Architect Andrew Johnson was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places for 21 of the homes and buildings he built in North Mississippi from 1870-1910. His nomination stated that his designs “initiated a movement, which completely changed the complexion of local architecture,” and that, though unproven, he surely must have been Mississippi’s most prolific 19th-century architect and builder. His work significantly influenced the look of the area, with 77 structures attributed to him. Born Anders Jönsson in Yttermyra, Sweden, on February 18, 1844, he left Sweden for America in 1865 and first settled outside Chicago. His fiancée, Anna Nilsson, arrived in Chicago to marry him in 1866. Although it is unknown why or how Andrew and Anna settled in Sardis, he received the contract for the original Methodist Church there in 1870. That same year, he built his first elaborately decorated cottage, the Ballentine/Seay home, as well as his family’s home. His family included five children. He ended his career in 1910 as the builder of the new Sardis Methodist Church, whose architect was his youngest son, John Wright Johnson, who later gained fame as a builder of stately old English homes in Memphis, Tennessee. Andrew Johnson died on July 29, 1921, leaving his mark on the area through his innate sense of design brought from Sweden to North Mississippi.