Before we get too far into 2017, let’s take a look back at the most popular posts written during 2016. If you missed any of these posts now would be a good chance to catch up. If you remember them, it might be a good opportunity to revisit. I was surprised last year how many folks had missed some of the most popular posts.
1. Mississippi Streets: 1960s Jackson; 3,217 views
This is the first time that a post from the Mississippi Streets series has made the top ten.
2. Four Years, Six Demolitions – Columbus’s Disappearing Historic Buildings Through Google Street View; 1,637 views
Malvaney mentioned this as a favorite post from last year saying “I’d also love to see W. White reprise his Google Streetview survey of historic districts to check up on how well our local communities are doing preservation.” Unfortunate but important information that must be documented and reported.
1323 3rd Avenue, North, Columbus
3. For Sale: 1323 3rd Avenue, North in Columbus – Save and Restore This House; 944 views
This post actually ran the same day as the Four Years, Six Demolitions post. Almost a call to action to keep 1323 3rd Avenue from being added to that demolitions list. Anyone know of any updates?
4. Mississippi Loses Preservationist Libby Hollingsworth (1933-2016); 922 views
If you’ve been around the Mississippi Heritage Trust for even just a little bit, you’ve no doubt met Libby and Al Hollingsworth, as they would have introduced themselves and made you feel welcome. Al and Libby are so much a part of Mississippi’s preservation community that Mississippi Heritage Trust named its lifetime achievement award for them.
5. Michael Fazio Discusses Architect N.W. Overstreet; 885 views
Still sore I was not able to attend this discussion by Prof. Fazio. Perhaps he will take it on the road someday?
Merrill-Maley House, 735 N. State Street, Jackson. Photo by Barry White, MDAH, 5-14-2015, via MDAH Historic Resources Database
6. Before and After on Jackson’s North State Street; 764 views
Truly one of Mississippi’s notable preservation victories of 2016. This former Mississippi Heritage Trust 10 Most Endangered structure was brought back from years of dereliction. Read the post to see what it looks like today.
7. Going Inside: Sun-n-Sand Hotel, Biloxi; 729
What are you waiting for? Click the link and go on inside the Sun-n-Sand Hotel c.1960.
8. Missing the Golden Fisherman, a Tale of Katrina and Incompetent Salvagers; 693
A different twist on the usual MissPres Hurricane Katrina commemorative post. Truly a tale that could only come out of Biloxi.
Compare the Tomb of the Julii in southern France (left, 40 BC) with Renaissance’s clock tower (right)
9. The Renaissance of the Ridgelanders; 655 views
The annual April Fools post can always be counted on to be a popular post.
10. Help Identify the Mississippi Mystery Houses; 632 views
I was surprised at the popularity of this post. An example of the good that MissPres does, is that only one of the mystery images remains unidentified. This post also highlighted the work of Ms. Frances Benjamin Johnston.
11. Lost Mississippi: Andrew Jackson Donelson House; 628 views
What happened to the Andrew Jackson Donelson House? You’ll have to read the post to find out.
6th Street USO, Hattiesburg (1942). Significant as the only USO club in the state for African-American soldiers during World War II, the USO building was recently re-restored after damage from the 2012 Hattiesburg tornado.
Lemon Award.
Tie: Veterans Day 2016 & Time to nominate your Best of the South project!; 97 views each
Y’all are really going to do veterans that dirty? Make it up to them by visiting the page now.
Time to nominate your Best of the South project!
Last year the post calling for nominations for the SESAH Best of the South was the winner of the Lemon Award with only 88 views, but that 2015 call for nominations may have elicited the nomination for the eventual Best of the South 2015 award winner: The Tallahatchie County Court House. I’ll take more award-worthy preservation projects over page views any day.
So was one of these 11 posts your favorite of 2016? Loss and Destruction seem to reign over 2016. I don’t enjoy writing (or reading) about these topics. But MissPres is often a lone voice, being the only place where you can find information on the historic places that make Mississippi a unique place. What topics would readers like to see more of? To get your thought process going, Malvaney wished to see additional posts from Suzassippi on the New Deal and on her task to visit locations from the MissPres 101 Places list, the above-mentioned Streetview preservation surveys from W. White, and my Word of the Week (or Month). I am all for reviving the WotW series. I believe two of our best words: Pigeon Hole Corner and Vomitory were reader suggestions. So please send any suggestions (with at least one photo) of the item to be identified to thomasrosell @ misspreservation.com
Did you have a favorite post that didn’t make the list? Did your favorite preservation story have nary a peep mentioned in 2016? Leave a comment below and let us know about your favorite 2016 Mississippi Preservation story.
Categories: Historic Preservation
Preservation in Mississippi 
This was a great recap, and there were a couple of posts I had missed during one of the long slogs trying to get a publication out. Thanks for the opportunity to catch it on the re-run. I think Preservation in Mississippi serves several purposes, and all are important source information for history, preservation support and identification of needs, and opportunities to act.
LikeLike