A Love Restored: Louisiana Couple Brings a 200-Year-Old Mississippi Home Back to Life

When high school sweethearts Maria Teresa “Tere” and William “Mac” Thomas — married for 39 years — went looking for a quiet getaway from their hometown of New Iberia, Louisiana, they never imagined they’d end up rescuing a piece of Mississippi history.

Mac, a longtime oil executive, originally had something simple in mind — a rustic hunting camp tucked away in nature. But when a real estate broker showed the couple a sprawling 680-acre property surrounded by rolling hills, dense woods, and a serene three-acre lake, the landscape immediately stole their hearts. There was just one problem: a crumbling, two-century-old house sitting in the middle of it all.

Built in 1825, the Laurietta House had seen better days. Its weathered timbers sagged, its walls leaned, and its once-grand charm was buried beneath decades of neglect. “It was nothing that a match couldn’t cure,” Mac joked, recalling his first impression of the dilapidated structure.

But what might have been a deal-breaker for most became, in Tere’s words, “Mac’s gift of love.” Instead of tearing it down, they decided to bring it back — a three-year labor of devotion that transformed the forgotten antebellum home into a stunning Southern retreat.

The restoration was no small task. Every board, brick, and beam had to be inspected, repaired, or replaced while preserving the home’s 19th-century character. Skilled craftsmen were brought in to replicate original molding, refinish the floors, and restore the massive fireplaces that once warmed generations.

Throughout the process, the couple made it a mission to honor the home’s history while creating a comfortable space for family gatherings and quiet weekends. “We didn’t just want to live in it,” said Tere. “We wanted to give it life again.”

Today, the Laurietta House stands as a testament to both Southern resilience and enduring love — a perfect blend of past and present. The sweeping porch overlooks the same hills and lake that first captured the Thomases’ hearts, and every restored corner carries a story of patience, craftsmanship, and commitment.

What began as a hunting retreat turned into something much deeper — a living symbol of devotion, not just between husband and wife, but to history itself.