Author Archives
In addition to ruling over the MissPres universe with an iron fist, Malvaney enjoys reading, wandering around old buildings, stopping to smell the magnolias, fiddling with databases, and sitting on the porch with a good book and a big ol' dog. Non-interests include but are not limited to tweeting, texting, Instagramming, planking, Candy Crush, Donald Trump, and unecessarily destructive home renovation shows.
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Mississippi Pilgrimage 1974
Recently I acquired a booklet called “Mississippi Pilgrimage 1974” which gives good coverage to all the pilgrimages going on in the state in the Spring of 1974. Since it’s pilgrimage time, I thought it would be good Friday fun to… Read More ›
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Pilgrimage Time Comes Around
My Japanese magnolia is about to bloom and the daffodils have started to pop out, which means its time to start planning which of the many Spring pilgrimages to attend this year. In the case of Natchez, which begins next… Read More ›
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Saving an Old and Venerable Friend: Theodore Link’s Old Capitol Report
Today is this little blog’s fifth birthday. If you’re one of our 509 subscribers or just a person who passes through occasionally, thanks for being a part of this journey through Mississippi’s architectural past, present, and future. We hope it… Read More ›
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Going Inside: Old Warren County Courthouse
It’s been a while since we’ve done a Going Inside post, so today I offer for your Friday enjoyment, the interior of the old Warren County Courthouse in Vicksburg. Now the Old Courthouse Museum, it is worth the $5 entrance… Read More ›
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Pictures from Snowy Mississippi
Historically, one of the best reasons for regular people to get out and take pictures of their house, neighborhood, and town was a snowy day like we’re having today in Mississippi. So in that spirit, I post a few taken… Read More ›
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Architectural Twins: The A&Ps
Today’s post is about mid-20th-century design, but it’s not about Mid-Century Modern. Instead, it’s about the perhaps less-hipster Mid-Century Colonial style. I’m sure I’m not the first to notice these cupola-ed Colonial Revival buildings on the edges of many Mississippi… Read More ›
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Friday Puzzler
It’s been a while since we did a puzzle, and this Friday just seemed like a good time. If you missed the first one, it will be a good warm-up for you–it’s easier than today’s selection, which is the Medgar… Read More ›
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They Once Were (Almost) Lost: 2013’s Stories of Resurrection
I bummed myself out with the demolition post for 2013, so I thought I would follow up with a run-down of landmarks we almost lost but didn’t because a few or a bunch of Mississippians held on tightly and brought… Read More ›
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Mississippi by Air: Mississippi College, 1949
I’m not completely sure, but I think this aerial view of Mississippi College may date to 1947 or 1948 because it seems like the foundation of Nelson Administration Building is in the process of being laid just right of center…. Read More ›
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Mississippi Landmarks 2013
As we’ve noted before, “Mississippi Landmark” and “National Register” are sometimes confused, but they are two completely different programs to recognize historic properties. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, while the Mississippi Landmark designation is conferred… Read More ›
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2013 in review
As usual WordPress prepared a quirky annual report for MissPres: Here’s an excerpt: The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 200,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum,… Read More ›
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National Register Historic Districts 2013
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… Read More ›
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National Register Listings (Individual) 2013
The National Park Service oversees the National Register of Historic Places, the most popular tool nationally for recognizing historic properties. According to the NPS: The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy… Read More ›
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Auld Lang Syne 2013
It’s that time of year again; time to take stock, note the wins and losses, get the larger picture that we can lose sight of in the busy-ness of the year. As is traditional, we note the passing of historic… Read More ›
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A Christmas Suggestion for that Preservationist on your list
A couple of years ago, in “When you absolutely positively have to know what’s a volute?,” I did a run-down of books on my shelves that continue to provide me with new information about architecture and that might also be helpful… Read More ›
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Governor’s Mansion Under Renovation (103 years ago)
Last Friday’s Old Jackson by Candlelight Tour was well-attended, even though the weather outside was . . . I’m not going to say frightful because then you’ll be humming that tune all day. You know, the tune that has the… Read More ›
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MDAH Awards Community Heritage Preservation Grants
According to the MDAH website: At a special meeting on December 6 the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History awarded grants totaling $2,980,194 to twenty-six preservation and restoration projects from across the state. The Community… Read More ›
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Things to do that don’t involve shopping
This Christmas season, avoid the fuss and expense of the mall and head out to see a few of Mississippi’s historic places. You can even take along a friend or family member as a Christmas gift that you’ll both enjoy!… Read More ›
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Matty Hersee Update
The Meridian Star ran an article last week about the recent decision by the Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History’s Board of Trustees to grant a demolition permit to Meridian Community College for the old Matty Hersee Hospital and Nursing School…. Read More ›
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Architects of Mississippi: James Manly Spain
I recently came across this great obituary for architect James Manly Spain in the Jackson Daily News-Clarion Ledger. It’s another in a line of really evocative obituaries that tell us not only about the buildings the man designed (important information!)… Read More ›
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Veterans Day 2013
Today we honor all Mississippians who have served, here or abroad, in wars hot or cold.
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New Book on Wilkinson County Plantations
The Plantation World of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, 1792-2012 by Ernesto Caldeira and Stella Pitts was published this week. Get yours hot off the presses from the Museum Shop of the Woodville Civic Club, which conveniently allows payment by PayPal. From the… Read More ›
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MDAH Giveth, MDAH Taketh Away . . .
As announced on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s website last week, at its October 25th meeting, the MDAH Board of Trustees approved a $500,000 grant to help stablize the Webster County Courthouse: Built in 1915 the Webster County… Read More ›
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Going Inside: Mt. Zion Baptist Church No. 1
As you recall, my last stop on my journey through Claiborne and Jefferson County back in August was at the semi-abandoned river town of Rodney, Mississippi. Important in the antebellum period, the town quickly began to dry up when the… Read More ›
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MissPres News Roundup 10-21-2013
A friend sent me two articles from the Neshoba Democrat’s October 9, 2013 edition. First, the log cabin built as a public library in the 1930s and badly damaged in the tornado of 2011, was recently reopened to much fanfare,… Read More ›
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Going Inside: Rodney Presbyterian Church
One of Mississippi’s historic and architectural treasures is Rodney Presbyterian Church. Everyone seems to acknowledge this, so why can’t we figure out a way to at least keep the yard mowed a few times during the summer? Getting to Rodney… Read More ›
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Going Inside: Bethel Presbyterian Church
Like Rocky Springs Methodist Church, Bethel Presbyterian is no longer an active church but is maintained very well–bring a few dollars to help with the maintenance, and sign the guest book. Built around 1829, the building’s stern classicism is an… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 