Video: Preserving History In Starkville

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Preserving heritage is more than debating symbols of days gone by.
In fact, most historic preservation centers around specific locations.

From the Grand Canyon, to a Birmingham motel that hosted civil rights leaders, 11 places nationwide have just been placed on the “endangered” list.

Each community has it’s own hotels, buildings and pieces of history.
Built in 1927 as Starkville High School, the Greensboro Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It’s surrounded by other significant sites in the Greensboro District, which is one of four well-preserved neighborhoods in Starkville.

“They speak of our shared culture and history. There’s something there for everyone,” said Michelle Jones, with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Jones also lives in the historic Greensboro District and says the loss of some of these sites has motivated the community to work hard for preservation.

“I think that losses help bring the community together to say we’ve got to protect our historic resources. We’ve got to make sure other alternatives are examined before we just allow buildings to be demolished for parking lots,” said Jones.

The process is often long to register a historic site but that’s when it becomes a partnership between the public and residents.

” So you have civic buildings, like our schools or even Starkville City Hall, that are listed on the National Registration of Historic Places but the Greensboro Historic High School is also in a local historic district and that’s where a community makes a concerted effort to say these places are important to us and we’re going to make sure they’re protected,” said Jones.

Tours of Starkville’s historic sites are available.

For more information, contact the Greater Starkville Development Partnership at (662)323-3322.