This has been the week of National Register-related news around the state.

Recent additions to the NR:

Moss Point Historic District.  According to the story, it sounds like the city is interested in seeking funding for signage to spotlight their designation.

Up in Hernando, the Springhill Cemetery also received NR designation – and the community is working to ensure that the designation marks a period of “rebirth” for the cemetery.  They are working on the landscaping and fighting the kudzu.

Both stories also note that additional districts in Carthage and Starkville were also added to the Register.

Other NR news is the public meeting last week in Jackson about the proposed Belhaven National Register District.  It was noted in the Free Press and in the Northside Sun (but the online version is truncated).  Neither of these mention it, but I’m sure that Belhaven will end up being the largest NR district in the State.  It will go before the State’s Review Board on September 20.

In Natchez, a follow-up story on the Arlington drilling issue was published this week.  If you remember from last week’s roundup, the City was requesting a continuance on the scheduled Oil & Gas Board Meeting that was to be held last week.  The latest story is that the Board has granted a 90-day continuance.  Reading this one, it is not that the City is necessarily opposed to the drilling – just the way the drilling is supposed to be done and the impacts on the area.  The continuance also allows more time to get MDAH, MHT and NPS prepped to work on mitigating the impact on the historic structures.

News from Meridian is that the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors is planning work on the Courthouse.  So far, the story reports, they have started work with the roof – even most people are wanting the interior work done as that is the most visible disrepair the public sees.  It sounds like they are planning things right – and they realize it will take time, especially if they want to disrupt the regular business of the Courthouse as little as possible.

Back to Jackson where two National Historic Landmark buildings have, as the press put it, “new faces” in charge of their care.  The Governor’s Mansion has a new curator in Lauren Miller and the Welty House has a new director in Bridget Edwards.  Much of their work relates to the museum aspects of the properties – likely focusing more on the artifacts on display inside – but I bet they both know how important the buildings themselves are as well.

Finally, in Starkville, the Historic Preservation Commission approved payment to Mississippi Heritage Trust for the work David Preziosi has done on the city’s Design Guidelines.  While the story says the commission has a few more corrections for Preziosi to make, they are “modest” enough to not hold up the payment – especially as they seem to be coming up on the end of a grant period.

Categories: Carthage, Cool Old Places, Hernando, Jackson, Meridian, Mississippi Heritage Trust, Mississippi Landmarks, MS Dept. of Archives and History, Natchez, National Park Service, National Register, News Roundups, Preservation Law/Local Commissions, Preservation People/Events, Renovation Projects, Starkville