Pearl Street Houses, Vicksburg, Mississippi (North of Klein Street)

North portion of Pearl Street photographed from the newly-built rail embankment and track relocation. The embankment occupies the site of the former Mississippi Lumber Company (K25 film, Nikon F3, 105mm ƒ/2.8 macro-Nikkor lens) . 

This grade crossing at Klein Street is now permanently blocked.

This is the last article in my survey of Vicksburg's Pearl Street houses, covering the stretch north of Klein Street. The previous articles covered:

• South of Fairground Street
• Fairground to Klein Streets

Pearl Street east side

501 Klein Street (digital image)

501 Klein Street 

No. 501 Klein Street, at the corner of Pearl, was on the city demolition list, as shown by the spray-pained "DEMO" sign. But as of early 2021, a work crew has been painting and repairing the house.

Around 1989 or 1990, the owner of this house imported some pieces of the Berlin Wall. They were so heavy, they came in by truck. My friend at Annabelle told me that the Berlin Wall guy planned to sell pieces as souvenirs. However, the pieces looked like nasty grey chunks of concrete, and there was nothing to uniquely identify them with the Wall. They languished on the side yard for a decade or more and finally disappeared. I suspect Vicksburg is not quite the right market in which to sell Cold War nostalgia or GDR souvenirs.

2123 Pearl Street in 2003 (Kodachrome slide, 50mm ƒ/2 Summicron-DR lens)

2123 Pearl Street (Panatomic-X film, Pentax Spotmatic, 55mm ƒ/1.8 Super-Takumar lens)

2123 Pearl Street was in good condition in 2003, but then deteriorated to the stage where the city inspector placed it on the demolition list. But as of 2021, it has been painted and repaired.

Pearl Street West Side

Railroad Avenue (below Klein), view west (Panatomic-X film).

The view west down Railroad Avenue is rather bleak, especially on a rainy day. I do not remember when houses lined the street.

2014 Pearl Street (no longer extant; Kodachrome 25 slide)

2004, 2006, and 2008 Pearl Street (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar)

2008 Pearl Street

2006 Pearl Street

2004 Pearl Street (no longer extant)

These little cottages had their front porches at street level, while the rest of the structures were perched over the hillside, supported by wood piles. This was a common construction practice early in the 20th century in this hilly city. But today, the buildings cannot be rebuilt on these lots once they have been condemned. These steep hillside lots becomes uninhabitable. 

1804 Pearl Street (no longer extant; Kodak BW400-2 film, 5cm ƒ/3.5 Elmar lens)

The City demolished a large number of these houses in the early 2000s. I do not have more photographs. These were approximately across the street from the warehouses that were part of the Mississippi Lumber Company (1900 Mulberry Street). 

Pearl Street Heading Downtown

Pearl Street view south past Mississippi Lumber Company sheds

Pearl Street view north

Pearl Street view north towards the Harrah's Casino hotel

The hotel in this photograph, originally built by Harrah's Casino, has been closed for at least a decade. As usual around here, there appears to be no status. 

This photograph shows the new section of track built by the Kansas City Southern railroad to reduce the radius of the curve where the rails turn east and pass under Washington Street. The older track, on the right, was such a tight turn, rail cars regularly derailed.

Dear readers, this ends our short series on Pearl Street. I hope these photographs will remind former residents of what the neighborhood looked like decades ago.