Author Archives
-
Suzassippi’s Mississippi Road Trip: DeSoto County Courthouse
The circa 1941 (dates range from 1940-1942 depending on source) Neoclassical courthouse sitting in the middle of Hernando town square was designed by Mississippi’s R. W. Naef and built by Fred B. Johnson.
-
Hernando de Soto Commemorative Bridge
The first road trip of 2014 finally arrived, and while most of it was not in Mississippi, I did manage a short little drive from Arkansas to home in Lafayette County, and a first for me: crossing the Mississippi River… Read More ›
-
Preservation Fail Corrected: Eugene P. Booze House
The Eugene P. Booze house, a “two-story American foursquare” with Colonial Revival detailing provides an excellent illustration of preservation fail, and thankfully, correction on inauthentic renovation (Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Historic Resources Inventory). The c. 1910 home in… Read More ›
-
Did Grant sleep here?
From up Oxford way, the Daily Journal reported February 5 that “site of a potential jail expansion may have unappreciated importance to both Civil War history and Jewish history.” Asher Reese has requested the property be designated for a Jewish… Read More ›
-
Around the Mississippi Blogosphere
It’s been a while since MissPres toured the local blogs to see what is happening in the state, so since I am on travel delay for the time being, I thought a virtual trip to see what’s going on might… Read More ›
-
Preservation Fail: Beta Theta Pi House
There is an interesting (sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, but generally always disastrous) site called Preservation Fail that I have been following for a while. Apparently, no geographic area holds dibs on preservation failures, and every time I would see one… Read More ›
-
The NYA in Mississippi: Jeff Davis Vocational Building
As we have chronicled before, the National Youth Administration, one of the New Deal Administration programs from the 1930s, constructed some 66 documented and/or conjectured administration, classroom, gymnasium, home economics, shop/band hall and vocational buildings, along with several superintendent and… Read More ›
-
For Sale: Gulfport Historic Post Office
Back on June 15, 2011, Malvaney noted that the days of the impressive and historic Gulfport Post Office were numbered. You heard that right: in 2011/2012, 43 historic post offices were sold or put on the market, including this beauty… Read More ›
-
Sardis Home Economics Building: Could it be a New Deal Building?
The former home economics building in Sardis–our last visit to the Sardis School Complex–was constructed in 1935 (Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Historic Resources Inventory database). Unfortunately, there is no other information about the building that I can locate… Read More ›
-
Sardis Elementary Building
If you stopped by Sardis High School last week, you already know that the Elementary Building architect was Robert B. McKnight. McKnight also designed a gymnasium/vocational building for the school complex, but it is no longer extant. This simple one-story… Read More ›
-
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Old Sardis High School
I confess to more than a little frustration these past two weeks, ranging from research dead ends to the weather. I have been all over Arkansas and Memphis, which has caused me to sorely neglect Mississippi. And, speaking of neglected… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Winona Community House
Like the community houses in Eupora, Pontotoc, and Grenada, the one in Winona is in the Tudor style, with stone facade. It was built in 1937-1938 by the Work Progress Administration (WPA), while the Pontotoc house was built by the… Read More ›
-
Public Works in Mississippi: Winona Post Office
While the Winona Post Office was constructed with funds authorized as part of President Hoover’s stepped up public works program, it was funded under the Public Buildings Act of 1926. President Roosevelt would urge Congressional supplementation of the PBA 1926… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Grenada Community House
In previous weeks, we have visited the community houses constructed under the New Deal Administration in the communities of Pontotoc and Eupora. This week, we stop off in Grenada for a third in the Tudor style of the Mississippi versions… Read More ›
-
The New Deal’s National Youth Administration: Longview School
What a wonderful way to end my week–with another successful location of a New Deal building, this time, another project of the National Youth Administration! Because many of these schools were built in rural areas (and parts or all of… Read More ›
-
New Deal: Randolph Vocational Building
The Randolph school’s vocational building was constructed by the National Youth Administration in 1939 during expansion of the school complex (Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Historic Resources Inventory database). A teacher’s house was also constructed, and is located behind… Read More ›
-
New Deal: Ecru Vocational Building
The Ecru building, clad in “native stone,” retains its exterior features, including pent awnings over the doors and 9/9 double hung sash windows. (Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Historic Resources Inventory) While I have seen these before, I don’t… Read More ›
-
New Deal: Pontotoc Community House
A stone-veneered building with false half-timbered gables, very similar to the community houses in Grenada and Winona. (Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Historic Resources Inventory database Fact Sheet) This beautiful example of Tudor style was constructed in 1935 through… Read More ›
-
Architectural Triplets: Marshall, Lafayette, and Hardeman County Courthouses
Months ago as I was driving through Bolivar, Tennessee for the first time, I passed the courthouse square. Taken aback by the building, I exclaimed, “I think that courthouse was designed by the same architect as the one in Holly… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Eupora High School
The Eupora High School was begun in 1938 and completed in 1940, and built through the Works Progress Administration (Mississippi Department of Archives and History/Historic Resources Inventory database; What are we up to? Belinda Stewart Architects; E. L. Malvaney in… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Eupora Community Center
Eupora Community House was built circa 1938, and is conjectured to have been built with Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor (Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Historic Resources Inventory database; David Preziosi, n. d.). The first known access to a… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Eupora Post Office and Mural
The Eupora Post Office was completed in 1941, the 8th Mississippi post office to be designed by Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect of the Office of Supervising Architect of the Treasury (Mississippi Department of Archives and History/Historic Resources Inventory database). … Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Old Winston County Library
Most of the town and county libraries in Mississippi began as Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) or Works Progress Administration (WPA) libraries (Martha H. Swain, Mississippi History Now). The Library Project was considered a “showcase” project for the nation. The… Read More ›
-
New Deal and 101 Places in One: Church Street School
Remember the “101 places in Mississippi to see before you die” list? It’s been a while since we have stopped by to see one on Suzassippi’s Mississippi, what with hunting down all the New Deal Administration buildings in the state. … Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Louisville Post Office and Mural
In another of the series of 32 post offices built in Mississippi with help from the New Deal Administration funding, Louisville stands out. This Colonial Revival building was constructed in 1935 by Dye and Mullings from Columbia-Hattiesburg, under the Office… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Old Philadelphia Library
I love a story with a happy ending, and this one might not have if not for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The building is the old Philadelphia Library constructed in 1935 as part of the New Deal… Read More ›
-
New Deal in Mississippi: Faculty Housing
The last–literally, the last house still standing–of the New Deal Administration-funded projects we will visit on the campus of the University of Mississippi is faculty housing. Using primarily Works Progress Administration funds (Gerald Walton, The University of Mississippi: A Pictorial History, 2008), 22… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 