A Tallahatchie County landmark that had fallen into disrepair is being stabilized as a first step in preserving this unique piece of local history.
The red-and-white wooden structure may be familiar to many who drive past it on Highway 32, a couple of miles east of Charleston.
Perhaps they have noticed a sign out front that identifies the site as “Home of Scissors: World Champion Hog.”
Scissors' wood-frame house, now owned and maintained by the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort, is pictured on Sept. 2, 2009. It is one of the few structural remnants of the former Pine Crest Farm, a hog-breeding operation owned by Col. Tom James. The structure is located about two miles east of Charleston on the north side of Mississippi Highway 32. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
What some may not realize is that the roughly 300-square-foot house — complete with a covered front porch — was built especially for Scissors, a porker twice crowned “Grand Champion Duroc-Jersey Boar” at the National Swine Show in Omaha, Nebraska.
The show was huge back in the day, boasting exhibits of pigs and hogs from all over the United States and Canada.
Of course, that was more than a few years ago — 1917 and 1918, to be exact — and Scissors has long since crossed over into hog heaven.
Aside from a few photos, documents and lore, the small house where the 1,250-pound pride of Pine Crest Farm was pampered and placed on public display is the most tangible evidence of his existence.
Scissors and his owner, Col. Tom James, pose near Scissors' house on Pine Crest Farm near Charleston in a photo said to have been taken about 1920 by a traveling photographer. (Photo special to The Sun-Sentinel)
Over the years, the vacant structure has suffered from periodic neglect, but on several notable occasions joint public-private fundraising efforts have led to vital renovation and restoration projects.
A door on the west end and the slant of the roof are evident in this photo of the home of Scissors, taken March 23, 2021. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
Last July it was announced that the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort, which now owns the Scissors property, had been awarded a grant of $6,000 from the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area “to preserve the historical landmark home of the legendary world champion Duroc boar, Scissors, and to add storyboards to educate and inform visitors about the site’s historical significance.”
Under terms of the grant, CARE had to match the funds by in-kind or cash resources.
While some emergency work had been done to prevent collapse of the structure, renovation of Scissors’ house began in earnest this week.
Cousins Derrick Allbritton and Peyton Allbritton have been hired by CARE for the stabilization project, which Derrick said involves removing and replacing some studs shredded by termites, replacing all of the framework and generally ensuring that the building is structurally sound.
Because some of the window frames had rotted and some window glass was broken, new vinyl windows will be installed, he said.
The rotting frame of an interior window is noticeable in this eastward-looking photo of the home of Scissors, taken March 23, 2021. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
Despite deterioration of the house’s frame — Derrick said the building’s supporting structure “was just gone” — he said interior boards of the house were “solid,” adding, “I couldn’t believe they were in this good of a shape.”
Derrick noted that while the interior wooden slat wallboards are being removed to access the damaged wood frame underneath, they are all being salvaged and will be reinstalled with the utmost attention to detail.
The window on the east side of the house is visible in this westward-looking photo of the home of Scissors, taken March 23, 2021. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
He said CARE board president John Ball Burnett had ensured that the wallboards were individually marked and numbered to indicate their original placement on the wall so they could be rehung in the correct order and location.
“It’s complicated — like putting a puzzle together,” Derrick said, while lauding the foresight of Burnett and others to safeguard the integrity of the building’s interior.
This eastern-looking photo of the interior of the home of Scissors, taken March 23, 2021, shows ongoing repair work. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
Derrick said the Scissors house, believed to be just over 100 years old, contains a variety of woods, perhaps explained by the multiple restoration projects that have been carried out there over the past century.
“This thing has red oak, white oak, cypress, pine — all sorts of woods,” he noted.
After stabilization is completed — a process expected to take about one week — additional work will be performed on the Scissors house in phases, Derrick noted.
Peyton Allbritton, left, and Derrick Allbritton pose for a photo in front of the home of Scissors on March 23, 2021. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
