As you know, National Register listings can be either individual places, as shown in yesterday’s post, or larger groupings of buildings known as historic districts. Historic districts can be as small as a handful of houses in a rural community or as large as a dense urban neighborhood like Jackson’s Belhaven.

One of the great things about the MDAH Historic Resources database, introduced in 2011, is that you can tell whether a certain address is individually listed or located within a historic district. Up until last year, using the National Register website, you could only tell if an address was individually listed, since they don’t have the historic districts broken out by address in their database.

As with yesterday’s post, today’s post is brought to you by Bill Gatlin, MDAH’s National Register coordinator. All photos are courtesy of MDAH.

North Elm Street Historic District, Hernando, DeSoto County

The North Elm Street Historic District is composed of sixty-three (fifty-one contributing and twelve noncontributing) resources north of the commercial center of Hernando. The buildings in the twenty-nine acre district are residential buildings constructed between 1863 and 1970. The district illustrates the range of architectural styles that were popularly used in domestic buildings over a roughly 107 year period, including Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, Neoclassical, Craftsman, and Ranch, as well as vernacular interpretations these styles. The district was listed on March 27, 2012. David Preziosi, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust wrote the nomination.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/222.pdf

Downtown Waynesboro Historic District, Waynesboro, Wayne County

The Downtown Waynesboro Historic District includes sixteen acres and fifty-one resources constructed between 1881 and 1990. The resources are primarily commercial buildings that form the core business district but include the Wayne County Courthouse (b. 1936), the United States Post Office (b. 1939), and the John Wesley Odom House (b. c.1881). The district illustrates the development of a small east Mississippi county seat which served the surrounding agricultural lands as a commercial and transportation hub, especially after the opening of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in 1854. David Schneider, consulting architectural historian, wrote the nomination. The Downtown Waynesboro Historic District was listed on March 26, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/223.pdf

Water Valley Main Street Historic District, Water Valley, Yalobusha County

The Water Valley Main Street Historic District comprises 119 resources and includes the commercial core of the Water Valley, one of two county seats in Yalobusha County. Although the resources in the district are primarily commercial buildings, the district also includes the Yalobusha County Courthouse (b. 1896), the Old Yalobusha County Jail (b. 1903), the First Presbyterian Church (b. 1896), the United States Post Office (b. 1924), and a few residences. Water Valley was established by 1847, but it grew rapidly after the Mississippi Central Railroad established a repair shop in the community. Water Valley was chartered in 1858 and became a regional transportation center, along with a large railroad service industry. However, by the 1930s, railroad consolidation saw the closure of Water Valley’s switching yards and railroad shops. The population declined but the town’s boom years are still represented by a collection of architecturally significant buildings. The National Register nomination was sponsored by the Water Valley Main Street Association and written by David Preziosi, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust. The Water Valley Main Street Historic District was listed on March 26, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/224.pdf

Downtown Starkville Historic District, Starkville, Oktibbeha County

The Downtown Starkville Historic District comprises 102 contributing resources in downtown Starkville. The resources are primarily commercial buildings constructed between 1874 and the early 1960s. The Oktibbeha County Courthouse and the Starkville City Hall are also included in the district. There are several churches and a handful of residences as well. The Downtown Starkville Historic District illustrates the growth and development of Starkville as a regional commercial hub and distribution center for agricultural products. Its position as the county seat and the home of Mississippi State University insured economic diversity. David Preziosi, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, wrote the nomination. The Downtown Starkville Historic District was listed on July 25, 2012.

The nomination may be viewed at:  https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/225.pdf

Moss Point Historic District, Moss Point, Jackson County

The Moss Point Historic District encompasses 275 acres and includes 337 resources that document the history of Moss Point. The resources, built between 1875 and 1962, illustrate the city’s long connection with the timber and maritime industries. Although much of the industrial infrastructure has been lost, the homes of the industrial leaders, most notably L. N. Dantzler, remain and highlight the wealth generated by those businesses. The district also includes examples of houses where the workers and middle class business owners lived. The resources include residences, commercial buildings, schools, churches and governmental buildings that reflect architectural styles and building practices popular from the late 19^th century to the mid 20^th century. Claudia Watson, FEMA, and Aileen de la Torre, MDAH architectural historian wrote the nomination. The Moss Point Historic District was listed on August 1, 2012.

