This week we are beginning the News Roundup in the non-Natchez Southwestern part of this state, specifically in Brookhaven, which has a few articles of interest. The first Brookhaven Daily Leader article is from January 7, “No longer on the… Read More ›
Post Offices
New Deal in Mississippi: Carthage US Post Office and carved wood bas relief
The 1939 Carthage post office has the distinction of being not only one of 32 Mississippi post offices constructed with New Deal funds, but one with several unique details that enable the building and its art work to stand out… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Revisiting the former U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Jackson
The former U S Post Office and Courthouse (Eastland Building) in Jackson has had its share of news since its beginnings in 1932, or 1933, depending on which source one utilizes, and possibly, whether one counts “planning” or just construction. … Read More ›
New Deal in Mississippi: Columbus Post Office and Mural
The Columbus post office (1937-1939) in Lowndes County is another of the federal buildings funded and constructed by the New Deal Administration. In the case of Columbus, the result was a Stripped Classic building, which was described as …largest 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 ›
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: 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: 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 ›
MissPres News Roundup 9-23-2013
Here’s a whirlwind view of Mississippi’s preservation news of the last few weeks with thanks to MissPreser Theodore for sending a number of stories my way. On the Coast, the eighth anniversary of Katrina was commemorated with a memorial service… Read More ›
New Deal in Mississippi: Old Batesville Post Office
The former post office in Batesville is in the town area known as Public Square, and is one of the more imaginative and attractive post office buildings constructed under the New Deal administration. The slight arch of the recessed windows… Read More ›
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Quoins
Time for another MissPres AWOTW! I gathered up a couple of definitions to help fully define our word this week. Some of our examples photos come from the MDAH HRI database. The Elements of Style by Stephen Calloway and Elizabeth… Read More ›
Miss Pres Architectural Word of the Week: English Bond
AWOTW is back this week! I had a word request from our very own E.L. Malvaney. Sent along with this image was the following text: “To get the ball rolling again with requests for word of the week, Susasippi’s Hazelhurst… Read More ›
Rural Mississippi–From Early Days to Present
The mural by Lucile Blanch in the Tylertown post office can claim something that few other post offices can. Not only did the artist (also known as Lucille Blanch, Lucile Lunquist Blanch, Lucile Lundquist-Blanch, and Lucille Lundquist-Blanch) actually paint the… Read More ›
Magnolia: Three New Deal Murals in One Post Office
This week, we profile the seventh of the 32 post office in Mississippi which were built, and decorated with “art for the people” under the auspices of the New Deal Administration. Magnolia boasts three murals (“… one of a handful… Read More ›
Life in the Mississippi Cotton Belt
Auriel Bessemer’s 1939 mural is one of a number of Mississippi post office murals, commissioned through the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts program, that depicted the cotton industry in the state. Bessemer, daughter of Hungarian immigrants, was from Grand… Read More ›
Crystal Springs Tomatropolis: Henry La Cagnina’s Harvest
Crystal Springs, Mississippi was once known as the “Tomatropolis of the World” (and had a big tomato-shaped sign to prove it) and was the largest shipper of tomatoes in the United States (LaTricia M. Nelson-Easley. 2007. Images of America: Copiah… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Durant Post Office and Mural
Isidore Toberoff’s mural, Erosion, Reclamation and Conservation of the Soil, was completed in 1942 (Mississippi Department of Archives and History/Historic Resources Inventory database). The oil-on-canvas work was completed under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts (NewDealArtRegistry.org). Toberoff… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Monroe County Chancery Building
Monroe County’s Chancery Building, built 1885-87 as a post office and federal building (Mississippi Department of Archives & History/Historic Resources Inventory database), did not make it to the 101 Places in Mississippi to See Before you Die list. It was… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Leland Post Office Mural
The Leland Post Office mural, “Ginnin’ Cotton” by Stuart Purser, is oil on canvas, mounted on paperboard, and was completed 1940 (Smithsonian American Art Museum). Purser’s design was the winning submission for Mississippi in the 48-state mural competition. Purser was… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Houston Post Office Mural
Of the twenty-eight works of art placed in Mississippi’s federal buildings under the New Deal federal art programs, only three were created by Mississippi artists–a fact not uncontested by Mississippians (Patti Carr Black, 1998, Art in Mississippi, 1720-1980). Byron Burford,… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Amory Post Office Mural
During the Great Depression, murals were commissioned for federal, state, and local buildings by the federal government in what has been called …the most innovative and comprehensive program for government patronage in American history. (Parks & Markowitz, 1984, p. 5, as… Read More ›
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: ZigZag Molding
This is our last MissPres Architectural Word of the Week for 2012! Whether you are crying tears of sadness or joy you can check out any previous words here. As always our example photographs come from the MDAH Historic Resources… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 12-10-2012
After a period of slow news weeks, for the second week in a row we have a lot of news stories to share with MissPres readers. Starting this week in Tupelo with a story that we have been following for… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Old Pontotoc Post Office
A few weeks ago, Mark Davis’ Restoring Picayune’s Disappeared WPA Mural not only provided a great story about the Picayune Post Office WPA mural, but included some wonderful photographs of other WPA post office murals. Not long after that, I found myself… Read More ›
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Terrazzo
This week’s word is brought to you by the letter T as defined by William J. Hornung’s Architectural Drafting:
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Pilaster
Time for another MissPres Architectural Word of the Week. As we move right along through the alphabet, you can check out our past words here. Have you been keeping an eye out for these elements like I have? This week’s… Read More ›
Going Inside: Brookhaven P.O.
Listed on the National Register both individually and as part of the Downtown Brookhaven Historic District, the Brookhaven Post Office is an impressive building. It’s also surrounded by impressive buildings, including the First Methodist Church and the Whitworth College campus… Read More ›