PEARL RIVER
BAY ST. LOUIS
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through the Mississippi Gulf Coast, leaving a landscape of destruction. Yet the landscape of memory remains. Your grandmother’s house. The neighborhood where you learned to ride your bike. The church where you were married. People who love the coast long to talk about what makes this place so special to them. Many of the charming summer cottages and stately beach front homes that defined the coast are gone, only photographs and memories remain since that endless wet day in August 2005. Other treasured places, so badly damaged in the storm, have been saved through the heroic efforts of the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Ten years later, we celebrate hard-won preservation victories.
GULFPORT
PASS CHRISTIAN
PEARL RIVER 1 |
Shaw Homestead 1214 Barth Road Poplarville/Barth
BAY ST. LOUIS 2|
Valena C. Jones Center Boys & Girls Club 310 Old Spanish Trail
3 | 100
Men Hall
303 Union Street 4|
Bay St. Louis Little Theatre 398 Blaize Avenue
PASS CHRISTIAN 5 | Randolph School 315 Clark Avenue
GULFPORT 6 | Rectitude Lodge 1905 32nd Avenue 7 | Centennial Plaza 200 E. Beach Boulevard 8 | Lynn
Meadows Discovery Center 246 Dolan Avenue
BILOXI OCEAN SPRINGS
GAUTIER PASCAGOULA
PRESERVATION TRAIL
PARTICIPANTS BILOXI
OCEAN SPRINGS
9 | Biloxi Cemetery 1166 Irish Hill Drive
17 | Walter Anderson 102 Shearwater Drive
10 | Biloxi Lighthouse 1050 Beach Boulevard
18 | Charnley Norwood 509 Shearwater Drive
11 | Saenger Theatre 170 Reynoir Street
19 | 12 Oaks 1112 Hanley Road
Hotel Mardi Gras Museum
PASCAGOULA Cottage House
GAUTIER
119 Rue Magnolia
14 | Old Brick House 622 Bayview Avenue 15 | Biloxi Schooners 367 Beach Boulevard (Schooner Pier) 16 | Saint Michael’s 177 1st Street
Church
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West Pascagoula Colored School 902 De La Pointe Drive
Lighthouse
Mississippi Maritime Museum, Old Pascagoula High 611 Dupont Avenue
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12 | Magnolia
13 | Mary Mahoney’s 110 Rue Magnolia
21 | Round Island Laurel Avenue
LaPointe-Krebs House 4602 Fort Street
Dedicated to the memory of
Mary Helen Schaeffer dear friend and staunch preservationist
SHAW HOMESTEAD
1214 Barth Road • Poplarville/Barth, Mississippi • Built early 1880’s Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/shaw-homestead
The Shaw Homestead, which was owned by the Shaw family for 120 years, is a remarkably intact historic site comprised of a dog trot log cabin with a detached kitchen and several supporting outbuildings. The Shaw family settled here in 1885 and made a living harvesting timber, farming and raising sheep. After members of the Shaw family evacuated during Hurricane Camille in 1969, the house remained vacant, a time capsule of Mississippi history waiting to be rediscovered.
When the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain acquired the Shaw Homestead from the Shaw family in 2006, the structures were in poor condition, having suffered from years of neglect and Hurricane Katrina. With $117,000 in funding from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Katrina Relief grant program, the Land Trust, working with architect Allison Anderson of Unabridged Architecture, Bay View Construction and Legendary Restoration, restored the main
house, including replacing the roof and stabilizing the foundation with cedar piers made from cedar trees that had fallen in Hurricane Katrina. The detached kitchen, smoke house, jar house and crib were also restored, helping to tell the story of pioneer life in frontier Mississippi. The Shaw Homestead is currently open for special events and by reservation. To learn more about this remarkable historic resource, visit www.ltmcp.org.
