John Vernon Bell, whose father was the first salaried Baptist minister in Jonesboro , erected the J.V. Bell House in 1895. J.V. Bell (his initials are cut into the sidewalk) invested in real estate and lived in the house until 1919. The original seven-room Victorian cottage has undergone a number of changes. About 1907, when Jonesboro got running water, Bell transformed the rear side porch into a kitchen and added a bathroom. A few years later the upstairs was boxed in to provide two additional rooms. From 1920 to 1968 members of the Thomas Hardy family lived in the house. Michael and Carol Dougan bought the house in 1973. In 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

     Originally, the house was painted a dull green with brown trim. For most of the 20 th century the house was painted white. In 1988, prompted by a growing literature on historic colors, the house was repainted. A picture of the J.V. Bell House appeared in Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen, America's Painted Ladies (1992).

     All the original outbuildings having been lost, an authentically designed carriage house was added in 1992. After an interior flood in 2000, the kitchen was expanded to include a sunroom.