In 1877, H.T.T. Dupree traded his house in town, the Dupree-Ratliff House located in downtown Raymond, Mississippi, for 1,100 acres of land five miles west of Raymond.
On the land was a three room structure built circa 1850, which Dr. Dupree developed into a two-story plantation dwelling, known today as Dupree House.
Completed in 1878, Dupree House is transitional Greek Revival/Italianate in design, enriched with a paneled façade, semicircular transom, and two-tiered veranda that wraps around three sides. The spacious interior is noteworthy for its simple Greek Revival moldings, built-in china cabinets, paneled ceilings, and original mantelpieces.
During the 19th century , the property was recognized as one of the finest working plantations in west central Mississippi, with a grist mill and a saw mill. Dr. Dupree resided in the house with his four children, his third wife Pattie, and their adopted daughter Mamie. After the doctor died in 1909, Mrs. Dupree and Mamie kept residence there for the next 10 years. In 1919, Mrs. Dupree and Mamie moved to a little cottage in Raymond located next to the Methodist church. When Mrs. Dupree died in 1932, Mamie inherited the cottage and lived there until her death in 1975 at age 90.
When the Raymond United Methodist Church made the decision to expand their facility in 1997, there was no longer room for the cottage which was then part of the church property. Charles and Brenda Davis, owners of Dupree House, decided that since the history of their house was intertwined with that of the cottage, they would ask the church for permission to move the structure to the grounds of the Dupree House.
Mamie’s Cottage is a diminutive circa 1840 transitional Federal/Greek Revival house with an undercut gallery. Unlike the typical Mississippi planter’s cottage, it has no center hall. It consists of two large front rooms accessed with private entrances from the gallery and two smaller rear cabinet rooms. The two main rooms feature fireplaces fronted by finely detailed Greek Revival and Federal-influenced mantelpieces.
Mamie’s Cottage Bed and Breakfast at the Dupree House opened in November 1998.
Pictured above is the adopted daughter of Dr. and Mrs. H.T.T. Dupree, Mamie Deitrick Rutledge, age 5 and age 20, for whom the cottage is named. Mamie inherited the little house, which was then located in downtown Raymond, from her mother, Pattie Dupree, and lived there until she passed away in 1975 at age 90.