TUPELO – It took five and a half hours Thursday for the historic Spain House to move down three city blocks and across the railroad tracks to its new home.

Kosciusko House Movers, led by owner John Williams, maneuvered through muddy lots with the aid of big steel swamp mats and traveled carefully down city streets with the house broken into three pieces.

The three pieces made a slow-motion parade down Magazine and Church streets, which drew small crowds of watchers from the Mill Village neighborhood, including several with fond memories of the house’s long Tupelo history.

“Our family is extremely happy the house is being saved and preserved in Tupelo,” said Walter “Dee” Spain, who remembers spending summer vacations with his grandparents in the house.

Before 2 p.m., the century-old historic landmark was settled in three pieces in front of the Carnation plant on South Church Street.

“We as a neighborhood are extremely proud to have it here,” said Stacey Gregory, who serves as chairman for both the Mill Village Association and the Historic Preservation Commission, which spearheaded efforts to work out a solution with Calvary Baptist Church to preserve the house.

Next, crews will align the house over the footings, and piers will be built to finish the foundation. The final pieces of the historic Spain House – the roof from the second-floor balcony porch and a set of brick porch columns – will be moved from West Main Street before the end of the year.

michaela.morris@journalinc.com