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VALENA C. JONES BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
310 Old Spanish Trail • Bay St. Louis, Mississippi • Established late 1800’s Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/boys-and-girls
The Valena C. Jones Colored School was established in Bay St. Louis in the late 1800’s. The Hurricane of 1947 destroyed the school, but it was rebuilt and became a hub of the black community. The main building was designed by architect Milton B. E. Hill from Gulfport and was constructed in 1947. An addition with classrooms, dining hall, and gymnasium with an iconic barrel vaulted roof, was added in 1953. The vocational shop buildings were added in 1956, completing the campus. 2
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Desegregation came in 1969 and the building served as an elementary school until 1972. The City of Bay St. Louis then used the building for a senior center and police and fire departments. Located along a coastal ridge, the building received very little flooding during Hurricane Katrina and was used as the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center until 2009, when restoration efforts to convert the school into a Boys and Girls Club began. Restoration work included manufacturing steel windows to match the historic fabric of the building, reinforcing masonry
walls and replacing the curved roof of the gymnasium. Completed in 2010, the Valena C. Jones Boys and Girls Club now hosts over 300 students with summer and afterschool programs. To learn about the good work of the Boys and Girls Club of the Gulf Coast, please visit www.bgcgulfcoast.org.
100 MEN HALL
303 Union Street • Bay St. Louis, Mississippi • Built 1922 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/100-men-club
The One Hundred Men Debating Benevolent Association, a group of African American residents from Bay St. Louis, constructed an open-air, screened meeting hall in 1922 to “give entertainments for the purpose of replenishing the treasury.” The “pavilion” (as it was called by local residents) was later enclosed, becoming the center of the Bay St. Louis African American social scene, hosting plays, pageants, wedding receptions and dances. Severely damaged in Hurricane Katrina, the rescue and restoration of 100 Men Hall
was taken on by Jesse and Kerrie Loya. Jesse did much of the restoration work himself, using lumber salvaged from the storm. The hard work paid off when 100 Men DBA Hall was officially inducted into the Mississippi Blues Trail and adorned with a marker. The celebration was heavily attended and boasted notable guests including Deacon John Moore, who lovingly reflected on his memories of the hall and its spirit. Today, the 100 Men Hall is operated by a non-profit organization and continues to entertain its Bay St. Louis neighbors as a live blues venue, welcoming guests
to events of all kinds. Support the 100 Men DBA Hall by purchasing a personalized folding chair or the newly released Live at 100 Men Hall LP at www.100menhall.org.
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BAY ST. LOUIS LITTLE THEATRE
398 Blaize Avenue • Bay St. Louis, Mississippi • Built 1929 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/bsl-little-theatre
The Bay Saint Louis Little Theatre was built in 1929 by Mayor John Scafide as a store and residence in the Depot District. It was constructed of rusticated concrete block, personally cast by Scafide. Over the years the building has had a number of uses, including boarding house, apartments and various businesses, each leaving its mark on the original structure. In 1965 the big yellow block building became the fictional Starr Boarding House, 4
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centerpiece of the movie “This Property is Condemned”. Based on a Tennessee Williams play, the film starred Natalie Wood, along with newcomers Robert Redford, Charles Bronson and Robert Blake. Many locals worked on the film, an exciting time in the history of Bay St Louis that is still remembered fondly by many townspeople. From that time forward the property has been called the “This Property is Condemned” building. Hurricane Katrina almost made this nickname a reality. Neglected over the years, the building was already in poor condition when the storm
hit in 2005, causing further damage. Established in 1946, the original Bay Saint Louis Little Theatre was lost in Hurricane Katrina. With funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, along with strong support from the local community, the organization was able to purchase the “This Property is Condemned” building in 2008 and restore it to become their new home. To purchase an engraved brick to help with restoration efforts and see upcoming performances, please visit www.bsllt.org.
