At its regular meeting on Jan. 22, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Board of Trustees awarded more than $3 million on behalf of the Community Heritage Preservation Grant Program to eighteen conservation and restoration projects across the state. The Community Heritage Preservation Grant program, authorized and funded by the Mississippi Legislature, helps preserve and restore historic courthouses and schools in certified local government communities and other historic properties.
“The legislature has saved hundreds of important properties in Mississippi through this program,” said MDAH Director Katie Blount. “The Department of Archives and History is grateful for the legislature’s support and is pleased to help preserve these local treasures.”
The awards are as follows:
maroon, Natchez, Adams County-$234,192
Porch Columns, Billiard Room and Restoration of Duncan Pavilion
Alcorn County Courthouse, Corinth, Alcorn County- $150,000
Courtroom and interior restoration
Carrollton Water Tower, Carrollton, Carroll County- $47,784
paint over
Chickasaw County Courthouse, Houston, Chickasaw County-$214,690
Replace window
Saenger Theater, Hattiesburg, Forrest County- $250,000
Interior restoration
Holmes County Courthouse, Lexington, Holmes County-$276.630
Restoration of the courtroom on the second floor; re-join masonry
Fulton Grammar School, Fulton, Itawamba County- $93,860
Roof repairs
Jefferson Davis County Courthouse, Prentiss, Jefferson Davis County- $220,800
Roof repairs
Madison County Prison (Old), Canton, Madison-$54,456
Roof and interior repairs
Columbia Waterworks, Columbia, Marion County-$274,027
ADA toilets; HVAC & electrical installation, interior paint
Booker T. Washington School, Philadelphia, Neshoba County- $115, 200
Repair of gym floor and grandstand
Noxubee County Library, Macon, Noxubee County- $80,000
roof restoration; masonry and plaster repairs
McCormick administration building, Senatobia, Tate County- $264,000
Exterior and window restoration; masonry repairs
Bowmar . Primary School, Vicksburg, Warren County-$245,395
Exterior repairs
Warren County Courthouse, Vicksburg, Warren County- $100,000
General on-site drainage repairs; masonry wall stabilization
Edna M. Scott Elementary, Leland, Washington County-$167,920
Exterior repairs; masonry wall stabilization
Wilkinson County Courthouse, Woodville, Wilkinson County- $168,000
Stabilization of the bell tower
Yalobusha County Courthouse, Water Valley, Yalobusha County- $191,275
window restoration
Grant awards are made on a repayable basis upon successful completion of the entire project or upon completion of predefined project phases. Prior to application, all buildings must be designated as Mississippi Landmarks. Only state or municipal governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations that have been granted Section 501(c)(3) tax exemption by the Internal Revenue Service may submit applications.
To become a certified local government, a community must pass a preservation ordinance that establishes a preservation commission in accordance with federal and state guidelines. Once the commission is established, an application for CLG status can be submitted to the National Park Service through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. MDAH works closely with local government officials and citizens to help them establish and manage a workable local monument conservation program. For more information about the CLG program, contact Meredith Massey in MDAH’s Historic Preservation Division, at 601-576-6538.