The nomination may be viewed at:  http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/226.pdf

Hub City Historic District Boundary Increase No. 2, Hattiesburg, Forrest County

The Hub City Historic District was originally listed on the National Register in 1980 and expanded in 2002. The Hub City Historic District Boundary Increase No. 2 consists of 226 buildings and five objects that are located primarily along three corridors in the Central Business District of Hattiesburg, the County Seat of Forrest County. There are 154 contributing and 77 non-contributing resources within the district. The non-contributing resources consist of those that have undergone major changes and/or alterations that affect their historic integrity or those that were Constructed after 1962. The buildings represent a cohesive district that has served the commercial, governmental, and social functions of the City of Hattiesburg from 1884 through to the present. This district serves as a boundary extension of the original Hub City Historic District, which was listed on the National Register in 1981 and included 60 structures comprising the core of the central business district. In 2002, the Hub City Historic District was amended to include an additional 32 resources. Boundary Increase No. 2 represents approximately 70% of the total acreage of the district. The resources within the district are concentrated primarily along Front Street and Pin Street, which run southwest to northeast, and Main Street, which runs southeast to northwest. Russell Archer, historic preservation consultant wrote the nomination. The Hub City Historic District Boundary Increase No. 2 was listed on November 9, 2012.

The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/227.pdf

Greenville Commercial Historic District Boundary Increase No. 1, Greenville, Washington County

The Greenville Commercial Historic District Boundary Increase No. 1 is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the areas of Commerce and Community Planning and Development and under Criterion C in the area of Architecture.  Greenville’s downtown buildings form a locally significant and well-preserved collection of late-nineteenth and twentieth century banks, as well as cotton, professional, retail, religious buildings and newspaper printing offices.  Greenville is the county seat and largest town in Washington County and historically has provided important governmental, industrial, and cultural services to the surrounding farming communities.  The district is predominately one- to two-story brick attached commercial buildings but there is a strong representation of high-style buildings as well, especially in public and religious buildings. The Greenville Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 1997.The district is centered on the 200 and 300 block of Main Street and the 200 block of South Walnut Street. This nomination increases the boundaries to the north and west to more accurately reflect the development of Greenville’s commercial core. The Period of Significance for the district, as amended by the boundary increase will be from 1880-1966. Russell Archer, preservation consultant, wrote the nomination. The Greenville Commercial Historic District Boundary Increase No. 1 was listed on the National Register on November 14, 2012.

The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/228.pdf

Belhaven Historic District, Jackson, Hinds County

The Belhaven Historic District, with 1310 contributing resources, is the state’s largest historic district. Belhaven is one of Jackson’s earliest streetcar neighborhoods. The district is primarily composed of single family homes with some apartment houses. Many of the houses have freestanding garages, some with apartments. The English Village, an early shopping center with a grocery store and drug store, was built in 1929, with additions in 1941 and 1960. Two public schools, Bailey Junior High School (1936) and Power Elementary School (1951), served the community. Belhaven University established its current campus in 1911 providing a name for the neighborhood. The home of the Pulitzer Prize winning author, Eudora Welty, is a museum dedicated to the writer. Many of the houses, schools and other buildings in Belhaven were designed by some of Mississippi’s best-known architects, including N.W. Overstreet, A. Hays Town, Emmett Hull, E.L. Malvaney and James T. Canizaro. Overstreet, Hull and Canizaro designed their own homes in the district. The buildings in the district represent a range of architectural styles popular in the United States between 1904 and 1962, including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, Tudor Revival, Craftsman, and International. Some of the city’s most prominent citizens, businessmen, educators, professionals, architects, politicians and artists lived in Belhaven. David Preziosi, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, wrote the nomination. The Belhaven Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 2012.

Categories: Cool Old Places, Greenville, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Historic Preservation, Jackson, Moss Point, Starkville, Water Valley