Although the “Big House” isn’t a true antebellum home, she was erected over time with careful planning during the 50’s, her pieces and parts were purchased from the antebellum time period.

Mrs. Gladys Evans would drive down to New Orleans, up to the Delta and Memphis in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s to scavenge around for doors, staircases, and moldings to add to her collection for her home.

One of these items she collected and brought home happened to be hitching posts.

The iron posts themselves came from New Orleans.

The concrete blocks were added later and were used during field trials and other outdoor equine events that they held at the farm.

The mounting blocks on the bottom gave “gentlemen of a certain age” a little help in mounting their horse. If you look closely, the post isn’t in the exact middle of the mounting block.

This was so that the gentlemen could pull their horse up to the back and it made it easier for them to mount their horse. Also, during field trials, they would string a rope through the rings hanging from the sides which would provide many riders a place to tie their horse.

Field trials were held here on the farm during the 1950’s. Mr. Harrison Evans hosted field trials here for quail. You can still find remnants of the pens dotting the pastures all over the farm.

Once upon a time, even national field trials were held here.

According to Google, a field trial is “a competition for hunting dogs to test their levels of skill and training in retrieving or pointing.” Field trials test your bird dog in all the ways a bird dog is supposed to perform.

Mr. Harrison Evans hunted in England and Scotland and in return their British hunting buddies would travel to Shuqualak to take part in the hunts Mr. Evans would provide.

It has been told to us by the Evans family that Mr. Evans and Curt Gowdy, the great American sportsman and sportscaster, traveled to Scotland together and hunted there.

Both Mr. Gowdy and Mr. Evans passed away years ago. However, it’s pretty amazing to think of a hunting relationship that encompasses a Mississippi man, a sportscasting legend and British sportsmen that would span the Atlantic ocean even in the 1950’s.