RANDOLPH SCHOOL
315 Clark Avenue • Pass Christian, Mississippi • Built 1928 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/randolph-school
Originally called the Pass Christian Colored School, the Randolph School was built in 1928 as the elementary and high school for the city’s African-American students. In 1939 the school was named for John William Randolph, principal of Pass Christian’s public school for African-Americans from 1891 until his death in 1927. Construction was financed, in part, by the Rural School Building Program of the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The Roster for Rural Schools, State of Mississippi 1927-2 states that the school cost $24,000 to construct. Of those funds, “Negroes contributed $2,000;
Whites, $600; the County, $20,000; and the Rosenwald Fund paid $1,400”. The Mississippi Report on Rosenwald Schools 1934 noted that the school had seven teachers. After Hurricane Katrina, the future of the Randolph School seemed dim. After surveying the roof damage, flooded rooms and collapsed wall sections, alumni thought their beloved alma mater was beyond rescue. But small Pass Christian, with so many rebuilding challenges ahead, was not deterred. Along with its partners, including the Mississippi Heritage Trust, Mississippi Department of Archives and
History, National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, Knight Ritter Foundation, South Mississippi Planning and Development District, Unites States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the city re-opened the restored Randolph School in February 2013 to tears and applause to serve as a gathering spot and senior citizen center. SAVE MY PLACE MISSISSIPPI
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RECTITUDE LODGE
1905 32nd Avenue • Gulfport, Mississippi • Built 1870 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/rectitude-masonic-lodge
Constructed to serve as a Lodge for the Fraternal Order of Freemasons, this wood frame building was constructed circa 1870 at a site near the coastline in Gulfport. The building was relocated to its present site circa 1910 and has been occupied by the Rectitude Lodge Number 323 since that time. The winds of Hurricane Katrina struck the building broadside, causing pronounced racking of the primary framework. After the storm, the building leaned about 20 degrees out of 6
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plumb. Structural connections were stressed and water poured in from the damaged roof. The building was in a precarious position and constituted a threat to public health and safety. “We got good news one day before we were getting ready to tear our building down,” said Past Master Joel Birdsong. “It needed to be torn down because it was getting ready to fall on a neighbor’s home. So we were real close but God is good.” The Mississippi Heritage Trust, with help from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, orchestrated an emergency effort to
stabilize the structure. After stabilization, the lodge was awarded additional grants from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the National Park Service. The restoration effort included new windows and doors, roof repairs, siding and floor replacement. MHT’s Good Neighbor Paint Program stepped in with a donation of paint from Valspar and the lodge slowly came back to life. “It really shows you that a community that stands together will work together,” Jamel Lane, Worship Master. On Saturday, February 9, 2013, the building was rededicated into service.
CENTENNIAL PLAZA
200 E. Beach Boulevard • Gulfport, Mississippi • Built 1923-1946 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/centennial-plaza-old-veterans-hospital
Shaded by hundreds of beautiful Live Oaks, this 92 acre beachfront property was deemed the ideal place to celebrate Mississippi’s 100th birthday celebration in 1917, but with the advent of World War I, the property was given to the federal government for the purpose of military training. It later became the Veterans Administration Medical Center – Gulfport Division. The first structure on the campus was erected in 1923. The campus sustained massive damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, necessitating the facility’s closing and ultimate transfer of its services to
the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi. During the site clean-up after the storm, a number of buildings were demolished. The historic administrative and health care buildings, including the nurse’s quarters and the chapel, still stand, a testament to their sturdy construction and the determination of former Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr to save as many of the historic structures of Centennial Plaza as possible. The City of Gulfport and the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission are working with developers to
restore the property to become a festival marketplace neighborhood, with a Holiday Inn Resort, shops, restaurants, offices and apartments. A key element to the redevelopment of Centennial Plaza is federal and state historic preservation tax credits. Once so close to being lost forever, the future is now bright for this lovely place.
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Located in the 1915 Mississippi City Elementary School, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center offers 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, six acres of outdoor play space, a spacious theatre and a Viking teaching kitchen to engage young people in learning in a fun, creative way. With initial funding in 1991 from Gulfport Junior Auxiliary, co-founders Rose Alman and Carole Lynn Meadows led the community effort to make the dream of a children’s museum a reality. In May 1998, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center opened its doors. Lynn Meadows Discovery Center stood strong among the old live oaks during Hurricane Katrina, but the storm surge reduced the entire first floor of exhibits to rubble. The education building was destroyed, the pavilion was left a shell and the gymnasium was flooded. In those dark days after the storm, Lynn Meadows served the community as a place to gather and reconnect. Volunteers helped to remove the rubble, and, after much hard work, the museum reopened on June 6, 2006. To learn more about Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, please visit www.lmdc.org.
LYNN MEADOWS DISCOVERY CENTER
246 Dolan Avenue • Gulfport, Mississippi • Built 1915 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/lynn-meadows
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BILOXI CEMETERY
1166 Irish Hill Drive • Biloxi, Mississippi • Established early 1800’s Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/biloxi-cemetery
A walk through the Biloxi Cemetery is a walk back in time. With gravestones dating to the early 1800s, the cemetery is the last resting place of many of the founders of Biloxi and includes the graves of artist George Ohr and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Charles Albert Bessey. When Hurricane Katrina washed ashore, the once peaceful cemetery was battered, with above-ground tombs open to the elements and grave mark-
ers scattered throughout the area. The City of Biloxi hired Reynolds Monument Company to complete a $300,000 restoration project to repair 10 tombs, 200 headstones and the brick and wrought iron fence. Contractor Don Reynolds likened the project to putting together a puzzle. The City of Biloxi regularly hosts a cemetery tour in the fall, with re-enactors telling the story of Biloxi’s past through the voices of those buried in this
historic place. To view before and after photographs of the restoration, please visit www.biloxi.ms.us/ photosvideos/2007-cemetery/nggallery/ slideshow.
