As a way of bidding adieu to the State Fair, which closes this weekend, I bring you two items from fair-like events of the past, both taking the phrase “Cotton is King” literally.
Historic Preservation
Restoring Picayune’s Disappeared WPA Mural
Mark Davis of the Pearl River Historical Society has posted articles on MissPres before, notably two biographical sketches of architects, P.J. Krouse and Clair M. Jones, and their lasting effect on Pearl River County. He’s back today with a fascinating… Read More ›
Architects’ Homes: Carl E. Matthes Sr., Biloxi
We’ve featured several architects’ homes here on MissPres, with the most recent being the Jackson residence of Emmett J. Hull. Today’s featured residence might be the first house featured that is neither still standing, nor was built by the architect… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 10-8-2012
Next week is a contest week on Miss Pres – and the only advice I can give is to make sure you’ve brushed up on your Words of the Week. But since we’ll be skipping the round up next week,… 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:
River Road Fish Fry!
In case you missed Walt Grayson’s Look Around segment last weekend about the River Road Historic District, you should head over to WLBT and check it out. You may recall that the River Road in Lawrence County was listed on… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 10-1-2012
Not a lot of preservation news around the state in recent weeks – so I have a short roundup to start your October. We’re going to start in Greenville. One of our last roundups had a story about their new… Read More ›
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Scagliola
Its time for another MissPres Architectural Word of the Week! Our word this week is one spicy meatball of a word that comes all the way from Italy. It is is brought to you by the letter S as defined… Read More ›
Going Away Party for David Preziosi, MHT
This is late notice, but tonight (Sept 20) between 5:30 and 7 PM, a going-away party will be held at Brent’s Drug Store in Fondren for David Preziosi, longtime director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust. David has accepted a position… Read More ›
A Little Blog Roundup
In lieu of a News Roundup, why not check out what’s going on in architecture and preservation round the internet?
Which Modern Landmarks Will You Explore?
DOCOMOMO, the creatively named advocacy group for Modernist buildings, is asking “Where will you explore?” in its sixth annual tour day on October 6. Unfortunately, Mississippi doesn’t have any tours, but a number of other Southern states, including Louisiana, are… Read More ›
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Inside View of Progress on the Taborian Hospital
Ever since my first glimpse of the Taborian Hospital, I have waited for the day I would be able to go inside. Abatement complete and the general clean-up done, and the long-awaited trip inside became reality last month. I am… Read More ›
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Return
I hope every one has made it through Isaac well. I don’t ever remember a storm lasting nearly so long, and it looks like we might have the spawn of Isaac becoming a Tropical Storm…. but its time for another… Read More ›
Rev. H.D. Dennis (1916-2012)
Rev. H.D. Dennis, who created a “visionary art environment” or “Bible Castle” around his wife’s rural store Margaret’s Grocery north of Vicksburg, died September 5, 2012. Margaret herself died in 2010, and the Grocery has been decaying ever since. Our… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 8-28-2012
A storm seems to be headed our way – maybe. Those of you closer to the coast, take the proper precautions and stay safe. Here’s the preservation news that made the rounds this week: Starting off in Natchez, The Democrat… Read More ›
MissPres Architectural Word of the Week: Quatrefoil
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. This week’s word is a Gothic and Renaissance (both original and revival) architecture staple, but… Read More ›
Modernist Storefronts of Pascagoula
Pascagoula, better known for its colonial-period Old Spanish Fort (aka De le Pointe-Krebs House), actually has some really interesting mid-20th-century buildings for the architectural explorer to examine. The commercial strip on Delmas Avenue in particular, although partially covered as a downtown “mall” as part of an urban renewal scheme in the 1970s, still has a few nicely done Modernist storefronts.
Suzassippi’s Mississippi: Tate County Courthouse
I think it is part of my nature that I tend to root for the underdog. When it comes to things like world peace and hunger and poverty, this is hugely important. When it comes to the 101 Places in… Read More ›
Lost Mississippi: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fuller House
Forty-three years ago today, Mississippi lost one of its handful of Frank Lloyd Wright designs, a house in Pass Christian known as the Fuller House. Located at 317 Sandy Hook Drive, the house, designed in 1951, was considered part of… Read More ›
Welcome To Our Fine City
Many towns use their historic (or newer) water tanks to announce their name to visitors, such as Mendenhall or nearby Magee. But others go the extra mile, getting creative with landscaping to bring their name closer to earth. Possibly the… Read More ›
Mississippi and Skuna Valley Railroad Being Torn Up
MissPres reader Matthew sent me a heads-up last week about the Mississippi and Skuna Valley Railroad (1925-2008), which operated primarily as a lumber line between Coffeeville and Bruce, Mississippi until 2008. The 22-mile line is currently being torn up after… Read More ›
Gulf Park Update
Intrepid MissPreser and Gulf Coast preservation reporter Mark Davis took note of recent comments on the March 2010 Gulf Park post and went down to the campus, located right on Beach Boulevard in Long Beach, to see the state of things… Read More ›
101 Places: Dockery Farms Plantation
Dockery Farms, number three in the Delta regional poll for the 101 Places in Mississippi to see before you die, was established in 1895 “to produce cotton, America’s biggest export at the time” (DockeryFarms.org). Located on Highway 8 between Cleveland… Read More ›
MissPress News Roundup 8-13-2012
News picked up again this past week, so I’m going to dive right in: First up, the Spain House in Tupelo was in the news again this week. This is a story we’ve been following for a while here on… Read More ›
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 ›
Round the Blogosphere 8-6-2012
This probably doesn’t qualify as a full-fledged Round the Blogosphere, but since JRGordon didn’t find much in the Mississippi newspapers for a News Roundup, I thought I’d throw out a few articles I’ve bookmarked recently from the outside world. First… Read More ›
W. A. Rayfield: Mt. Gilead Baptist Church
Back in February 2011, Malvaney ran a post about Wallace Augustus Rayfield, one of the first African American architects: Rayfield, a native of Georgia, was educated at Howard, Columbia and the Pratt Institute, and taught architecture and drafting at Tuskegee… Read More ›
Preservation in Mississippi 