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.
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. Previously, 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.
Houston Historic District, Houston, Chickasaw County
The Houston Historic District includes 83 resources, primarily commercial buildings located around Pinson Square. The majority of commercial buildings were built to handle commerce related to the railroad and the steady export of agricultural products from farms and plantations in the surrounding area. Significant buildings include the Chickasaw County Courthouse, the United States Post Office and the Carnegie Library. The district presents a diverse mix of significant historic structures which gives Houston its unique historic character. David Schneider, preservation consultant, wrote the nomination. The district was listed May 14, 2013.
The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/232.pdf
Gautier Beachfront Historic District, Gautier, Jackson County
The Gautier Beachfront Historic District contains a residential enclave of eleven homes and outbuildings along Pascagoula Bay, most built by descendants of Gautier settlers. The houses, built between 1896 and 1907, are generally vernacular in style built of high quality materials and generally well maintained. The houses share certain characteristics including siting on large lots with mature shade trees and orientation toward the water. The period of significance is 1896, the date of construction of the oldest house of Twelve Oaks to 1968, when the historic L&N Depot was moved to its current location in the district, marking an end to the historic development of the district. The Gautier Beachfront Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for association with Community Planning and Development and Criterion Cr association with Architecture. Bill Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian, wrote the nomination. The Gautier Beachfront Historic District was listed on May 14, 2013.
The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/233.pdf
Krebsville Historic District Boundary Increase, Pascagoula, Jackson, County
The Krebsville Historic District Boundary Increase No. I adds 199 resources and 165 acre to the existing Krebsville Historic District. Although the majority of the resources are residences, significant commercial and institutional buildings include the Lake Avenue Fire Station, the Pascagoula Street Railroad and Power Company and the Lake Elementary School. The district resources more fully document the pattern of development in the Pascagoula community that predates the establishment of the city and reflects periods of population growth, changes to
the built environment over time as the maritime industry expanded and contracted, and a diverse collection of building styles representing local interpretations of nationally popular architectural styles. FEMA architectural historian and MDAH architectural historian Bill Gatlin wrote the nomination. The district was listed on May 22, 2013.
The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/234.pdf
Mound Bayou Historic District, Mound Bayou, Bolivar County
The Mound Bayou Historic District covers 48 acres and includes 54 resources. Mound Bayou is significant as the first Mississippi town organized and governed by African Americans. It was founded by Isaiah T. Montgomery and Benjamin Green in 1887. Significant individual resources include the Isaiah T. Montgomery House (NHL), the Bank of Mound Bayou, and Taborian Hospital. Organized and funded by the Knights and Daughters of Tabor in 1942, Taborian Hospital was one of the few full service hospitals treating African American in the state. Although the resources in Mound Bayou are not visually distinguishable from other small Delta towns, the Mound Bayou Historic District illustrates a human remarkable story not found in any other Mississippi town. The nomination was written by Bruce Judd, architect, and Bill Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian. The Mound Bayou Historic District was listed on September 11, 2013.
The nomination can be viewed here: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/235.pdf
Medgar Evers Historic District, Jackson, Hinds County
The Medgar Evers Historic District is historically significant statewide as the first modern subdivision designed for middle-class blacks after World War II in Mississippi. The subdivision was developed by Winston J. Thompson, a black entrepreneur, and a majority of the houses were built by Leroy Burnett, a black builder. Many of the early residents were teachers or others engaged in professional and clerical employment that placed them in the middle class. Noted residents of the neighborhood include Medgar Evers, the Mississippi Field Secretary of the National Association of Colored People, who was assassinated in the driveway of his home, one of the signal events of the Civil Rights Movement. Author and educator Margaret Walker Alexander purchased the first home in the subdivision in 1955. Bill Gatlin and Vicki Myers, MDAH architectural historians, wrote the nomination. The Medgar Evers Historic District was listed on September 18, 2013.
The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/237.pdf
Categories: Gautier, Historic Landscapes, Historic Preservation, Houston, Jackson, Mound Bayou, Pascagoula
Preservation in Mississippi 
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