Comments on: Not just another post about Mississippi Industrial College

By: Carnegie Building at MS Industrial College | Preservation in Mississippi

Carnegie Building at MS Industrial College | Preservation in Mississippi — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:16:38 +0000

[...] Building at MS Industrial College Posted on September 16, 2010 by ELMalvaney Several posts in the last few months have focused on the terrible shape and continuing decline of the incredible [...]

By: Ray Autry

Ray Autry — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:25:23 +0000

Rust seeks partners in restoration

Associated Press – September 6, 2010 10:54 AM ET
HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) – Rust College has asked the Marshall County Board of Supervisors to support its application for a $800,000 grant to help restore five historic buildings on the former Mississippi Industrial College campus.
The property was given to Rust College a year or so ago for management and redevelopment.
Clencie Cotton, with the Rust College Community Development Corporation, also asked for $10,000 over three years from the county.
Rust is a historically black college in Holly Springs with an enrollment of about 900.

By: ELMalvaney

ELMalvaney — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:06:35 +0000

Aww, I’m shedding a little tear right now–hope you’re safe and sound and otherwise enjoying your trip, apart from your dog’s illness.

And, no not at all–didn’t mean to imply any judgment on you, just doing my own riffing on the discussion, which I think is very much worth having. You’re right, no one has done a post on the history of the school, more in depth than just the basic facts about the buildings–maybe you need to do a post on your blog that I can link to, or guest post over here on MissPres? Think about it while driving–looks like a good road trip!

By: Susan Allen

Susan Allen — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:43:10 +0000

I absolutely agree with you, EL; I did not mean to imply that a “memorial” was sufficient or all that is needed. I guess I was riffing on Ben’s earlier comments–and certainly my last visit over there and seeing how bad the damage is–that there may be nothing we can do at this point. My comment was intended to mean that why it was built in the first place is also important, and none of us have really ever mentioned that, or the actual history of the college itself. I was feeling pretty melancholic myself, having spent the last two days driving through some areas that are literally crumbling in on themselves, and wondering why we place so much importance on some things, and little or none on others, and perhaps that is what showed up in my post. I probably should not make comments late at night after 15 hours on the road, but I had missed you guys while I was gone. :)

By: ELMalvaney

ELMalvaney — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:48:06 +0000

I see your point about memorializing the contributions of MIC even without the physical buildings, but at the same time, I think it says something significant about our culture that so many important places of our past, particularly related to African Americans, are simply being allowed to fall in on themselves or are being demolished outright. Drive down any street named Martin Luther King Drive and almost all you see is abandonment and decay, not the hope that MLK inspired. In 25 years, will the only reminder of the achievements of African Americans in Mississippi over the last 200 years be hundreds of markers standing in empty fields or parking lots?