Who remembers the fast food chain Burger Chef? A few years ago, I passed through Laurel and saw a relatively intact Drive-In that was being used as a coin laundry it had a distinct look, one that I couldn’t place… Read More ›
Cool Old Places
New research available on Mississippi’s oldest building
Yesterday, a colleague pointed out to me that two new reports on the de la Pointe-Krebs House in Pascagoula were now available online. If you’re unfamiliar with the state’s oldest standing documented building, the MDAH Historic Resource Inventory Database entry… Read More ›
Two preservation related events this week
There are two preservation related events taking place this week at opposite ends of the state. On Thursday in Gulfport will be a presentation on the Phoenix Naval Store plant, a circa 1909 industrial site that produced turpentine. The sole… Read More ›
Delta Queen Coming Back to the River
The grounding of the National Historic Landmark, Mississippi River steamboat Delta Queen due to federal fire safety regulations was a hot topic here on MissPres when we were just a baby blog back in 2009. She’s been sitting in Chattanooga since… Read More ›
NPS plans to demolish . . . er . . . “remove” several National Register-listed Tupelo Homesteads. Tell them what you think by June 28!
Eight houses located on the east side of Old Hwy 45/North Gloster and one house on the west side of Old 45 in Tupelo are proposed for removal (demolition) by the National Park Service, America’s premier historic preservation agency. The… Read More ›
Six properties added to National Register
Two apartment complexes, a bowling alley, an ice factory, a community house, and a historic residence have been added to the National Register of Historic Places on the recommendation of the Mississippi National Register Review Board.
Memorial Day 2019
Walk through the somber courtyard of the War Memorial Building next door to the Old Capitol in Jackson and you’ll see three sets of aluminum doors. Walk even closer to see bas reliefs of implements of war throughout history.
Exhibit on builder Carroll Ishee on display
I recently learned that there is an exhibit about Gulf Coast builder Carroll Ishee going on now in the Ocean Springs Museum of History at the Mary C. O’keefe Cultural Center down in Ocean Springs. Current Exhibit Ocean Springs History… Read More ›
HABS in Mississippi: Burrus House, Benoit
The once-grand mansion was in a precarious condition in 1936 when our old friend James Butters took two photos of the building for the Historic American Building Survey, one from the front and one from the back, which was already missing its original double gallery.
Mid-Century Mississippi: Hutto’s Home and Garden Center
Y’all know that I’m a sucker for folded-plate roofs, so you may not be surprised that I found my favorite lawn and garden center, Hutto’s on Ellis Avenue in Jackson, when I was out taking pictures of interesting buildings on… Read More ›
Changes at MDAH Historic Sites
According to the MDAH website, the Old Capitol will be closed for roof repairs. While the work will last at least eight months, the closure is expected to only go through the end of May and has to do with… Read More ›
Carson’s former Art Deco gymnasium-auditorium
Thanks to W. White’s meticulous work, many of us were fortunate to get a glimpse of the Art Deco gymnasium-auditorium in the rural community of Carson, featured recently in the Name This Place XIII: Google Street View Edition, only to… Read More ›
Waverley Back on Pilgrimage Under New Owners
Columbus’ week-long Spring Pilgrimage wraps up this weekend, so you still have time to catch the awe-inspiring Waverley, with its octagonal cupola, thanks to new owners.
Mississippi Landmark Public Notices, April 2019
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has recently added a new page, “Public Notice,” advising the public of potential new Mississippi Landmarks. Since this will, by definition change regularly, we’ll post anytime we see something new, but you (The… Read More ›
HABS in Mississippi: Concord Quarters, Natchez
Concord Quarters was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January, and I believe this is the first individually listed slave quarters building (apart from a main house) in Mississippi. That’s fitting, since Concord, the c.1790 home of… Read More ›
Tag Tuesday: 1820-1829
Wherein we take a look at what was going on in the great big world of architecture in the 1820s. Rosalie (1823), Natchez, Mississippi This National Historic Landmark Federal-style house overlooks the Mississippi River on the bluff in Natchez. St…. Read More ›
Choose Your Pilgrimage
Spring Pilgrimage season kicked off last weekend in Natchez, with its month-long open house, and at least four other Mississippi communities are celebrating pilgrimage in the next month. For a convenient calendar view, check out the MissPres calendar, always available… Read More ›
Tag Tuesday: 1810-1819
This week’s Tag Tuesday post is brought to you by the semi-circular (or round) arch and elliptical fanlight so characteristic of the Federal style that was coming into its own in the second decade of the nineteenth century. How many… Read More ›
Seven Mississippi Places Added to National Register
A multi-family antebellum slave dwelling in Natchez, an African American school and church, two residences, a farm, and a bus station have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tag Tuesday: 1800-1809
In the comments to last week’s inaugural Tag Tuesday, some hackles were raised (passive voice is so wonderful, isn’t it?) about some important early Mississippi buildings that didn’t make it into the post, specifically Texada in Natchez, built between 1798… Read More ›
HABS in Mississippi: Jackson City Hall
Although the 1930s HABS “Data Sheet,” which noted historical information gathered in interviews with owners and local historians, often contained information that has since been proven erroneous, in the case of Jackson’s stunning Greek Revival-style City Hall, the 1936 HABS… Read More ›
Tag Tuesday: 1750-1799
Among the many nerdy activities I undertake in order to keep myself off the streets and out of trouble is the organization of my library of digital photographs, now up around 100,000 images, including a bunch of scanned postcards that… Read More ›
National Register Listings, 2018
Last year saw seven new Mississippi places listed on the National Register, ranging from an African American public library to a post-World War II Jewish temple, two architecturally significant houses, and a church in Neshoba County that may or may not be nationally significant.
Mount Vernons in Mississippi?
Calling all MissPresers to find your local Mount Vernon replica and add it to the map!
War Memorial Building’s Mystery Faces Revealed?
One cold misty fall-like day recently, only a month or so before the centennial of the end of World War I, I happened to be in Kansas City for the first time and decided to go to the national World… Read More ›
Friday is a Gas: Rejecting Teague & The Icebox
This edition of Friday is a Gas is somewhat unique because from what I can tell this station is a one-off design and not of the usual corporate designs I’ve highlighted in the past. Keeping with yesterday’s Highway 82 theme,… Read More ›
Two Mississippi Hill-Burton Clinics in Architectural Record
Two Mississippi health clinics funded under the Hill-Burton program were published in the October 1951 issue of Architectural Record, a high honor for our state, which is still often overlooked in the architectural world. The two-page spread focused attention on… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 