Since I can’t resist the joke – this week’s Roundup is stuffed with tidbits from around the state . . .

Now that the joke’s out of my system, let’s get to the actual news.

First, wonderful news from the Bolivar Commercial about Taborian Hospital in Mound Bayou.  Thanks to a USDA Rural Development Grant of nearly $3M, the landmark building will be restored and house the Taborian Urgent Care Center of Mound Bayou.  In 2000, Mississippi Heritage Trust placed Taborian Hospital on its 10 Most Endangered Places list.  Congressman Bennie Thompson was part of the event last week that announced the project.  He said, “It is our hope that restoring the old Taborian Hospital will also improve and encourage more economic development projects in the area. So today I am excited to be in Mound Bayou and I cannot wait to see this project begin to move forward.”  I share his hope and excitement about this project both for the Hospital itself and the potential “domino effect” it can have in Mound Bayou.

For more background on the Taborian, read Susassippi’s excellent guest post from this summer, “Taborian Hospital and the Delta Health Center”

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Lee Hall Mississippi State University Starkville, MS c. 1909

Rehabilitation was also in the news in Starkville where MSU’s The Reflector ran a story on the preparations being made leading up to work starting on Lee Hall.  The project, slated to begin next summer, “will restore historic details where possible, as well as install new electrical systems, new elevators, improve administrative spaces and improve the historic exterior of the building.”  The preparation for such extensive work means faculty from the English and foreign language departments will have temporary homes in other campus buildings during the expected 18 months the project will take to complete.

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Anyone looking to purchase an historic building?  If so, I know of two major buildings looking for new owners.  First is the 1907 Elks Lodge Building in Greenville.  I did not see any news articles on this one, but anyone interested can check out the online listing.  The second building that’s been looking for a new owner is in Natchez where the story in the Democrat is that Brumfield School building – which was converted into apartments in the 1990s – has an uncertain future since no bids were received by an August 31 deadline.  From the tone of the article, it sounds like there’s still hope that a buyer can be found.

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News out of Meridian, where the demolition of the Meridian Hotel has unearthed connections to Cold War History when crews discovered rations in a fallout shelter that no one realized was part of the structure.  If you can get past the fact that this came from the loss of an historic building, check out the stories in the Meridian Star or the Clarion Ledger.

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News from The Webster Progress-Times tells us that the Doss Building in Eupora has been designated a Mississippi Landmark by the Department of Archives and History.  The story says that the building – which is owned by the county – is the 8th Mississippi Landmark building in Webster County.  According to the article, the County is seeking a Community Heritage Preservation Grant to do some work on the building as well.

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Another new “designation” making the news is out of Long Beach – which the Sun Herald reports is now a Main Street community.  The city is hoping the program will be an economic catalyst in their continued revitalization efforts.  I wish them luck – and hope that they remember the role that preservation can play in their plans.

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Staying on the coast, the Sun Herald also did a story on Bay St. Louis where the Historic Preservation Commission held its third annual Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony earlier this month.  I wish the article had named the winners – and a little about the projects – but still congratulations to them all!

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Back to Natchez where figures are in from this year’s Fall Pilgrimage.  While individual ticket sales were down, group sales were up – as were the overall numbers, even though they weren’t as high as anticipated.  The city has a lot of events planned for the holiday season – which aren’t inlcuded in the article, but I’m sure as soon as we know when and what they are we’ll put on the MissPres Calendar – where there are already a lot of events for the coming weeks.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Categories: Bay St. Louis, Cool Old Places, Demolition/Abandonment, For Sale, Greenville, Heritage Tourism, Hospitals/Medical, Hotels, Long Beach, Meridian, Mississippi Landmarks, Mound Bayou, MS Dept. of Archives and History, News Roundups, Preservation People/Events, Renovation Projects, Schools, Starkville, Universities/Colleges