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The Biloxi Lighthouse’s sturdy construction has withstood over 20 hurricanes, continuing to serve as a beacon of hope to coastal residents. Erected in 1848 as a guiding light for those at sea, it has been widely regarded as a symbol of resilience and community. The subject of automobile license plates, countless postcards and paintings, it evokes thoughts of hot summer days and long walks along the beach. After every storm, the strength and presence of the Biloxi Lighthouse calls residents to return and rebuild. The tower was constructed of cast iron and strengthened with an inner lining of brick. Light from the fifth order Fresnel lens can be seen as far as 13 nautical miles on a clear night. Between 1848 and 1939, the lighthouse was tended by six keepers, three of whom were remarkable women, starting with Mary Ann Reynolds from 1854 to 1866. Maria Younghans took over the responsibilities after the death of her husband in 1867 and was followed by her daughter, Miranda, who served from 1920 to 1929. The lighthouse has provided navigation for steamboats transporting passengers, freight and mail from New Orleans to Mobile as well as lumber barges, oyster schooners, shrimpers and pleasure boaters. During Hurricane Katrina, waters rose to cover over a third of the it’s height. The interior suffered structural damage as numerous bricks broke loose from the onslaught. Many of the cupola windows were broken and the electrical system destroyed. After a $400,000 restoration, the City of Biloxi reopened its jewel for tours in March 2010.
BILOXI LIGHTHOUSE
1050 Beach Boulevard • Biloxi, Mississippi • Built 1848 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/biloxi-lighthouse 10
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Constructed in 1929, the Saenger Theatre opened with the showing of “Interference”, Paramount’s first all-talking movie. Purchased by the City of Biloxi in 1975, the theatre is home to many performing arts groups on the coast. Each May, hundreds of tiny dancers grace the grand stage for recitals. The theatre had recently undergone an extensive $3 million dollar restoration, which included restoring the vertical neon sign and original ceiling and installing new seating and carpet, when Hurricane Katrina hit, damaging the roof and wrecking the newly completed faux finish paintwork in the auditorium. Water infiltration continues to take its toll on the building, with a current restoration estimate of $500,000 to stop the leaks and restore the plaster and paintwork.
SAENGER THEATRE
170 Reynoir Street • Biloxi, Mississippi • Built 1929 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/saenger-theatre SAVE MY PLACE MISSISSIPPI
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Built in 1847, the Magnolia Hotel is the last of the Gulf Coast’s antebellum inns that once welcomed visitors fleeing the sweltering summers in New Orleans. Restored by the City of Biloxi in the 1970s, the Magnolia Hotel was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. After an extensive restoration, the building reopened in 2014 as the Mardi Gras Museum, telling the colorful story of the coast’s Fat Tuesday celebrations.
MAGNOLIA HOTEL MARDI GRAS MUSEUM
119 Rue Magnolia • Biloxi, Mississippi • Built 1847 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/magnolia-hotel
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MARY MAHONEY’S
110 Rue Magnolia • Biloxi, Mississippi • Built circa 1850 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/mary-mahoneys
Mary Mahoney’s opened its first location in nearby Tivoli Hotel, later moving to a historic house on Rue Magnolia in 1963 and has been a beloved Biloxi landmark since. Mary passed away in 1985, but not before serving her specialty, “The Presidential Platter” on the White House lawn for President Ronald Regan. Under Mary and her son Bobby’s stewardship, the restaurant thrived, surviving many storms and even Hurricane Camille in 1969. The family thought this storm was the worst, but in 2005, Hurricane Katrina dealt a devastating blow. Bobby stood on the second
floor watching the storm waters, his hand pressed against a bulging window, willing it not to break. It did, throwing him across the room. They considered a trip to the hospital but it, too, was under water. Duct tape was ultimately chosen to bandage his wounds. Following the storm, Bobby spray-painted a message on the wall for patrons, “We’ll Be Back!”, which soon changed to “We Are Back!”, as the restaurant reopened in a remarkable 55 days to welcome back survivors and the many volunteers who came to help. In those dark days, Mary Mahoney’s was a
sanctuary, a place to reconnect with friends and neighbors and swap storm stories. Today the restaurant’s website proudly displays photos and notes from celebrities and dignitaries, including President John F. Kennedy, Paul Newman, Tennessee Williams, Gloria Vanderbilt and President Jimmy Carter, who have enjoyed Mahoney’s delicious coast seafood and legendary hospitality.
