a niche, while the white platters, clear glass and spindleback chair suggest airiness in the compact space.
Many prospective buyers toured the historical home in Petal, Mississippi, but the seller refused all offers. Then Cindy and Brit Hancock came along for an informal chat. The seller saw their deep appreciation for the structure and not only sold it to them but financed it as well. “It was meant to be,” Cindy says. “People told him what they would change, but he didn't want to hear that. I was just in love.”
The place was built in the 1860s as a
