The House That Love Built

An elderly Mississippi woman is getting a new home thanks to an outpouring of donations following a friend's crusade to ease her plight.

Over $35,000 has been raised to build a new house for 87-year-old Ester Davis.

Framing on that house started Friday morning and a lot of progress was made.

Davis' story went nationwide last month when her friend James Crain told NBC affiliate WLBT about the deplorable conditions she was living in.

She had lived in a small shack near Lena, Mississippi since 1970.

The 100-year-old shack was falling down around her.

There was only one room that didn't leak, where she slept on part of an old couch.

She did her washing in a bucket.

When James Crain learned of her living conditions he started a campaign to get help for her.

Money came in from as far away as Hawaii.

Five carpenters, all members of the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, donated their time to frame her new home.

One of them is 51-year-old Victor Harrell of Hillsboro.

Davis, who turns 88 in November, was thrilled by the work the carpenters were doing.

Crain says they need more money to furnish the new house and buy appliances, but she doesn't want air conditioning and won't have it.

Ester Davis' new house will be just under a 1,000 square feet and will have two bedrooms, a kitchen, den and bath.

She hopes to move into it by the end of October.