The National Park Service oversees the National Register of Historic Places, the most popular tool nationally for recognizing historic properties. According to the NPS:

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

Seventeen of Mississippi’s historic places were listed on the National Register in 2012, evenly divided between individual buildings and larger historic districts. Some of these listings have been covered in various News Roundups throughout the year, but I always like to have a nice neat list at the end of the year to give a better overview of what’s going on around the state.

As in the past, we’re breaking our National Register of Historic Places listings for 2012 into two separate posts to avoid piling on and to allow you time to read through the summaries and ponder.

Also as in previous years, Bill Gatlin, architectural historian and National Register coordinator at MDAH, has provided the following summaries, and all photos are courtesy MDAH.

For previous years’ National Register summaries:

• 2009 Part 1
• 2009 Part 2
• 2010, Part 1
• 2010, Part 2
• 2011, Part 1
• 2011, Part 2

Doe’s Eat Place, Greenville, Washington County

Tracing its business roots to a neighborhood grocery, Doe’s Eat Place has established an international reputation for giant steaks and tamales. Dominick, known as “Big Doe,” began serving food out of the front room of the family store in the 1930s. In 1941, he acquired a tamale recipe from a coworker at the Greenville Army Air Field, which his wife, Mamie, tinkered with to create a treat that has garnered Doe’s a place on the Tamale Trail created by the Southern Foodways Alliance. Although first known for its tamales, the giant steaks Doe began serving in the 1940s. Doe’s remains in the same location, north of downtown Greenville, in the same residential building where Papa Doe started his grocery business in 1903. Although it has expanded, the building retains much of its historic appeal. Doe’s was recognized by the James Beard Foundation as American Classic in 2007. Walley Morse, Secretary of the Joint Greenville-Washington County Historic Preservation Commission, and Bill Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian, wrote the nomination. Doe’s Eat Place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 27, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/100754.pdf

Armitage Herschell Carousel, Greenville, Washington County

The Armitage Herschell Carousel located in the Gymnasium of the old E.E. Bass Junior High School was built in 1890 and brought to Greenville by local business Eli Franklin Wineman in 1901. Wineman rented the carousel to local communities until he began operating it in his yard at the corner of Broadway and Deason Street. He later moved it to the corner of Percy and Delesseps Street where he operated it until 1934. Due to failing health, Wineman sold the carousel to an employee, Harry Crockett. Crockett, an African-American entrepreneur moved the carousel to Walthall Street, where it remained until 1954. Crockett’s family sold the carousel to the Junior Woman’s League of Greenville in 1954, and they moved it to Fairyland Park. By 1988, time and exposure to the elements had taken a toll on the wood horses and sleighs. Restoration began in 1991 and was finally completed by the Delta Children’s Museum and the refurbished carousel was opened to the public in February 2007. The Armitage Herschell Carousel and the Dentzel Carousel in Meridian, Lauderdale County are the only carousels permanently operating in Mississippi. Walley Morse, Secretary of the Joint Greenville-Washington County Historic Preservation Commission, and Bill Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian, wrote the nomination. The Armitage Herschell Carousel was listed on March 27, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/29598.pdf

Municipal Art Gallery, Jackson, Hinds County

The Municipal Art Gallery has served Jackson as a community art gallery since 1926. The building was constructed as a residence by John Ligon in c. 1869. Ligon operated a dry goods business. The Ligon heirs sold the property to Anna Sue Gale in 1897. The Gales lived in the house until 1924, and probably added the Classical Revival porch that graces the building today. The house was bequeathed to the Children’s Home Society in 1924, with a provision the property would pass to the City of Jackson which could not convey the property for private use. The Mississippi Art Association, organized in 1911, began using the Logon-Gale House for exhibitions. Many of Jackson’s best known artists, including William Hollingsworth, Karl Wolfe and Eudora Welty exhibited their works there. The City of Jackson continues to operate the Municipal Art Gallery, with eight exhibits a year. In addition, some twenty-eight cultural organizations have met in the building. Barry White, a Mississippi State University graduate student, wrote the nomination. The Municipal Art Gallery was listed on March 27, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/11957.pdf

Springhill Cemetery, Hernando, DeSoto County

The Springhill Cemetery was established with founding of DeSoto County and its seat, Jefferson, now known as Hernando, the territory newly acquired from the Chickasaw Cession. The cemetery was the public burial ground for residents of Hernando, free and slave, until local churches and social organizations established their own cemeteries. The Springhill Cemetery is the only resource remaining from the settlement era. Due to its long use, the markers found in Springhill Cemetery illustrate the popular styles and customs of funeral art over many years. David Preziosi, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, wrote the nomination. The Springhill Cemetery was listed on July 25, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/6167.pdf

Old Pascagoula High School (Amendment), Pascagoula, Jackson County

The Old Pascagoula High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The nomination was amended to increase the Period of Significance and add additional Areas of Significance. The primary intent was to recognize the historic and architectural significance of additional buildings on the campus, including the Vocational Buildings A and B, the Math and Science Building and the Band Hall. The buildings reflect the need for expanded space as the population of Pascagoula grew in the 1950s and 1960s. The additional buildings were all designed by architect Claude Lindsley and ideals of mid-century Modern design. The nomination was written by consultant Chris Chain and MDAH architectural historian William Gatlin. The Old Pascagoula High School (Amendment) was listed on July 15, 2012.

The National Register nomination can be viewed at https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/35182.pdf

Gautier School, Gautier, Jackson County

The Gautier School, built in 1940 with additions in 1962, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for local significance under Criterion A for association with Education. The Gautier School has served the Gautier community as a public school since 1940. It replaced an earlier building which was physically outdated and located on an inconvenient site. Local voters supported a bond issue to fund the new school. Gautier School is also locally significant under Criterion C for association with Architecture as a local example of the Streamline Moderne style of architecture. James Warren McCleskey, Jr., a Hattiesburg architect designed the 1940 building. When the population growth in Gautier required expansion of the facility, the school board retained C. H. Linsley, who designed a modern addition to the building and two four-classroom freestanding buildings. The Gautier School continued to serve the Gautier community as a school. Leonard Fuller, chairman of the Gautier Historic Preservation Commission, an alumnus and former principal, wrote the nomination. The Gautier School was listed on the National Register on November 14, 2012.

The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/14657.pdf

Heathman Plantation Commissary, Indianola vicinity, Sunflower County

The Heathman Plantation Commissary is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for association with Agriculture, Commerce, Health/Medicine, Ethnic Heritage: Black and Politics/Government. The commissary is a well preserved example of a Mississippi Delta cotton plantation commissary which supported the widespread practice of sharecropping in the first half of the 20th century. The building also housed a rural post office and voting precinct. The Heathman Plantation Commissary remains one of the state’s finest examples of a New South era plantation commissary. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History historic resource inventory files contain thirty-three known or attributed commissary buildings, with the vast majority located in Mississippi Delta counties. Many of these buildings are simple frame structures with gable roofs built between c.1900 and the 1920s. The Heathman Plantation Commissary, built in 1911, is two-story building of constructed of masonry materials. Mrs. Lois Robertson, owner of Heathman Plantation, and William Gatlin, MDAH architectural historian, wrote the nomination. The Heathman Plantation Commissary was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 2012.

The nomination can be viewed at: https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/26166.pdf

Categories: Cool Old Places, Gautier, Greenville, Hernando, Historic Preservation, Jackson, Moss Point, Pascagoula