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photo by Ben Hillyer
The historic pecan factory was torn down in 2007.
Historic preservation sees ups and downs
Published Monday, December 28, 2009
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles looking at the issues that shaped the Miss-Lou in the first decade of the 21st century.
NATCHEZ — Though smokestacks gave way to tourism, it wasn’t a particularly good decade for the topic at the heart of Natchez’s tourism market — historic preservation.
The September 2002 Arlington fire, reportedly caused by an electrical short, destroyed the attic of the antebellum mansion and caused smoke and water damage throughout the then-184-year-old house.
Arlington never recovered, and many of the city’s treasured preservation efforts followed the same path.
This decade saw piece-by-piece destruction of the former First Baptist Church on Main Street and, this year, its demolition.
The historic pecan factory was bulldozed in 2006 on an order of the mayor, despite an attorney general’s stop-work order. The destruction came a year after the city signed a deal with condo developers interested in building on the site.
Discussions and debates over the design of the condos followed. The project was never started.
An existing sign ordinance became unimportant in the eyes of many city leaders, and few of its rules were ever enforced.
The board of aldermen changed height ordinances on downtown businesses and wrote themselves into the process for appeals on preservation commission decisions, angering preservation supporters.
The city had five city planners in 10 years, including three that were fired.
It’s turnover in the planning office that worries Mimi Miller, executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation.
“The strongest communities in the state have the strongest planning departments,” she said. “I look upon strong city planning as economic development. Look at Madison and its rules and regulations and look at where it is today.
“(Madison) is where everyone wants to live, and where everyone wants to live is where business wants to follow.”
But Natchez still has its key elements that will sustain it, Miller said.
“You can’t make a historic town or a scenic view,” she said. “You can make a Disney World, but you can’t make what we have. It will pay its dividends.”
And the decade certainly wasn’t all bad.
The William Johnson House — a part of the Natchez National Historical Park highlighting the life of a freed black man in pre-Civil War Natchez — opened in 2004 and has benefited from being nearby the Natchez Convention Center, National Park Service Superintendent Kathleen Jenkins said.
The same year an exhibit, small as it may be, was put up at the Fork of the Road slave-trading site.
Since that time the Park Service has worked alongside the city to develop future, larger, plans for the site.
In 2007 a newly restored Memorial Hall opened as the new federal courthouse, bringing not only history, but jobs. The decade also saw an influx of outsiders interested in preserving the history of the town.
“As some of the composition of Natchez begins to change we are seeing more people move in from places like the Mississippi coast and California,” Jenkins said. “Those people are coming here because Natchez has the character Natchez has. They are becoming very ardent historic preservationists.”
And a focus on historic preservation is not a cold shoulder to industry, Miller said.
“I don’t think by any sense (tourism) is everything we should have,” Miller said. “I don’t think there is anyone that wants industry more than a community-minded person interested in historic preservation.”
Comments
Posted by unc (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 1:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Historic Natchez Foundation showed their dedication to jobs and business in the Fat Mama's battle . All ot this over a site that had been a railroad yard formore than a century.
Posted by revidyks (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Does any one know the status of the case of the State vs. Natchez Mayor offices?
Posted by joujoudog (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 6:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A good story here is why the condos were never started. It's worth looking into.
Posted by awawaw (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mimi Miller Is one of the main people holding back the Natchez area. Just look at her poor track record. Compared to lets say the same person in Madison Ms.
Posted by NAMVET (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What part of the "BLUE-HAIRED MAFIA" does she play?????
Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank god the condo's were never built and I hope they never will be...... I am glad the Pecan factory got torn down, it was a blight on the bluff, rather see green space than see no river at all...
Would rather see monies going to the city when property owners are fined and the city actually follows through with the laws on the books.
Would rather see more B&B's (where the monies travel through the local economy) than parking lots and hotels that aren't owned locally. Natchez now has more hotels and more empty rooms and parking lots than it ever did before.
Keep up the good work of obstructionist government and lack of anything more than minimum wage jobs.....and no one will need to worry about the future of Natchez.......let the few who run the city keep up the BS, and the future of Natchez will continue to be written on the wind!
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I never heard anyone who knew about Mimi's accomplishments complain about her.
I have heard some rednecks complain about the Historic Natchez Foundation, et al, as an example of Big Government excesses and high-minded govmint intervention in our basic freedoms to paint our houses hot pink and put up vinyl siding.
Posted by rburke1 (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
awawaw,
There is no person in Madison that you can compare to Mimi. Leave the girl alone. You talk of what you know nothing about. Mimi has done more for Natchez than anyone can ever imagine. She has accomplished to protect more historic structures and brought together opposing factions to create incredible interest in our local culture that carries well beyond historic preservation. This is her passion. She continues to perform with great knowledge and experience while being subjected to incorrect harsh and personal criticism. Natchez is lucky to have her. Her quote in the closing of this news story was awesome.
Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The last sentence states:
“I don’t think by any sense (tourism) is everything we should have,” Miller said. “I don’t think there is anyone that wants industry more than a community-minded person interested in historic preservation.”
I would think that the people that are interested in industry over historic preservation would only be the people that want jobs and a pay check for their families.
The people that are mostly interested in historic preservation must not need a paycheck from industry.
