To the delight of longtime Colbert residents, a regal two-story colonial with wrap-around porches located on Fourth Street has been restored to its original sheen.
It’s 1907 again at the historic Hampton house in Colbert — or at least it looks that way.
“I don’t think we’re going to make any money off it, but we made Colbert look a little better down there,” said Tripp Strickland, part-owner and restorer of the home.
Contractor Edwin Hart and Strickland purchased the 101-year-old mansion located south of downtown Colbert and devoted the past year to rehabilitating one of the city’s centerpieces.
Dr. H.H. Hampton built the stately, white-columned home in 1907, the same year the doctor also built a row brick of stores along the railroad tracks in Colbert.
A family physician who also served a stint as Colbert’s mayor, Hampton was a prominent citizen of the little town along the railroad tracks.
Hampton operated his medical practice at the 4,300-sqaure foot dwelling, where he lived until his death in 1940.
Strickland said the Hampton house was “kind of a social hub there for Colbert.”
“They used to have the old city dances there in Colbert,” said Strickland, who co-owns Georgia Metals, Madison County Hardware and R.G. Strickland Properties with his father. “I think he (Dr. Hampton) was pretty hospitable.”
Strickland consulted old pictures and the memories of longtime locals to return the Hampton house to its original appearance.
Complete with high ceilings, moldings, chandeliers and hardwood floors, most of the accents are true to the turn of the 20th century, “except for a few modern conveniences” like central heating and air.
Strickland and Hart completed the project without the aid of historical grant funds.
The rehabilitated four-bedroom home has just gone on the market and will be unveiled at a July 4 open house. Descendants of Dr. Hampton have supplied pictures of the original home, which will be on display for the event.
The large project required plenty of money and time, but Strickland counted it as a fulfilling experience.
“The main thing about it is it kept a lot of people working through the winter time,” he said. “That was a good thing.”
Both Strickland and Hart had ties to the long-standing house.
Hart’s parents lived three or four houses down while Strickland’s aunt and uncle lived around the curve.
“I just remember riding around that old house wishing somebody would do something with it,” Strickland said. “I never really dreamed that I would have the opportunity to do it myself.”
Strickland said it was rewarding to help bring something back to life for the Colbert community.
“A lot of the older folks will stop, say ‘I remember this and I remember old Doc Hampton and I remember Mrs. Hampton’ … I think everybody is proud of it.”
