Greystone, also known as the Dancy-McDermott House, was built in 1839 by J. Y. Cummings. The original house was a small, two-room Greek Revival cottage. In 1850, Dr. Francis W. Dancy (1810-1890) bought the house. Dr. Dancy was a physician and landowner who originally settled in the now-lost town of Salem, east of Holly Springs. Dancy was friends with future Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In the 1840s, Dancy and his family moved to Holly Springs, where Dancy practiced as a respected physician for several decades.
Dr. Dancy was present at the deathbed of two of the most tragic figures in Holly Springs history: the accidental death of Reverend Joseph Ingraham (1809-1860), Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, and the murder of James Henry Nelson (d. 1865) by mauraders during the last days of the Civil War. During the Civil War, Dr. Dancy’s 14-year-old son Henry Dancy (1846-1933) ran away from home and joined the Confederate army in Richmond, Virginia. A quick letter sent from Dancy to his old friend, and now President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, resulted in young Henry being hurriedly sent home.
During the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878, Dr. Dancy was on the Marshall County Medical Board. The doctor knew how dangerous the Yellow Fever could be to the town, and wanted to quarantine the town, but he was overruled by the Mayor and Aldermen, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of citizens.
The Dancy family continued to own the house until 1904, when it was sold to the Jewish Blumenthal family, who owned a popular store on the Holly Springs Square. Between 1907 and 1925, the house was owned by the Bradberry family. In 1925, the home was purchased by Robert A. McDermott (1864-1938) and his wife Dena McDermott (1866-1963). The McDermotts had previously owned the Holly Springs Depot before purchasing this home. The McDermott family renovated the house in the Georgian style in the 1920s, adding the front porch and gables to the original Greek Revival house. The McDermott family owned the house for 70 years, until they sold it in 1995 to Chesterfield and Beverly Brown. The Browns owned Greystone from 1995 until 2007. Bobby and Connie Rhea owned the house from 2007 until 2011. Since 2011 the house has been owned by Lewis Bailey and Kevin and Stephanie Cavender.
Greystone is a one-and-a-half story frame Greek Revival house, with a 1920s Georgian addition of a porch supported by Tuscan columns and two front gables. The entrance has a transom and sidelights. The home gets its current name from the grey stone wall which surrounds the front of the property. Outside the front is the last remaining hitching post in Holly Springs, which would have been used to hitch horses in the decades before the coming of the automobile and would have once been located throughout the town.
Hill Country History 
Well there are a few things incorrect in your history of this house but most of it is basically correct. The house has been built own more than twice. When my Great Grandfather bought the house it had already been enlarged and the porch, rent and back was built on later. As far as R A McDermott owning the Depot is incorrect but it was leased from the Illinois Central RR from 1892 until 1922 with full control of hotel, restaurant and complete RR functions and I still have the original lease agreement. Back to the house, the stone wall was built by R A and Dena McDermott around the house and my grand parents house which is own the same lot on the west side. This house I believe was built in 1932..
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Frank, thanks for the corrections and the additional history!
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the Greystone fence and post are a unusual addition in Mississippi,
why Greystone ?? where was it quarried ? when was it added ?
any information would be appreciated.
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I’m not sure when the Greystone fence was added, but if I had to guess, it would have been sometime in the early to mid 20th century. It also surrounds the house next door, which was built in the 1930s or so. The house was still called the Dancy-McDermott House in the 1910s.
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Frank McDermott here, the greystone wall or fence was built right after R A McDermott (my great grandfather) purchased the property because he filled in all of the yard around the front and sides of the house. If you’ll notice the front yard has 2 levels: road front elevated up to stone tie out colons then up more to sidewalk level where the wall was built. All of the front yard is fill dirt about 2 ft deep. I’ll try to find the old photos before the wall. I have found some from the Depot but so much was lost through time…
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Thank you for your response Frank,
I purchased “GREYSTONE” (July 2017) and interested in any history of the house and the wall, where did stone come from ?
I would appreciate any pictures or information you may have.
Rob Millwood
265 E College Ave
Holly Springs MS 38635
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I’ll try to dig up some old pictures but they are limited due to a fire. Looking from the back porch to the right of the garage sat an old tenant house with a long front porch and five rooms that was from the late 1890s. Around 1971 or 2 lighting struck a tree over it and burned it completely, unfortunately this is where Uncle Kieran stored everything from the past. But we did save a few things…
As to the stone, since my great grand parents were financially well they could pay for what they wanted and had the stone brought up from the quarries in Alabama, this is what Uncle Kieran told me. Another note on the house, if you haven’t been in the aticor if you have, when I left for the last time there was an opening in the old roof going into the attic of the original house. The older part was roofed with shingles from a company in Memphis and each wooden shingle has the name burned in it. To the far right inside was a large pile of these shingles that were unused. Just thought they were neat.
Just in case the locks haven’t been changed on interior doors, somewhere I have a key ring with all of the door keys if I can find them you are more than welcome to them. I will let you know when I find them….
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Just one more thing about the stone fence, in 1969 or 70 the fence was in need of much repair and was rebuilt using mostly original stone but some stone came from a stone cutter in Holly Springs. If you stand back and look at it you can tell which face stones were new. The fence was originally built around 1932 when my grand father built the house where my Dad grew up…
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Thank your Frank for the additional history and other information, and thank you Rob for buying a great historic house! My wife and I live three houses down the street from you, at Coopwood House, Welcome to the neighborhood!
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please contact me directly @ BigRob1861@aol.com
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Rob -my McDermott genetics has taken me back to Holly Springs. Is there a way I can contact Frank please? Mary Ann in Kansas City. penguinma49@gmail.com
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