The once thieving and now dwindling tourist industry in Natchez is not bringing any new jobs.... nor will it ever be more than it is.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I will just have to respectfully disagree with what you say 2008.
The more the economy prospers around here -- from industry or whatever -- the more money there is for taxes and for preservation. I do not think there is any conflict between industry and preservation, and I am all about preservation.
Once upon a time the blue-hairs opposed (supposedly) an industry in this town, supposedly, in order to keep it a town where nothing but the flavor of the homes would prevail. I don't think that flies any more if it ever did.
And tourism can bring more jobs to this city if people invest and take some risks.
We talk about the tourism industry as if it were an entity on it's own. The tourism industry is what we work to make it -- it is us, the people of Natchez and what we offer. If we sit around and grumble it will be offering nothing new and we will see nothing new come from it.
Now we have scads of hotels and a convention facility, government has done it's part so far. We have a historic district that is maintained by the likes of folks like Mimi and the HNF, with no restriction on the thousands of acres around the town. It's a no brainer who is responsible if the populace wants to grumble and wait until someone else develops attractions here, too.
Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 4:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah, I agree with you that their is no reason that the historic tours, pilgrimage and other related cottage business' can not continue and make the seasonal contributions to our economy. However, unless other forms of employment are given the chance, tourism will not sustain this town in the future.
When we have leaders that see the future of Natchez as more than a tourist pit stop with employment opportunities that pay more than minimum wage then we have chosen the right leaders.
Where other towns are out actively seeking industry (and I do not mean smoke stacks that pollute our beautiful clean air) but such as the prison that employs many and is out of town and out of sight of the tourists.
I am sure with all the acreage surrounding this town that our leaders could investigate other sources of revenue and jobs for its citizens that would not infringe on the tourism.
As our country tries to recover from years of wastefulness less and less people (families) have funds for vacations and extra curricular activities. They are to busy trying to just make ends meet. When you have a town that employs so many with minimum wage jobs fewer have money to play with.
Tourism is fine but not enough in this day and age to sustain any town our size. Even Disneyland is suffering because people don't have $25. or more just to enter. When the economy is good money flows in all directions, but our country has a long way to go before we see that day again.
Your right though it is a no brainier.....elect locals with vision, hasn't happened so much in the past here. And who ever has been the responsible parties for keeping Natchez in the past need to get the boot.
We have the history of Natchez and it has served its purpose and can continue, but it isn't enough to keep Natchez progressing towards tomorrow without better paying jobs, more jobs and ways to lure new business here along with new tax paying residents.
Posted by bellesouth (anonymous) on December 28, 2009 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just adding a comment here to say the pecan factory building was in no way historic and had no architectural significance at all.
Posted by abc747 (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 12:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When I was growing up in the 50s, there were gas stations and seedy pool halls on Main St., and Franklin St. was a disgrace. Mimi & Ron Miller, through their work with the City, the Historic Natchez Foundation and the garden clubs, have kept Natchez from looking like every other little podunk town in La. & Miss. Please, LEAVE THE MILLERS ALONE and take a moment to say a prayer of gratitude, instead.
Posted by aak1972 (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I will ask the same question on every article like this one!! 2008 I am with you who in the tourism industry makes more than 30,000 a year?? And if they happen to, if they have a couple a kids they are still in poverty level!! No one can really be so blind to believe that the tourism industry offers those kind of jobs!
Posted by aak1972 (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As for abc747, I have nothing against the Millers atleast they are active in what they believe in! You are right Natchez loks nothing like Brookhaven Mccomb Tupelo Hattiesberg Pineville in comparison Natchez looks like an old man bent over struggling to make just one more step before he falls and breaks his hip!!
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You can't blame just the tourist industry for low paying jobs in the Miss-Lou . Except for drs.,lawyers, judges and stuff almost everybody is paid poverty wages around here . It is very hard to get ahead and live here. But I, for one will woefully except this to be able to live this area.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We have hashed this out before, but it is hard to get industry to locate here with the white flight from the public schools.
All industry wants is the local community to make it easy to keep their people -- right now, private schooling is like a WHOPPING tax on any employee that moves here. Truth is, the public school system doesn't have a great appeal for movers and shakers from any race.
I think this is the primary reason it is so hard to sell Natchez to industry and business. I don't think we can blame our politicians for being inept or lazy if they cannot disguise THAT wart on our nose -- it is our personal addiction and we tend to behave like an addict on this topic. We ask politicians to do whatever necessary but how much sewage and water and taxes would someone have to give away to pay for schooling a businesses employees' kids? It just makes bad business sense to move here when there are a jillion places that don't ask for that sacrifice in order to perpetuate something we should fix ourselves.
For a business to open in this environment they must have a plum. If your schools have problems then the industries that will come here will be low-paying, will hope for local hiring, and will offer limited opportunities for advancement.
Think of it this way -- if you have a business with 25 employees these things matter. If you have a business with 500 employees then you have 20 times the problem, 20 times the turnover, and your employees have 20 times the cost.
So I don't hold the politicians at fault for not selling us better. Too many of us forget we have that wart on our nose for all to see.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on December 29, 2009 at 6:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We need better education in our public schools before the private school issue can be settled. And it's not all about academics either. There is a safety issue with public schools as well.
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