When Stella Gray Bryant was in graduate school at the University of Georgia, she learned about Natchez — an example of the historic preservation she was studying for her master’s degree. Bryant, the executive director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, was in town Thursday to speak to the Natchez Garden Club about preservation efforts across the state.

Natchez is an example of those preservation efforts, Bryant said after the meeting.

&uot;It’s part of the reason Natchez is one of the communities I learned about in graduate school,&uot; she said.

And although Natchez has a large number of antebellum structures, it is also working to preserve other historic buildings — from downtown storefronts to turn-of-the-century bungalows. &uot;To Natchez’s very much credit, Natchez could easily just focus on one area of history, but they don’t,&uot; Bryant said.

Ron Miller, director of the Historic Natchez Foundation and president of the Mississippi Heritage Trust Board of Trustees, said that can help inspire other communities to preserve what they have. &uot;Everybody tends to think, we don’t have any of those antebellum houses like Natchez has so we don’t have anything worth preserving,&uot; he said.

But Mississippi Heritage Trust has established a program it hopes will raise awareness of the need for preservation across the state.

The list of Mississippi’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places is a two-year-old program designed to publicize the need to preserve the state’s historic structures. The first list, released in 1998, included such places as the Town of Carrollton, the Farish Street Historic District in Jackson and Meadvilla, a Washington house built around 1808 for Cowles Mead, secretary of the Mississippi Territory.

Miller and Bryant said the house is significant historically because of its architecture and its inhabitants. In 1928, Meadvilla, an example of Federal style architecture, became the home of Benjamin L.C. Wailes, a scientist, historian and the first state geologist. Meadvilla is the only structure on the 1998 list that has not had significant progress toward its preservation, Bryant said.

This year’s list of endangered places includes:

Belhaven/Belhaven Heights: Examples of Jackson &uot;streetcar subdivisions&uot; built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Chalmer’s Institute: The Holly Springs structure is the oldest university building and the second oldest school building in the state.

Hotel Irving: The Greenwood hotel was built in 1917.

L.Q.C. Lamar House: Built in 1857 in Oxford, the house was home to one of Mississippi’s leading statesmen of the 19th century.

Mississippi River Basin Model: Begun in 1943 in Jackson, the model is the largest small-scale working model in existence.

City of Oxford: According to the MHT, the city is &uot;on the cusp of losing the special character that defines it and draws such an appreciative audience.&uot; Bryant said Oxford is in further danger because the city has repealed its historic preservation ordinance and suspended the preservation commission.

Queen City Hotel: The Columbus hotel was once the social and cultural hub of the Columbus African-American community.

Round Island Lighthouse: The Pascagoula lighthouse was damaged by Hurricane Georges in 1998.

Taborian Hospital: The Mound Bayou hospital was one of the only medical facilities for African-Americans when it was built in 1942.

Westbrook House: The Mediterranean Revival style house was built in 1921 in Jackson’s Mynelle Gardens.

Kerry Whipple is a senior staff writer at The Democrat. She can be reached at 446-5172, ext. 262, or by e-mail at kerry.whipple@ natchezdemocrat.com.