In January 1946, Manufacturer’s Record, whose byline was “A Publication for Executives,” published an issue dedicated to the business opportunities in Mississippi. A friend sent me this copy, and it contains a treasure-trove of information about all those mid-20th-century industrial buildings, many now vacant or under-used, dotting the Mississippi landscape.
A “MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR OF MISSISSIPPI” dated December 5, 1945, from Gov. Thomas L. Bailey begins, “No other state in the nation today offers the inducements to private enterprises which Mississippi affords” and goes on to tout the Balance Industry With Agriculture (BAWI) program. The introductory essay, titled “Mississippi” begins,
New landmarks of progress loom in the offing for Mississippi in the heart of the enlivened South. A rising tempo of agricultural improvement and industrial expansion is being blended with bygone glories of historic importance and romantic glamor. Today its leaders are forging a distinctive pattern encompassing an integrated culture and versatile economy.
Long-form articles, heavily illustrated with photos, give in-depth information about various facets of the Mississippi economy:
- Agriculture
- Manufacturing
- Petroleum
- Minerals
- Forest
- Power
- Transportation
- Education
- Government, Finance
- Recreation
In addition, the whole issue is sprinkled with advertisements from industries and cities in Mississippi. My long-term plan is to offer up some of the more interesting of these as a series, with excerpts from the various articles. Maybe then, someone will go out and start looking for these industrial sites and let us know what’s left of them after 70 years.
Categories: Architectural Research, Modernism
Preservation in Mississippi 
Please post excerpts! Will try to track down any Leflore County sites.
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MDAH also has a “Featuring Mississippi” issue for June 1951.
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Will have to get over there to see that!
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Wow that would be interesting to compare the progress made between 1946 and 1951.
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Send me any Tupelo or Northeast Mississippi stuff in that publication! Thankyathankyaverymuch!
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I will be glad to track down sites in Warren County and west central Mississippi.
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We now have more concrete (or should I say stone) evidence for Malvaney’s and my comments on the New Deal in Mississippi: Hickory Flat Cafeteria post. Notice the number 6 on the map for Tishomingo County, the only county in Mississippi where sandstone was quarried and epicenter for sandstone veneered buildings in the state. Unfortunately, it seems sandstone and sand and gravel are about the only natural resources Tishomingo County has, which explains the county’s economic development (or lack thereof).
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Waiting for more!
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I can take a crack at Jones County. Interestingly, large oil fields were discovered just after this was published.
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Is there anything in this issue pertaining to Milam Manufacturing Co. In Tupelo? This company manufacturing children’s clothes became the largest in the South until sold in the early 60s. Founded by my grandmother in 1928.
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The Jackson plant of Armstrong Flooring (formerly Armstrong Cork and Armstrong World Ind) is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2017. It’s been almost continuously operating since 1947 and is expanding the operation. Any stories about that?
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I don’t see any reference to Armstrong in this issue of Manufacturer’s Record, but I’ll look around and see what I can find. Thanks for letting me know!
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I believe the Armstrong tile plant was part of the 1954 AR story on Jackson
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Good eye! I had forgotten that, probably because the article has a picture but no architect listed, a curse be upon it! But a good picture!
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