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One of Biloxi’s oldest surviving structures, the Rodgers House, also known as “Old Brick House,” dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Combining French Colonial, American and Spanish features, the Old Brick House is a rare example of the earliest settlement of Biloxi. Land records indicate that Jean Baptiste Carquote received the property from the Spanish in 1784. The property was later sold to William Rodgers of New Orleans in 1843. When Rodgers died in 1850, he had left instructions that the property be sold to benefit the boy’s asylum in New Orleans. Until 1872, the house was owned by Mayor and Sherriff John L. Henley, who, with “Henley’s Invincible’s,” led the defense against the Union fleet in 1861. The house was used for a variety of uses over the years, including a time as a popular reception venue, when at last, derelict and unloved, it became the property of the City of Biloxi. In 1952 the building was leased as a meeting place for the city’s garden clubs, whose members faithfully raised funds to restore the building. When Hurricane Katrina flooded the house with over seven feet of water, its future was uncertain. The front porch facing Back Bay had collapsed. The brick wall facing Bayview Avenue suffered massive damage. Finding replacement bricks posed a particular challenge for preservationists. Originally built using soft hand-packed bricks, the introduction of modern, heavier bricks would have crushed the original bricks. Preservationists were undaunted and in April 2011, the restored house was reopened to the public.
OLD BRICK HOUSE
622 Bayview Avenue • Biloxi, Mississippi • Built circa 1850 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/old-brick-house 14
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BILOXI SCHOONERS
367 Beach Boulevard (Schooner Pier) • Biloxi, Mississippi Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/biloxi-schooners
At the opening of the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum in 1986, a program was launched to construct two replicated 65’ Biloxi schooners to be used as educational tools, goodwill ambassadors, and to revive the once nationally famous Biloxi schooner races. In 1989 the “Glenn L. Swetman” built by William Holland was launched and in 1994 the second two-masted schooner “Mike Sekul” built by Neil Covacevich was launched. These schooners charter seven days a week along the MS Gulf Coast. When seen on the horizon, it is like taking a step back in time with the “White Winged Queens”
sailing again. To escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, the schooners were moored up the Tchoutacabouffa River. The boats were anchored with hurricane lines tied to large pine trees. Five other small boats that had been donated to the museum were also evacuated. Of these seven boats, only the schooners and one smaller boat weathered the storm. Back on the coast, the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, housed in the former United States Coast Guard Barracks, had been destroyed. It was a beautiful sight when both schoo-
ners sailed into the Gulf for everyone to see that they had survived. They sailed all the way to the Biloxi Lighthouse and back to the Point Cadet Marina, where two slips had been salvaged for them. The Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum began running trips starting October 1, 2005, providing income to sustain the museum in the hard days following the storm. Learn more about the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum and the White Winged Queens at www.maritimemuseum.org. SAVE MY PLACE MISSISSIPPI
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Established as a mission in 1907, St. Michael Parish Catholic Church became widely known as the “The Church of the Fishermen”, ministering to the many Catholic seafood workers who settled Point Cadet. In 1964 the parish built its iconic waterfront structure, a “one-of-a-kind structure of architectural brilliance.” A cylindrical march of intricate stained glass around the entire perimeter depicts figures of the twelve apostles gathering after their catch, the effect is absolutely transcendent. The main altar, composed of two and a half tons of marble quarried in the Holy Land, provides a lovely, uncluttered backdrop for the bronzed crucifix hanging above it from the soaring ceilings. The roof is a scalloped shell which further emphasizes its maritime mission. St. Michael had weathered Hurricane Camille in 1969 but the 28-foot tidal surge that came with Hurricane Katrina was unprecedented. As waters rushed through the gaping windows, the church was washed of its contents, leaving behind only piles of debris and destruction. But the building itself remained, as did the upper portions of its tranquil stained glass. In the wake of the storm, the people of St. Michael banded together to raise money to restore their beloved church. With funds from the Mississippi Heritage Trust-Sun Herald Preservation Fund and a variety of community events, they were able to put together the puzzle, one stained glass piece at a time. In January 2013, St. Michael reconsecrated its church in celebration of the long journey to reconstruct its beauty and timelessness.
ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH
177 1st Street • Biloxi, Mississippi • Built 1964 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/old-brick-house 16
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WALTER ANDERSON COTTAGE
102 Shearwater Drive • Ocean Springs, Mississippi • Built 1850 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/walter-anderson-cottage
Walter Inglis Anderson, the American artist, painter, writer and naturalist, was consumed with nature’s integration into the life of man. Frequent solitary trips to Horn Island during his life brought extended exposure to the elements that included Walter’s legendary act of tying himself to a tree while the island was battered by a hurricane. This passion for nature was beautifully captured in his hundreds of paintings, sketches, manuscripts and carvings. For many years, this one story frame Greek Revival cottage was Anderson’s home and workshop. Inside the cottage, he painted a mu-
ral on the walls and ceilings of a bedroom called “Creation at Sunrise,” which was later removed from the cottage and installed at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Murals of bright green pastures with curious cows reminiscent of his trips to Texas overlook the tub in the cottage’s modest bath. Anderson’s modifications to the cottage include built-in furniture and shelving. Floodwater from Hurricane Katrina floated the cottage approximately six feet from its foundation, ripping away the fireplace, with its glazed brick hummingbird pattern created by Anderson. Immediately after the storm, the Mis-
sissippi Heritage Trust, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, World Monuments Fund and Johnson and Johnson, worked to stabilize the cottage, raising the house back to its previous level and repairing the foundation piers. The cottage was later fully restored with funding from the MDAH Katrina Recovery Grant Program.
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CHARNLEY NORWOOD HOUSE
509 Shearwater Drive • Ocean Springs, Mississippi • Built 1890 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/charnley-norwood-house
A watershed in American residential architecture, the Charnley-Norwood House was constructed in 1890 and designed by international acclaimed architect Louis Sullivan and his young journeyman draftsman Frank Lloyd Wright. Severely damaged in Hurricane Katrina, the house came within inches of being hauled to the dump. A collaborative partnership between the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi
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Department of Marine Resources funded the $2.3 million dollar acquisition and restoration of this modern architectural masterpiece. Under the supervision of Albert and Associates, Architects and the staff of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Gulf Coast Field Office, the house was meticulously restored by contractor J.O. Collins.
12 OAKS
1112 Hanley Road • Ocean Springs, Mississippi Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/12-oaks
Named for the many large Live Oaks that surround the house, Twelve Oaks sits on 30 acres overlooking Old Fort Bayou. The property was purchased from the U.S. Government in 1854 by the James family. In 1880, Leannah James sold the property for $5.00 to Johanna Smith-Blount, one of her former slaves. Four years later, Mrs. Blount sold a four acre parcel of the property to the African Methodist Episcopal Church for use as a campground. As stated in newspaper accounts from the period, the campground was a popular site for meetings and revivals. In August 1884,
the Pascagoula Democrat Star announced “that a colored Methodist camp meeting would begin September 12th at the Blount place near Colonel Gill’s property”. The Reverend Mr. Smith, pastor in charge, expected distinguished ministers from New Orleans to attend the session. It was reported in a local journal that “the new Methodist Episcopal Church North, a colored church, was erected for $1,000 in February 1898”. Local lore states that baptisms were performed in Old Fort Bayou. Trustees of the church sold the property in 1911.
With financial support from numerous organizations, the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain acquired the property for conservation in 2005. Trails leading to Old Fort Bayou are maintained by volunteers and birders who regularly visit 12 Oaks. Damaged in Hurricane Katrina, the building has been restored and is now used an artist retreat. To learn more about the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain and their mission, please visit www.ltmcp.org. SAVE MY PLACE MISSISSIPPI
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WEST PASCAGOULA COLORED SCHOOL
902 De La Pointe Drive • Gautier, Mississippi • Built 1921 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/colored-school
With $200 in funding from the Jackson County Board of Supervisors and $500 raised by the community, the West Pascagoula Colored School was constructed in 1921 in the West Indies style of architecture. Ms. Ernestine Fountain taught approximately 22 students each year in this one room school house, which was heated by pot-belly stove.
