As in previous years, we’re breaking our National Register of Historic Places listings for 2011 into two separate posts to avoid piling on and to allow you time to read through the summaries and ponder. Some of these listings have been covered in various News Roundups throughout the year, but I always like to have a nice neat list at the end of the year to give a better overview of what’s going on around the state.

Also as in previous years, Bill Gatlin, architectural historian and National Register coordinator at MDAH, has provided the following summaries, and all photos are courtesy MDAH. So if you think I’ve done almost no work to produce this post, you would be correct.

This year, unlike previous years, we can also provide a link to the original National Register nomination for each property through the MDAH Historic Resources Database. Simply click the name of the property and voilà (or viola if you’re not French)!

For previous years’ National Register summaries:

• 2009 Part 1
• 2009 Part 2
• 2010, Part 1
• 2010, Part 2

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Gulfport Army Airfield Hangar

Gulfport, Harrison County

The Gulfport Army Airfield Hangar is located at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. The United States Army established the Gulfport Army Airfield in 1942 as a training station. Combat crews flying B-17 “Flying Fortresses” trained at the base. With the introduction of the much larger B-29 “Superfortress” the Army expanded the facilities at Gulfport and constructed the hangar. Following the war, the airfield was converted to civilian use and the hangar was used a commercial terminal until 1963. The Gulfport Army Airfield Hangar is a tangible link to Mississippi’s role in the Second World War and the growth of commercial aviation in the state. Bill Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian, wrote the nomination. The hangar was listed on March 21, 2011.

Spain House

Tupelo, Lee County

The Spain House was built in c.1914 and was home in succession to two prominent Tupelo businessmen. R. L. Pound opened a pharmacy in Tupelo in 1890. By 1918 he sold the pharmacy to concentrate on banking and other business interests. Pound was the Chairman of the Board of the Peoples Bank and Trust. The Pound family sold the house to W. D. Spain in 1946. Spain used the building as a funeral home while he and his family lived on the second floor. The large Colonial Revival house is one of the few reminders when Tupelo’s Main Street was lined with fine homes often referred to as “wedding cake houses.” Karen Kenney, Chair of the Tupelo Historic Preservation Commission, wrote the nomination. The Spain House was listed on March 21, 2011.

Sadler House

Aberdeen, Monroe County

The Sadler House, built c. 1850, is a one and one-half story frame house with a vernacular Greek Revival portico. The house was built for David Sadler, a local attorney, businessman and educator. Aberdeen is the home of many high-style Greek Revival homes built by wealthy planters. The Sadler House represents the type of houses built by the town’s emerging middle class who built more modest homes but desired to show their good taste and refinement by building in a Greek style, but employing simplified details which alluded to the higher style. Terry Stubblefield, the owner, wrote the nomination. The Sadler House was listed on March 21, 2011.

Black Bayou Bridge

Glendora, Tallahatchie County

The Black Bayou Bridge is a single lane Warren pony truss bridge over Black Bayou, south of Glendora. The bridge was constructed by the W. T. Young Bridge Company of Nashville, Tennessee in 1916. The bridge connected Glendora with Highway 49 and was the result of an effort by Tallahatchie County to improve the quality and safety of bridges in the county. However, none of the other bridges built at the time are known to survive. The bridge is a rare surviving example of an early 20th century Warren pony truss vehicular bridge. Bill Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian, wrote the nomination. The Black Bayou Bridge was listed on March 21, 2011.

Baptist Church of Christ at Sardis

Louisville vicinity, Winston County

The Baptist Church of Christ at Sardis was built in 1917 on the site of an earlier church building. The single room church is rectangular in shape with a high-pitched front facing gable roof with two symmetrically placed front doors. It is a typical form for rural churches in Mississippi dating back to the 1850s. The pews and pulpit are original to the church. The lumber used in the construction came from timber grown in the community and milled onsite. A cemetery is set to the rear of the church and outlined by a decorative iron fence. David Preziosi, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, wrote the nomination. The Baptist Church of Christ at Sardis was listed on March 21, 2011.

Rosedale Plantation

Vaughan vicinity, Yazoo County

Rosedale Plantation was built c. 1891 by Milton C. Ewing after the original homestead burned. The house was originally a center hall, double-pile planters’ cottage. The house grew organically as family needs changed over time. While significant as a vernacular farm house, the house at Rosedale Plantation gains further significance from the highly original wood carving throughout the house. Hand-carved decorative elements on the ceilings, walls, doors and elsewhere, attributed to Hanible Rutledge, represent a high degree of craftsmanship that is unique in Mississippi. Robert Jordan, the property owner, wrote the nomination. Rosedale Plantation was listed on July 20, 2011.

Midway Methodist Church and Cemetery

Vaiden vicinity, Carroll County

The Midway Methodist Church and Cemetery, built c. 1860, is a good local example of a simplified Greek Revival country church. Originally built by settlers from North Carolina as a union church shared by Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian congregations, the Methodists established sole ownership by 1872. The Methodist worshipped in the church until 1994 when ownership passed to the Midway Cemetery Association. The church is used in conjunction with burials and an annual homecoming service. The church and cemetery are the last vestiges of the Midway community. Josie Ross Minchew, Secretary of the Midway Methodist Cemetery Association, wrote the nomination. The Midway Methodist Church and Cemetery were listed November 30, 2011.

Emile Cohn House

Brookhaven, Lincoln County

The Emile Cohn House was built for the Brookhaven merchant in c. 1905. A twin house sits next door. The design reflects the popularity of the Beaux Arts style in the early 20th century. Drawing on precedents from ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Renaissance revivals of those styles, the Cohn House has roof balustrades, bold modillions and a floral wreath along the entablature of its impressive cornice. Ionic columns and a Palladian window complete its classical styling. The interior is no less impressive with inlaid floors and art glass windows. Tricia Nelson, preservation consultant, wrote the nomination. The Emile Cohn House was listed November 30, 2011.

Categories: Aberdeen, Architectural Research, Bridges, Brookhaven, Cool Old Places, Gulfport, National Register, Tupelo