Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. This last Monday, a car did significant damage to a historic church in the Silver Creek community of Lawrence County. The Silver Creek Baptist Church, built in 1899, was struck in the southeast… Read More ›
Building Types
Friday is a Gas: Booth Form Gas Station c.1960s-c.1980
This week’s Friday is a Gas post is not about a specific brand of station, but rather a specific type of station form. This week’s stations represent the antithesis of the full-service station: the booth form gas station Aberdeen, Mississippi… Read More ›
“America’s Finest”: Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts
The recent post by Thomas Rosell on photographer John Margolies “roadside Americana” images had some wonderfully intriguing photographs. I thought it might be fun to trace a few of them. The Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts has been featured before on… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 8-22-2017
Busy week in the world of Mississippi Preservation. Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. Last Tuesday a public meeting in Hattiesburg was held to determine a course of action for the former Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Main Street. According to… Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Phillips 66 Stations c.1950-c.1970s
During the c.1950-1970s, Phillips had two station types: an oblong box, and the batwing or gullwing design. The latter of these was my holy grail of gas stations. I honestly thought I would never find one in Mississippi, let alone… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 8-15-2017
Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. Tonight in Hattiesburg there is a public meeting to determine a course of action for the former Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Main Street. Hattiesburg City Council will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m…. Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Lion Stations c.1940
I’m not very familiar with Lion brand gasoline. Established in Arkansas during 1922, Lion Oil is still around in the refinery and asphalt products business, but I don’t believe they have branded stations any longer. Between 1985 and 2011, Lion… Read More ›
Walking To School
I believe that Grenada Public Schools Start back today. Some of you may be groaning, while other may be cheering for the start of school. But one of the best benefits of towns and cities should be their walkability. This view… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 8-9-2017
Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. Following up on the partial collapse of McComb’s downtown theater, MSNewsNow has reported that approximately 75% of the collapsed roof of the building was removed by July 31, with the remainder expected to… Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Classical Revival Stations c.1930-?
Mississippi is known for its fondness of columned buildings. Surprisingly that appreciation doesn’t seem to have translated over into the design of Classical Revival service stations. The 2016 TxDOT Field Guide to Gas Stations in Texas doesn’t specifically have an entry… Read More ›
The Aladdin Company’s Order Ledger
You might recall that The Aladdin Company had a mail order catalog that offered plans and all the lumber you would need to build a house, pre-cut. Thanks to the efforts of kit house researcher, Cindy Catanzaro, we have the information… Read More ›
No Longer An Eyesore: Confronting The Gasoline Station
A while back I found a 1925 article in Laurel’s Daily Leader that was interesting for the fact that it was an architectural critique, but I wasn’t quite sure how to share it. Fast forward to the research I’ve been… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 7-25-2017
Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. The lead story this week is the partial collapse of McComb’s downtown theater. While it looks bad, hopefully an engineer with an understanding of historic buildings can be brought in to give a… Read More ›
McComb’s Downtown Theater Collapses
A landmark historic building in downtown McComb collapsed on Sunday without any injuries to passersby, according to the McComb Enterprise-Journal. Built around 1920, the four-story building had originally been the State Bank and Trust, with Jacob’s Theater in the upper… Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Commercial Block Service Stations c.1920-c.1930
This week’s Friday is a Gas post is not about a specific brand of station, but rather a specific type of station form. Commercial block type service stations are usually found within towns or cities, often at street corners with… Read More ›
Photographer John Margolies Images Now Available Online
Last year Malvaney’s post about roadside Americana photographer John Margolies ended with the wish that someday his photos, which had been donated to the Library of Congress, would be made available for the public to see. That day has arrived, my… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: Modernism in the Mississippi Delta
One thing that surprised me when I moved to Mississippi and ventured into the Delta–a place that I had understood from various news stories had been forgotten by time–was how much the region had changed over the latter half of… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 7-18-2017
Let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. Starting with bad news from West Point, the Daily Times Ledger ran a story with the headline titled “Mary Holmes alumni react to demolition.” This demolition alluded to by the headline is that of… Read More ›
Humble Colony at Mallalieu Production Camp, Brookhaven
Because MissPres readers have found the Friday is a Gas series fascinating, you will understand why I was hooked when I stumbled upon this news item about the Humble Camp near Brookhaven. Mississippi, or at least one Mississippian, had a… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 7-11-2017
Two weeks since our last round-up and a lot has happened so let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. Starting on the coast in Gulfport, a new developer is taking over former Gulfport VA redevelopment project. Virginia Attorney Robert Lubin… Read More ›
Vacation Postcards: Forrest Hotel, Hattiesburg
MissPres is on vacation this week, but we’re sending postcards back from Mississippi’s past.
Vacation Postcards: Holiday Inn Southwest, Jackson
MissPres is on vacation this week, but we’re sending postcards back from Mississippi’s past.
Friday is a Gas: Humble c.1950-c.1960
I’m excited about this week’s post because I found some period photographs of example stations in their prime, so I can verify the brand along with what features are original. The image above shows a Humble branded station with a… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 6-28-2017
What happened to June? It’s hard to believe it’s almost over but let’s jump right into this week’s roundup. From Meridian two stories this week. The first is regarding preservation grant funds. According to the Meridian Star: The Charles L…. Read More ›
Hand Pointing to Heaven Now Pointing Toward Virginia
Yesterday morning, bright and early, the famous Hand Pointing to Heaven high atop the steeple of Port Gibson’s First Presbyterian Church came down to the ground and is now on its way to Virginia where it will be repaired and… Read More ›
Roadside Mississippi: Jackson’s Free Tourist Camp
It may seem impossible to believe today, but in the early days of automobile tourist travel, Jackon’s leaders (or some unnamed civic group, perhaps an automobile club) decided it would be a great idea to build a rustic cabin on… Read More ›
Mid-Week Mid-Century: Modern Banking in Downtown Jackson
I found this to-die-for postcard showing Jackson’s Trustmark Bank (formerly First National Bank) building a few weeks ago and was surprised to win it on eBay. Opened in 1956, the building was designed by two Jackson architectural firms, James T. Canizaro and Overstreet, Ware & Ware… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 