Union General William Tecumseh Sherman marched through Mississippi and the South in 1864 leaving behind a land devastated by war.

During that march, Sherman’s army scorched much of the South — but two homes in Marion were left standing. Ironically, one the homes, which had also been a hospital during the war, was destroyed Thursday by a fire, some 137 years after being spared by Sherman’s men.
 

The two-story home, located at 791 A Sookalena St., where Horace “Buddy” Hunt Jr. lived, was a complete loss as a result of the flames. Hunt said he was catching a nap upstairs and had something cooking on the stove downstairs when he awoke to smoke and flames coming up the back of the home. His escape blocked, Hunt went to the second floor balcony on the front of the home where he was rescued by residents with a ladder.

“I was visiting my aunt when I heard somebody hollering for help,” said Gloria Lafferty. “I came outside and saw the house on fire and a man standing on the balcony. Some people ran to a workshop and got a ladder so he could climb down.”

When firefighters arrived, the house was already succumbing to the flames.

“The second story was totally involved and we were preparing to go in and fight it when we saw the roof vent,” said Marion Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Stokes. “That’s when we pulled back for an exterior attack.”

As firefighters fought the flames trying to save as much as they could, Hunt could only think about 40 years of memorabilia still inside the home.

“There are about 40,000 records, tapes and CDs of classical music in there,” said Hunt, wiping sweat from his forehead. “My father was an original member of the Meridian Symphony. Classical music was my passion.”

Also inside was his father’s gold watch, oriental rugs, antebellum furniture and much more. Hunt said he’s spent a lifetime collecting. Always the optimist, he said he’d see what was salvageable and go from there.

“I’ll just start building another collection,” he said.

In addition to Marion Fire and Rescue, Meridian Fire Department Engine 7, Russell VFR and Northeast VFR assisted in fighting the blaze.

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