North Panola Street Historic District
The North Panola Street Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Portions of the content on this web page were adapted from a copy of the original nomination document. [‡]
Description
The North Panola Street Historic District is made up of a small group of residential properties located along the west side of Panola Street, between its intersection with West Main Street and Strayhorn Street. The North Panola Street Historic District is composed of four principal residences, constructed over a period of ca. 1875-80 to ca. 1925-30.
Landscape characteristics of the North Panola Street Historic District include mature street trees in varieties of oak and maple placed near the front edges of lots. Structures are sited atop low land terraces, some of which are separated from the grade-level sidewalk by modest retaining walls. Structures in the North Panola Street Historic District are placed on an irregular pattern of lots with frontages that range from ninety to 230 feet; lot depths range from 230 feet to 500 feet. Front setbacks of structures range from forty to one hundred feet.
While most of the structures in the North Panola Street Historic District simply face the right-of-way of Panola Street, the Chambless-Carlock House (101 South Panola Street) was sited at an angle to Panola Street so that its facade was perpendicular to the terminus of West Main Street, centered on its front door. This clever attention to detail insured that the house would occupy one of the most prominent sites in Senatobia, seen at the end of the sweeping vista west on Main Street from the Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad (now Illinois Central Gulf Railroad) tracks a position it retains today.
Architectural styles in evidence in the North Panola Street Historic District are Italianate and Craftsman influences; house types found here include a side L-plan house, a center hall plan cottage and two bungalows.
All of the principal houses and secondary structures found in the North Panola Street Historic District at the time of this nomination contribute to its historical character.
The elements provided by individual lots and general streetscapes establish an important contribution to the qualities of the North Panola Street Historic District's historic setting, as evolved over time. The pattern of lot divisions, front yard, and side yard setbacks all establish the matrix of rhythm evidenced by its historic buildings; its pattern of historic street trees, sidewalks, land terraces, lawns and private plantings all stand as evidence of continuity within the district as a place for living. All of these diverse elements contribute in important ways to the character of the district.
Significance
The North Panola Street Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the area of architecture for its small but significant collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century house types and architectural influences. The well-preserved Italianate residences found here effectively reflect the prevalent architectural taste popular in the early years of Senatobia's development; the Craftsman Bungalows contained in the district reflect contributions made during the last major historic building period in Senatobia. The period of significance was selected on the basis of the date of construction for the earliest building and the date of construction for the latest building within the district.
The North Panola Street Historic District reflects a development pattern that is consistent with that of the pattern of Senatobia as a whole. Residential development along this portion of Panola Street is tied, in part, to the importance of Panola Street as a major early road transportation corridor. It appears that the Panola Road was developed in ca. 1875-1880 to replace the Stage Road as the major north-south roadway linking the courthouse of DeSoto County in Hernando with the original courthouse of Panola County at Sardis. The realignment of the road section through this area was made to provide more convenient access to the new Tate County Courthouse (National Register listed), established in Senatobia following the creation of the new county in 1873. The earliest of structures in the North Panola Street Historic District reflect residential development that followed soon after the completion of the new roadway.
The fact that two distinct development periods are in evidence in the North Panola Street Historic District reflect the effects of the division of larger lots in the area and subsequent infill construction. There have been further subdivisions of some lots in the years since the close of the historical period of significance; the non-historic properties resulting from these subdivisions have not been included in the boundaries of the district.
Though small in number, the North Panola Street Historic District provides a sense of continuity to the aspects of time and place uniquely reflective of the historical development of Senatobia.
References
Carpenter, Howard, editor, The History of Tate County. (Senatobia, MS: B/C Printing, 1975)
Sanborn Ferris Insurance Map Company, "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Senatobia." Map series 1902, 1907, 1915, 1925, 1936-1942.
Tate County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc. The Heritage of Tate County, Mississippi. (Curtis Media, 1991)
‡ John Linn Hopkins, Preservation Consultant, North Panola Street Historic District, Tate County, Senatobia, MS, nomination document, 1993, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Panola Street North • Panola Street South • Route 51
