Raise the Roof!

By Lolly Rash

Thanks to great partnerships, the Mississippi Heritage Trust is proud to announce that two of Mississippi’s special historic places now have new roofs to keep out the rain while plans for a bright future for the buildings take shape.

INDIANOLA FREEDOM HOUSE

When the original Indianola Freedom House was bombed in 1964, Estill “Tide” King stepped forward to rent a house to the Civil Rights workers who came to Mississippi as part of Freedom Summer. Now his granddaughter, Dr. Felicia King, is working to restore the house to become a place of healing and racial reconciliation.

THE LEWIS HOUSE, OLDFIELDS

Gautier

Constructed in 1845 by Colonel Alfred E. Lewis, the Lewis House is one of the Gulf Coast’s few remaining antebellum structures. Also known as Oldfields for the agricultural fields and orchards that once surrounded the house, the Lewis House was home to artist Walter Inglis Anderson and his family in the 1940s. Badly damaged in Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Heritage Trust purchased the house in 2020 to prevent its demolition and is working with partners to develop a plan for its restoration and use.