The Bellamy House on Willow Creek Road

The Bellamy family established their house on Willow Creek Road in 1906 after Thomas Bellamy inherited the residence from his uncle and expanded the property after returning from agricultural work in the region. Three generations lived there, including Thomas, his wife Caroline, their children, and Thomas’s widowed sister who remained in the household. The family income came from cotton farming, grain production, and local agricultural supply sales.

Historical records describe the house as a carefully maintained residence with active use of the veranda, dining room, and upper bedrooms during the years when the Bellamy farm remained profitable.

The first warning sign appeared in 1932 when Bellamy Farm recorded a failed cotton harvest and delayed payments on agricultural equipment loans. During the difficult years that followed, Thomas dismissed farm workers, closed several upstairs bedrooms, and postponed repairs to the copper roof, veranda columns, and damaged balcony railings. After Thomas became ill in 1935, management of the farm declined. By 1938, unpaid bank loans, property taxes, and falling crop prices forced the Bellamy family to leave Willow Creek Road and move to a smaller rented home while creditors prepared the property for sale.

The Bellamy House was abandoned in 1939 after agricultural decline, unpaid debts, and foreclosure proceedings removed the family from the property. No restoration occurred, and no Bellamy descendants returned after leaving Willow Creek Road. Local records documented failed ownership changes and continued deterioration of the vacant residence. The interior rooms remained closed, preserving household furnishings, farming documents, and personal belongings left behind. Over the decades, moisture damage, weather exposure, and structural wear affected the wooden exterior, sandstone foundation, veranda, and copper roof. The Antebellum plantation-style and Italianate house remains empty on the residential street, slowly deteriorating without restoration or confirmed future use.