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The school closed in 1946 and the building was used as a community center, senior citizen center and voting precinct. Situated in a city park, the building sat vacant for over thirty years after being acquired by the City of Gautier in the 1980s. Listed as one of Mississippi’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2013, the City of Gautier and the Gautier
Historic and Preservation Commission are currently raising funds to restore the building for use as a local history museum. To make a contribution to the Gautier Pride Schoolhouse Project, please visit www. gautier-ms.gov/news/the-gautier-historicschoolhouse-cultural-museum-project-14614/.
When the Round Lighthouse was constructed in 1859 off the coast of Pascagoula, it served as a symbol of strength and a beacon of navigation for sailors. Following damage by Hurricanes Georges and Katrina, this once-proud beacon lay in ruins on the sands of rapidly eroding Round Island. The lighthouse was listed as one of Mississippi’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places, while the elected officials and citizens of Pascagoula debated its fate. When the Pascagoula City Council initially voted against relocating the lighthouse to shore for restoration, citizens rallied and successfully lobbied the council to change its decision. The project involved moving the 220-ton masonry structure from the island to a safer location near the foot of the bridge of the Pascagoula River. Under the watchful eye of Compton Engineering, the Round Island Lighthouse has been reconstructed to shine as a beacon of inspiration to preservationists everywhere who daily overcome daunting circumstances to save our architectural heritage.
ROUND ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
Laurel Avenue • Pascagoula, Mississippi • Built 1859 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/round-island-lighthouse SAVE MY PLACE MISSISSIPPI
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MISSISSIPPI MARITIME MUSEUM, OLD PASCAGOULA HIGH
611 Dupont Avenue • Pascagoula, Mississippi • Built 1952 and 1953 Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/old-pascagoula-high-school
Designed by Ocean Springs architect Claude Lindsley in the modern style, the Math and Science Building and the Band Hall of old Pascagoula High School were constructed in 1952 and 1953. Damaged in Hurricane Katrina, the two buildings are currently undergoing an extensive restoration to become the home of the Mississippi Maritime Museum. The first phase of the project will convert the
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Band Hall into an activity center with a large meeting room and work area. Phase Two will include the restoration of the Math and Science Building for exhibit space. To learn more about the restoration efforts and contribute to the museum’s capital campaign, please visit www.msmaritimemuseum.org.
LAPOINTE-KREBS HOUSE
4602 Fort Street • Pascagoula, Mississippi • Built year Explore: www.savemyplacems.com/listing/lapointe-krebs
The LaPointe-Krebs House, also known as the “Old Spanish Fort”, was never a fort at all but rather a one-story, three-room house. It was constructed circa 1750 and is believed to be the oldest standing structure in the Mississippi Valley. Sieur Joseph Simon de la Pointe, a French Canadian admiral in Bienville’s fleet, was commissioned by the French government to build the structure on the shore of Lake Catahoula (later Krebs Lake). The French Colonial, heavy-timber architecture of the structure makes it a curious study of building materials. Oyster-shell concrete, or tabby,
filled the floor and 18-inch thick cypress and cedar walls. Bousillage, a mixture of clay, animal bones, pottery fragments and Spanish moss, was later added between timbers on the west addition of the building. Around 1741, de la Pointe’s daughter, Marie Josepha Simon, married Hugo Ernestus Krebs, of Neumagen, Germany, passing along ownership to the Krebs lineage until 1942. The property was used as a cotton, rice, indigo, and wax myrtle plantation. It is believed that Krebs had invented his own cotton gin using slave power, predating Whitney’s cot-
ton gin by two decades. Fully restored in 1996, the house served as a museum and community gathering place until Hurricane Katrina. Water rushed beneath the floors, stripping away the foundation and demolishing most of the floor and porch structure. The house has been stabilized and restoration work continues under the leadership of Jackson County and the LaPointeKrebs Foundation, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. SAVE MY PLACE MISSISSIPPI
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MISSISSIPPI HERITAGE TRUST P.O. Box 577 • Jackson, MS 39205 (601) 354-0200
www.mississippiheritage.com www.ms10most.com www.savemyplacems.com www.listenupms.com www.lovemsmod.com
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Chateau Blessey Bed & Breakfast, The Peoples Heritage Foundation, & the family of Walter Anderson
Save My Place is a project of the Mississippi Heritage Trust and is funded by the Hurricane Relief Grant Program for Historic Preservation of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives & History. Produced by Webz Advertising.
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MISSISSIPPI HERITAGE TRUST