A comment on last week’s post about the fast-food chain Burger Chef, along with the company’s news in August 2019 that they would be closing five hundred of their dine-in restaurants got me thinking about Pizza Hut. The brand’s iconic… Read More ›
Mississippi Towns
Who remembers Burger Chef?
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 ›
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 ›
New Deal in Mississippi: Laurel Sweet Potato Starch Factory
One of the more intriguing finds lately for the Living New Deal project in Mississippi was the discovery of the Sweet Potato Starch Factory in Laurel. The Wausau Southern Lumber Company’s former sawmill, located at the end of South 4th… Read More ›
Historic Natchez Foundation Unveils New Website
Although MissPreservation has gotten sleepy this summer, there are still other doings on the internet related to preservation in Mississippi. Yesterday the Historic Natchez Foundation sent out this press release announcing a long awaited revamped website. Be sure to visit… 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 ›
Mid-Century Mississippi: Subsistence Homesteads
After the post a couple of weeks ago about the National Park Service’s proposal to demolish half of the Tupelo Homesteads Historic District, I thought we needed more context about the homesteads, which were a 1930s program that attempted to… Read More ›
MissPres News Roundup 7-8-2019
My last news roundup was a somewhat cursory one. This time, I am going to try and cover what fell through the cracks in June and what has happened in the past two weeks. And let me tell you that… 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 ›
MissPres News Roundup 6-25-2019
It has been some time since there has been a News Roundup on Preservation in Mississippi (links to select news stories are on the site’s Twitter feed). But, like trees falling in a forest, preservation news happens even if we… 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.
HABS in Mississippi: Jack Boucher, photographer
The HABS photographers assiduously remained out of their own photos of the nation’s historic buildings, so recently when I was trawling around newspapers.com (I’m not addicted. I can stop whenever I feel like it) I was happy to find a… Read More ›
Mississippi Landmark Public Notices: June 2019
Here are the public notices on the MDAH website related to Mississippi Landmarks. I’ve taken the liberty of adding Google streetview so we can all see which building is under consideration for designation (or under consideration for de-designation, as the… Read More ›
Friends of Kebyar Journal Issue about Bruce Goff’s Gutman House is Available Now
Many Mississippians like golf, but here at Preservation in Mississippi, we like Goff. That is Bruce Goff for the uninitiated. On the site, we have written about Goff’s Mississippi houses, Goff’s colleagues, Goff’s disciples, and Goff’s critics. The fact that… Read More ›
Who Designed Biloxi’s Peoples Bank?
If you’ve ever been in downtown Biloxi, or even just seen photos of the historic business district, you’ve likely laid eyes on the former Peoples Bank Building. Its iconic turret is used in Biloxi Main Street’s logo. The Romanesque pile,… Read More ›
Mississippi Landmark Public Notices: May 2019
Well, I got behind in checking the public notices on the MDAH website, so this is the May public notice a few days late, but you still have a day or two (although I’m almost certain this wasn’t published online… Read More ›
Mississippi Streets: 1930s Hattiesburg
The angle of this postcard perplexed me, but I found that in the 1935 City Directory, Kirkwood Furniture was at 614 Main, and the 3-story building to the far left is still recognizably there, unlike the rest of its block…. Read More ›
Increasing appreciation of historic resources among the general population: Aberdeen Certified Local Government City
Following up from the last post on the Certified Local Government programs in Mississippi, I will profile the Aberdeen City Hall. In the 2019 awards by the Mississippi Department of Archives & History for CLG projects, Aberdeen was awarded $15,083.35… Read More ›
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.
Listen Up: Journey to a Downtown Turnaround
On June 6-7, 2019, the Mississippi Heritage Trust will host the Listen Up! Historic Preservation Conference in Grenada, presented by BankPlus. Using the amazing downtown renaissance that is happening in this historic city, the conference will focus on six essential… Read More ›
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 ›
“The Finest Cast Iron Facade in Natchez”
100 Main Street, Natchez, did not always look like this. Fortunately for Mississippi, Natchez seems to have done well in the preservation department, and Natchez boasts the highest number of Mesker facades in the state. Is this one of them? … Read More ›
Mississippi Streets: 1940s Tupelo
The same view today: Other Mississippi Streets . . .
MDAH announces CLG grants for 2019
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has awarded grants totaling more than $78,000 to nine preservation projects in Certified Local Government (CLG) communities across the state.
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 ›
Preservation in Mississippi 