Location Information
(for the Saunders-Paine House)
Name:Saunders-Paine House ["Lauri Mundi"]
Address:309 Matubba Street, South
City/County:Aberdeen, Monroe County
Architectural Information
Construction Date:1847
Architectural Styles(s):Greek Revival
No. of Stories:2
Remodeling Date:1938
Registration Information
NR Listing Date:28 Sep 2017
NR District Name:South Central Aberdeen (Boundary Increase #2) (2017)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:18a
View National Register Nomination Form
Context/Comments
A two-story, wood-frame, hip-roofed double-pile house that now has a colonnade of six attenuated Tuscan columns. It was acquired by Methodist Bishop Robert Paine in 1857. The house originally had a small, one-story-height porch covering only the entrance in the center bay.

Susan Enzweiler had determined in 1987 that the house was not eligible for NR because of extensive alterations made in the 1940's, but after the additions became historic in their own right, MDAH staff deemed the house NR eligible in 2015.

It was individually listed on the National Register on 28 September 2017, and it was also, on the same date, included as a contributing element (element #218) in the South Central Aberdeen Historic District Boundary Increase #2, which was added to the National Register on 28 September 2017.

This house is included in "A Guide to Early American Homes – South" (1956) and "Old Homes of Mississippi, Volume II: Columbus and the North" (1977) (p. 54).
Brief Description
Two-story, asphalt shingle hip roof, 5 bay (W-W-2D-W-W) Neo-Classical house, with full two-story shed roof porch supported by wooden Doric columns. Porch has a dentialted cornice embellished with Greek designs and topped with pier and post wood balustrade. Wood wall cladding, elevated brick foundation, all facade windows are wood, 6/6 d.h. with groove and tongue lintels with bulls-eyes on corners, working wood working shutters and a center entrance. Original Greek revival style entrance with paired, single light wood doors with stained glass inset above light, 3.4 Venetian glass side lights and three-part transom. Cast iron balconette over entrance below. Two exterior masonry chimneys are located on the north and the south elevations and pierce the roof edges. C. 1915 single car garage is rectangular, wood frame with stand-up seam gable metal roof, double hinged wood doors.C. 1848 gazebo is wood, supported by 4 wood columns with a hipped roof.
Historic Information
Rev Saunders came to Aberdeen in 1845 and built Greek Reveal house with site made bricks and wood from the 20-acre parcel. Saunders came to Aberdeen with his friend and son- law Methodist Bishop Paine who was married to his step-daughter, Mary Eliza . Feeling he was about to die he wanted his widow live with the Paines. The Paines bought the property after Saunders' deaths and lived there with 8 children. Their son George married Annie Fite, a Methodist from Nashville who was a family friend and they had 3 children. Their son Thomas married Mary Alice Therrell who was descended from 2nd governor of Tennessee, When George died iin 1936, Mary Alice, his daughter-in-law had the house renovated into a Neoclassical style house by architect Welby N. Pugin of Nashville.