Last week, we were introduced to Blanche Butler Ames (1847-1939), wife of Adelbert Ames, a Massachusetts native and former Union general who served two non-consecutive terms as governor during Reconstruction. Young Blanche entered the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion with some trepidation, unimpressed by… Read More ›
If you are feeling down in the dumps from the start of hurricane season and Monday’s hurricane post, maybe the start of shrimp season with the promise of wonderful fresh shrimp will lift your spirit. The horizon south of the… Read More ›
Another Atlantic hurricane season is upon us. Buy your supplies early and check to make sure your hurricane preparation plans for your historic (and not so historic) structures are up-to-date. Happy (?) Hurricane Season BY E L MALVANEY on JUNE 1, 2009… Read More ›
Recently, I came across an interesting description of the Governor’s Mansion published in a book called Chronicles from the Nineteenth Century: Family Letters of Blanche Butler and Adelbert Ames, in Two Volumes. This is not a source I would have… Read More ›
KEESLER TO SPEND $1,000,000 ON 67 NEW HOUSING UNITS Special to the Times Picayune Biloxi, Miss., May 29– Approximately $1 million will be spent on construction of 67 three-bedroom units at Keesler Air Force Base, it was announced by the… Read More ›
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a proper news roundup, so we have lots to catch up on (or “on up which to catch”?). A couple of stories and videos in the last few weeks have kept us updated… Read More ›
(Biloxi’s) 8th Annual “Preservation in May” Thursdays, May 2015 Various times and locations in Biloxi In observance of May being National Preservation Month, each year the City of Biloxi, Biloxi Bay Chamber, Biloxi Main Street, Biloxi Public School District, USM, and Local… Read More ›
The Southeastern Architectural Archives at Tulane University’s exhibit on bungalows is coming to a close next month. If you have not had a chance to see the exhibit and will be in New Orleans on a weekday before May 20th,… Read More ›
Mississippi Foundry and Machine Company is located at 300 West South Street, Jackson. I was introduced to the building on Urban Decay. The painted sign “Ironworks” on the end of the building threw me for a loop, so it took… Read More ›
You might already be in town for the MHT conference, or you’ll be heading that way this morning. Either way it should be a busy two days with all the sessions planned. Some of my favorite places will be part of… Read More ›
Midway through 2009 I stumbled across the Preservation in Mississippi blog. I have always been interested in old buildings and photographing them. After another year of lurking around as a hanger-onner-wannabe I finally ventured out of my comfort zone and… Read More ›
Today’s will be a Cliff’s Notes version of the News Roundup, since I spent the weekend planting flowers and other growing things instead of doing important news gathering. The Natchez Democrat reports that Arbuthnot’s Grocery, a rural store built in… Read More ›
From the Coast to Columbus, from Jackson to the Delta and points in between, preservationists get down and dirty in old barns looking for original windows, fight in the legislature for historic tax credits, and pass on pilgrimage traditions to new preservationists. Read all about it in this week’s News Roundup.
The Biloxi Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, the first fire company for the city, was organized September 3, 1883 (The Daily Picayune, September 6, 1883, p. 1, R. L. Bellande, Biloxi Historical Society). West End Fire Co. No. 3 was… Read More ›
Preservationists around the state are on the edge of their seats as this session of the Mississippi Legislature draws to a close. House Bill 155, authored by the Speaker of the House and champion of the state historic tax credit,… Read More ›
Listen Up! Historic Preservation Conference April 22-23, 2015 Oddfellows Gallery, Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hosted by the Mississippi Heritage Trust In many ways, preservation projects are like a puzzle. You need to find the right fit of purpose, financing, incentives and talent…. Read More ›
Jacksonians: Where is this Apartment building? From the 1937 Guide to Better Homes, prepared by American Builder and Building Age. INCOME PRODUCER J. Peyton McKay Apartments Jackson, Miss. FOUR 3-room apartment of modern layout and high efficiency are built into this… Read More ›
Thanks to gstone for the photograph of the Duncan Drug Store, closed since 1965. Try as I might, I have been unable to locate any information about the store. I am sure if you are of a similar age some… Read More ›
It’s been a bit since we toured any of the New Deal buildings in Mississippi, so I thought it was high time for a road trip to Vardaman–the one and only sweet potato capital of the world. Unfortunately, up here… Read More ›
In the concluding edition of the aftermath of the 1929 Duncan tornado, we focus on a family, a child, and a unique culture that has contributed to the Mississippi Delta and beyond. In the Fong family, who operated the Fong Chinese grocery store in Duncan, all but a 4 year old boy, William Joe Fong, perished. Joe Fong and his other children died in the tornado, and Quan Shee Fong died not long after in a Memphis hospital from injuries sustained. She was buried alongside her husband and children in the Greenville Chinese cemetery.
Hear the latest from Starkville’s Cotton Mill project, MHT’s Mad Mod Affair, Jackson’s McRae’s building renovation, Pascagoula’s gala for LaPointe Krebs House, and learn about an amazing preservationist from Pass Christian.
Recently I came across a building product I had never seen before. Several openings were made to a drywall wall and the back of the opposite drywall panel was visible, along with some manufacturers’ stencils that read: U.S. Gypsum Co…. Read More ›
Last week introduced part 1 of a 3-part series on Duncan, Mississippi after the 1929 tornado destroyed many of the village’s homes and businesses. This week will highlight some of the buildings that were constructed following the tornado. (Note:… Read More ›
Today is this little blog’s 6th birthday, and in keeping with tradition, we will revisit the Old Capitol, a touchstone of Mississippi’s preservation movement. This year, I’ve been thinking a lot about a statement that came out of the mouth… Read More ›
MissPres will be celebrating its sixth anniversary during 2015. To acknowledge this achievement we will be looking back at some of our earliest posts while sharing thoughts and any developments that have occurred since the post originally debuted. Today’s post is a… Read More ›
With little warning, a category F4 tornado swept across the Delta village of Duncan at 2:30 p.m. Monday, February 25, 1929. Two blocks of Main Street businesses (numbering 14 in one report, including a two-story brick hotel) were destroyed. Sources… Read More ›
To shake out the winter dust and get on the road I took a trip to George County. I had several stops to make but I had two destinations with a common thread: crossing the Pascagoula River. The first stop on… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 