WLBT reported a fire at the Hinds County Armory on the Missisisppi State Fairgrounds this evening. Word from the site indicates the fire was put out around 6:45, but if that’s the case, it was going for about an hour.
Preservation in Mississippi
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Preservation in Mississippi 
“Consumed” might be too strong a word in the WLBT story–it appears from sources on the ground that it was confined to the front of the building, but as you can see in the picture, the iconic tower was heavily involved. We will have to wait and see what kind of damage, if any, to the brick structure itself, has occurred.
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gut wrenching. Wasn’t some restoration or maintenance going on there recently?
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Yes they were finally putting on a new roof, which I believe involved replacing all the trusses. My sources say that it appears this fire might have been caused by some contractor activity. Since it wasn’t evident until about 5:30, it may have smoldered until after everyone left. That’s just my speculation.
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How disheartening. If the Contractor caused the fire maybe their bond will cover the repairs?
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This reminds me of the late 1960s fire in the Cabildo in New Orleans, accidently started by a loose Cajun with a “blowtorch” working in the belfry during its renovation.
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In a similar way, the famous and glamorous French ocean liner, S.S. Normandie, burned. At the beginning of World War II, it was interned in New York. During conversion to a troop transport in 1942, a welder’s torch ignited kapok-filled life jackets and an immense fire broke out. The ship subsequently capsized at dock and lay in the mud several years until it was raised and floated away. Although the salvage operation was immensely costly, the ship was never returned to service and was scrapped in 1946. Another political and managerial fiasco….
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The Cabildo fire was in 1988.
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It was not a huge fire, most of the flammable a being lost to “demolition by neglect”. I was there about 6:30 and it was mostly white smoke, meaning steam, and confined to the tower area. The loss of fabric may not be great if the masonry is stable.
I would echo the possible contractor source, perhaps a smoldering remnant from torching steel being removed?
Windsor Ruins is a ruin because of construction debris. There are many more from jobs that allow flame producing appliances on site.
Sad.
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I drive past on Jefferson at a couple minutes past six and noticed the smoke plume starting. I pulled over to call 911 and state police came screeching up and I could hear fire tricks in the distance. I pulled around and in and watches the fire. They made the spectators leave about 6:30 and it was almost out at that point.
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Please pardon the spelling errors. I’m on my phone and it wouldn’t let me go back and correct anything.
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My iPad constantly overcorrects me. Very frustrating!
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We could hear small explosions after the front roof caved in. Containers of materials perhaps?
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Good to hear that perhaps it wasn’t in flames as long as I had thought. Thanks for the report!
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http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130702/NEWS/307020059/Historic-Hinds-County-Armory-under-construction-earlier-Tuesday-set-ablaze
Note: The armory was never Jackson’s City Hall. The current city hall has served that purpose since it was built in the 1850s.
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YIKES! What a horror to see first thing this morning! Please keep us posted on clean up activity and progress. Your photos and report (August 17, 2010) on Jackson’s Naval Reserve Center is excellent. Hope you will be able to provide same on this great building.
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This is very sad to read. This building was so beautiful to me as a child and I have wonderful memories of times with my Father and Mother associated with it and the surrounding fairgrounds. I certainly hope it will be ok.
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Where in the world did C-L get idea that this was ever City Hall?
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I know, I thought that weird little detail might disappear from the story, but it showed up in the longer print version this morning.
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I took a round of photos this morning at the Armory for MDAH and I’m happy to report that the damage is not nearly as bad as the photo above might indicate. Thankfully, the fire dept. was able to put it out quickly, and the damage is contained to the front, or south side of the building. You can see the photos on the MDAH Historic Resources Database: http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop.aspx?id=11693&x=1760&y=1063&bg=white&view=photos&DateTaken=7-3-2013%20%28after%20fire%29
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We’ve also uploaded photos taken last evening by our Deputy State Preservation Officer, Ken P’Pool, who was one of the first on the scene: http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop.aspx?id=11693&x=1760&y=1063&bg=white&view=photos&DateTaken=7-2-2013%20%28fire%29
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Windsor mansion was destroyed by a fire caused by cigarette or cigar left by some carpenters (or so the story goes). Workers need to be careful and have fire extinguishing equipment on ready all the time!
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And sprinkler flooding of the first floor of the Ross Building in H’Burg. It wafrom atop this building that the neon-lighted Hub City sign shone down on H’Burg for so many years.
Two suspects caught on camera;suspects in custody. H’Burg prosecutors have a poor record of whitewashing acts of public vandalism–the vandalizing of historic City Cemetery 15 years ago comes to mind. The prosecutor in that case later joined the law offices of Jimmy Dukes and Bud Holmes. Nuff said.
http://www.wdam.com/story/22770559/america-building
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Should have said that H’Burg has a “clear record of whitewashing acts of public vandalism.”
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The Salt&Pepper suspects in the Ross Building vandalism, Hunter Wayne Martin(22) and Jamari Deandre Gower(20) are now in custody, charged with malicious mischief. Local law enforcement officials claim that the two had a “laundry list” of objects to be destroyed.
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Hmm, a “laundry list”? Doesn’t sound like random vandalism, does it? Is there a backstory here?
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Sadly, there is no investigative reporter of the likes of Bert Case down here to replace the late Elliot Chaze. Maybe Shawn O’Hara knows something. He’s now legally blind, but he knows who lurks behind the curtain.
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