Named for the majestic American Elm that once sheltered the front lawn, Elm Court began its architectural evolution as an ante-bellum brick cottage. Its present incarnation dates from 1920 when flanking two-level porches were added, evoking images of a Mississippi riverboat. 

Begun in 1853 by Jacob Davis, the original L-shaped cottage was constructed on Lot 44, one acre at the corner of Main Street at Jefferson. Besides his house, Mr. Davis’ other tangible legacy is his Notebook, 1855- 1877, which records local births, deaths, real estate transfers, fires, weather and other phenomena. 

In 1863, Mr. Davis conveyed the property to his new son-in-law, George Ayres, for $20,000. In 1881 Mr. Ayres remodeled the old Davis cottage extensively, adding the central hooded gable and other Italianate details which survive. Ayres sold the property in 1897 to Sarah Rhett, who two years later conveyed it to Annie Smith. After Dr. Bruce James acquired the house from Dr. T.W. Edmunds in 1920, he retained architect J. Bryant Heard to redesign it as four units.

Several other families have owned Elm Court through much of this century. None have loved it more than present owners, Ed and Bobbie Thompson, who in 1987 spotted the house when they took a wrong turn onto Main Street en route back home to Binghamton, New York. In refurbishing the structure the Thompsons, who reside on the first floor, have retained the two apartments upstairs. One of these apartments, the home of Caryl and Leonard Graham, is open for the 1994 holiday tour. Their bright, airy rooms rely on the spatial qualities and natural light inherent to the house, coupled with features such as original faux marble mantels. The Grahams, originally from Iowa, moved here from Florida, bringing to this apartment the ambiance of garden rooms, with nostalgic reminders of their Midwest farming roots.