Semi-Demolished 1800s House on Clay Street, Vicksburg, Mississippi

Kodak Super-XX film, 135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens

Kodak Super-xx film, 90mm ƒ/6.8 Angulon lens, 1/2 at ƒ/22.5

Two tall wood houses formerly stood on the north side of Clay Street in downtown Vicksburg just west of the former Clay & LaHatte Appliance store. The west-most house (the grassy lot in the foreground of the photograph above) formerly housed Ocean and Coastal Technologies, a marine engineering company. That building suffered a fire and was demolished about 15 years ago. The second house at 915 was a rental unit with five or six apartments. The roof was collapsing as of 2021 and possibly earlier. That sealed its fate. One day in early summer of 2022, I saw a work crew at the house and I knew the house's demise was ongoing.

I like the old-fashioned front door with the lights to either side and a transom above. I hope the demolition company saved it for reuse. 

View west from Cherry Street.

Time to cook dinner

The original demolition crew stopped work part way through their project. The partly-deconstructed remnants of the house lingered for about 6 months. Then, in early September, heavy equipment crushed the rest. As of October 1, 2022, the house was entirely gone. 

The next building uphill (to the east) was the former home of Wells & LaHatte appliances. They have moved across the street to a larger building. This handsome sign is a classic.

We have lost many other Victorian-era houses. One example that I photographed in 2017 was on Finney Street. Smaller cottages (e.g., on Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd.) are also being demolished as they decay. 

This is how Vicksburg loses its architectural heritage. 

I took the color frames with my Fuji X-E1 digital camera. The Fuji lenses all have excellent resolution. The two black and white photographs are from 4×5" Kodak Super-XX film that I took with my Tachihara wood field camera.

1960s GAF Versapan Pack Film: more Mississippi and Louisiana Samples

In the previous article, I wrote about how a friend gave me a cooler full of GAF Versapan 4×5" film packs. These had been in his freezer since the 1960s. GAF stopped producing consumer film in the 1970s, so these were definitely an unusual photographic item for this day and age. The first pack was totally viable when developed in Xtol by Northeast Photographic in Maine. I used a second film pack during some outings to the Mississippi Delta and to eastern Louisiana in June of 2020, before the heat became too beastly. I exposed the film at EI = 64, which looked good on the first pack that I tested in April. Here are some examples from Vicksburg and nearby. I posted these at 2400 pixels on the long dimension, so click any picture to see the amazing detail recorded on 4×5" film.

Vicksburg

The Tomato Place, 3229 US 61 south, Vicksburg, Mississippi (90mm ƒ/6.8 Angulon lens, yellow-green filter; note some irregular development streaks)

The Tomato Place (135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens, yellow-green filter, ½ ƒ/22)

The Tomato Place is a friendly store with good produce and munchies. Mallory graciously lets me take photographs there. I photographed inside in 2017.

Ergon refinery, Haining Road, Vicksburg (240mm ƒ/9 G Claron lens, Nikon deep yellow filter, ⅛ ƒ/45)

Mississippi Lime, Haining Road, Vicksburg (240mm ƒ/9 G Claron lens, polarizing filter, ⅛ ƒ/32)

Louisiana

Bunge silo, LA 602 , Tallulah, Louisiana (135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens, yellow filter, ¼ ƒ16-22)

This tall silo is off Louisiana Route 602, where I sometimes bike. I am not sure if it is in use because the siding that leads by the facility is in disrepair. This photograph is from July 4, when a thunderstorm was pending and the sky was dramatic. I only had time for one frame and the drops began to fall. In 2 or 3 minutes, it was monsoon.

Silos off US 80, Waverly, Louisiana (90mm ƒ/6.8 Angulon lens, orange filter, ⅒ ƒ/22)

This Versapan film works well for these industrial buildings, but I need to be careful about overexposing light material, like the gravel.

Unused cotton gin, LA 568 (Lake Drive), Ferriday, Louisiana (135mm ƒ/4.5 Xenar lens, orange filter, ⅒ ƒ/22); note irregular development streak)

This was an unused cotton gin in Ferriday, Louisiana. While I was taking this picture, a gent from the agricultural machinery company across the street came over to see my camera. He said the ladies in the office were most perplexed that someone was standing out in the 35º C heat with a camera. He generously offered some cold water, a restroom, and some air conditioning. Louisianans are very accommodating.

Delhi water works (180mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar IIN lens, yellow filter, ⅛ ƒ/32)

Using 50-year-old Versapan film has been a rewarding experience. I am not sure how often I will use it because the thin material is a bit hard to handle. But I am glad to have this option. And I am amazed that 50-year-old film is still so viable. Will our digital files be readable in 50 years?

This is no. 03b of my irregular series on Abandoned Films.

Update: Click the link to see examples from 35mm Versapan (February 2021)

The Mississippi Delta 32b: Satartia (revisited spring 2020)

Satartia is a handsome little town next to the Yazoo River, partway between Redwood and Yazoo City, Mississippi. I visited in 2019 during the great flood that year. This year, the water came up again, and residents of the lower Delta were semi-inundated for months once again. I revisited Satartia one day in April when I needed a change of scene and opportunity to do some photography.

Satartia, Mississippi, at the edge of the loess hills (map from ESRI ArcGIS Online)

Levees line the Yazoo River and prevent flooding in low areas, such as the town of Satartia. This broad, flat agricultural region is the famous Mississippi Delta. However streams flow down from the loess hills to the east. If the Yazoo River is low (non-flood conditions), the streams drain into the river via culverts that run through the levee. But when the Yazoo rises above a certain level, flood gates across the culverts must be closed to prevent backflow. Then the local water has nowhere to go other than spread out into the fields, making them soggy. It is difficult for the farmers.

The little Satartia Grocery on Plum Street formerly served lunches, but it has been closed for at least a year. I saw an electric light burning inside.

Shed behind Satartia Grocery (Fuji X-E1 digital file, in-camera jpeg)

This little shed was on the side street. Did someone live in it at one time? Maybe it was a tiny home long before their time.

Former grist mill, Satartia (4×5" Tri-X Prof film, 135mm ƒ/4.5 Xenar lens, yellow-green filter)

Plum Street goes up and over the Yazoo River levee. A group of houses are on the river side of the levee. Most are up on stilts or on elevated mounds. A local gent told me that this little building was a former grist mill. As you can see, water was almost up to the base of the steps. Last year (2019), the water was just a bit higher higher and under the porch.

Shed (4×5" Tri-X Prof film, 135mm ƒ/4.5 Xenar lens, yellow-green filter)

This is a shed at the Satartia Gin. Rain was beginning to fall, and I had to photograph in a hurry and pack up. Using a 4×5 inch camera in the rain is difficult, but I like the soft non-directional light.

Fina on MS Rte 3 (4×5" Tri-X Prof film, 90mm ƒ6.8 Angulon lens)

The Fina station on Rte 3 has been closed for years. Status: unknown.

I will show more 2020 flood photos in future articles. Most of these photographs are from 4×5"Tri-X Professional (ISO 320) film taken with a Tachihara wood field camera. I scanned the negatives on an Epson 3200 Photo flat bed scanner using the Epson scan software.