On a forest hilltop in Mississippi sits this treehouse among southern magnolias, maples and white oak.
It’s easy to picture the builder, late artist Johnny Knight, sitting with a dog-eared copy of “The Hobbit” and coming up with this enchanted dwelling.
Back in 1971, he set massive cypress stumps in a clearing and erected an octagonal 1-bedroom, 1-bath house atop them.
The current owner bought the treehouse after Johnny died, bolstered the structure and added flourishes like a tongue-and-groove ceiling, a stacked stone fireplace, hand-crafted doors, and a redwood bar and countertops.
The treehouse includes a walkway to a platform overlooking the 4.5-acre property, which features two creeks and a zipline.
“We do have two fairies that have already moved into the treehouse, and if you look closely you will notice two fairy doors,” according to a listing posted last week by Sue Humphreys of Re/Max.
The home is already under contract, Humphreys said.
“We had 60 people through at an open house on Sunday, and I could’ve written about 12 contracts,” she added.
People just keep calling. “I’ve never had a property get this much attention. … I can’t get dressed. I can’t eat,” Humphreys said.
She doubts the buyer will accept offers to buy out her contract. It’s a cousin of Johnny Knight’s.
“It’s going to stay in the family, which is as it should be, because of the local history,” she said.
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