By Nancy Bell | Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation

On July 27, 1904, a contract for the construction of this house on the northeast corner of Jackson and Cherry streets, designed by William Stanton and Son for Sigmund and Lena Susman, was awarded to Curphy and Mundy.

Susman was a cotton buyer and president of the Cotton Exchange. The Vicksburg Evening Post reported on June 9, 1905, that “the finishing touches are now being put upon the beautiful new residence of Mr. S. Susman. The residence is two stories high with a basement. It is a frame structure, with pressed brick veneering of gray color. The roof is covered with slate.

“The house has ample galleries, with Corinthian columns, and the exterior of the building is handsome and artistic from every point of view. The interior is finished in the most elegant and tasteful manner. The hall and parlor have polished oak floors, and the stairway in the hall is of beautiful flowered oak polished and paneled. The several rooms have elegant cabinet mantels and mirrors, and each room is finished in a distinctive style.

“The bathrooms have tiled floors and the walls are tiled to the ceilings. The bathtubs are enameled both inside and outside, while the lavatories are especially fine and handsome. The house will be lighted with both electricity and gas, and will be heated by apparatus located in the basement, although there are fireplaces and grates in all the rooms which can be used if occasion demands. The architects, builders and owner are all to be congratulated upon this elegant residence, which is an ornament and credit to Vicksburg.”

The Susman family, which included four children: Albert, Fannye, Julius and Mae, and Sigmund’s mother, moved into the house on July 5, 1905. Albert died of Bright’s Disease at the age of 31 in 1914, with the funeral taking place from the house. After Sigmund’s death in 1914, Lena continued to live here until her death in 1940. Her son Julius is listed here as late as 1962.

The house underwent a complete rehabilitation in the 1980s by Betty Bullard. It remains a single-family residence today.