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Bystanders are reporting “a fierce fire” at historic Hope Farm this evening.

The house, located at 147 Homochitto St., was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

“It’s one of the oldest homes in Natchez and this region,” Historic Natchez Foundation Executive Director Carter Burns said while standing across the street from the home.  “It was once home to the Spanish governor. I’m still watching flames coming out of the attic. There’s smoke everywhere, several trucks and a lot of firemen. It’s a fierce fire.”

The house is home to Ethel Banta. It was built by Carlos de Grand Pre’ from 1780 to 1792 and is known for merging both Spanish and English styles. In 1926, it became the home of Katherine Grafton Miller and her husband, J. Balfour Miller, in the 1920s. Katherine Miller helped found the Natchez Pilgrimage and was instrumental in promoting Natchez as a tourist destination.