Greenwood Cemetery, Jackson, Mississippi

Dear Readers,

Let us return to the South with a series of Jackson and Vicksburg articles. Then we will jump back west to the Pacific Northwest and take a few stops further afield. Afterwards, I want to go through some of the family archives from various locations.

Jackson, Mississippi

Central Jackson, Mississippi, from Google Maps. Greenwood Cemetery is at the red marker.

Greenwood Cemetery is a peaceful and restful green space in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. According to the Greenwood Cemetery Association,

The members of the Greenwood Cemetery Association welcome you to historic Greenwood Cemetery. This cemetery was established by an act of the Mississippi State Legislature which was approved January 1, 1823. It has grown from the original six acres to its present twenty-two acres.

Greenwood Cemetery is downtown Jackson's largest green space. Towering oaks, magnolias, crepe myrtles, and cedars shade portions of the grounds and the sunny areas boast large collections of antique bulbs and ever blooming, own-root roses. Camellia bushes are scattered throughout the cemetery, and the wisteria is breathtaking in early May. There is something blooming every month of the year. The natural landscape and the beautiful monuments make it a calm and serene spot adjacent to the bustle of downtown.

Until the end of the 19th century, all residents of Jackson could be buried in Greenwood Cemetery and many were. The early records are incomplete and work continues on identifying those buried. 

I had driven by the cemetery many times but never stopped to walk inside. In early 2023, I finally looked around. 

Northeast part of Greenwood (Kodak Plus-X film, Leica IIIC camera, 50mm ƒ/1.8 Canon lens)

The cemetery was a bit overgrown. I recall a call for volunteers to clean brush and grass. All in all, it was not as interesting as cemeteries in south Louisiana, where many of the monuments are ornate and almost Baroque.

Just west of the cemetery is the historic Farish Street neighborhood. During the post-World War II economic boom, this was a thriving cultural and business hub for the African American community. After the 1970s, the neighborhood decayed severely. I remember 1990s attempts to encourage a comeback, but those efforts did not generate much (or any) reinvestment. This Mississippi Today article outlines the decades of disappointment, political infighting, and missteps in the attempts to revive the district. Preservation in Mississippi also posted some articles on Farish Street. 

I have posted pictures from the Farish Street area before. Here are more photographs from my archives from Lamar, Cohea, and Monument Streets, all immediately west of Greenwood Cemetery.

998 North Lamar Street (TMax 100 film, Olympus Trip 35 camera)

1107 North Lamar Street

Lamar Street runs north-south just west of the cemetery. Some (much) of the housing stock is seriously deteriorated. 

East Cohea Street view west

Empty lots in this area mean that deteriorated or abandoned houses have been razed. This is a significant cost for the city. It also means that the property no longer generates tax revenue. 

Cohea view east from near North Mill Street (Panatomic-X film, Fuji GW690II camera) 

Duplex at 146 Cohea Street

Duplex 147-149 Cohea Street

Duplex 153 Cohea Street

These modest duplexes likely once were homes for families who shopped and worked at the stores, restaurants, and jazz clubs on Farish Street. Now they are silent; the happy children are gone. 

Cottage, 155 Cohea Street

Cottage, 328 East Monument Street (no longer extant)

I took these photographs on Kodak Plus-X (2023 frames), TMax 100 (2018), and Panatomic-X (2012) films. 

This has been a quick look at central Jackson near Greenwood Cemetery. For other articles on Jackson, please see:

Jan 2010: Mississippi Basin Model
Jan 2010: Hawkins Field
Jan 2010: Naval reserve Center
Feb 2010: Hinds County Armory
Nov 2010: Jackson Municipal Library
Apr 2013: Hinds County Armory update
May 2013: Oil Mill
May 2013: Mill Street corner store
Apr 2015: Lock business, Pascagoula St.
May 2015: Mill Street
Jun 2015: West Capital Street
Jun 2015: Masonic Temple
Nov 2015: Mississippi Basin Model continuing decline
Dec 2015: West Porter Street
Jan 2016: Near the State Capital
Sep 2016: North Mill Street
Jul 2017: Grayson Court
Dec 2017: Old House Depot
Feb 2018: Basin Model update
May 2018: Fortification Street
April 2019: Woodrow Wilson Ave.
Aug 2019: Bailey Avenue restaurant

Mississippi Doors 02

Let's continue exploring Mississippi Doors. What lies behind? Anything interesting? Empty space? Snakes? Memories of long lost customers, children, and shop clerks? Will we ever know?

Rear of 325 Washington Avenue, Greenville

Rear of 323 Washington Avenue, Greenville

343 Washington Avenue, Greenville (Fuji X-E1 camera, 27mm Fuji lens)

Johl & Bergman Shoes once occupied this store. The handsome entrance featured dual doors and large plate glass windows to display their merchandise. Note the black marble panels.

Smith's Appliances, Vicksburg

Smith's Appliances on Magnolia Road in Vicksburg sells old machines, freezers, and odd treasures. It's fun to sniff around places like this. The owner has generously let me photograph inside.

Remnant of theater, 928 John R Lynch Street, Jackson (Fuji X-E1, 18mm ƒ/2 lens)

The theater is on a block of buildings that once were part of a thriving African-American commercial district. The Mississippi Heritage trust included the 900 block of John R. Lynch Street on its 2021 list of 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi.

Former YMCA Club, Monroe Street, Vicksburg (Kodak Royal Gold 25 film, Leica M2, 35mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens). (Note: Royal Gold 25 was an astonishing film, but it gone forever)

The former YMCA on Clay Street in Vicksburg continues to deteriorate. Status: unknown. I photographed inside many times in the past.

Hallway in St. Francis Xavier Convent, Vicksburg (Kodachrome 25 film)

The St. Fancis Xavier Convent is now part of the Southern Cultural Heritage Center. This building was home to the nuns who ran the school and helped operate the hospital for over 100 years. Most of the convent building is unused now, but the roof has been repaired to prevent water damage. 

Demolition of 915 Clay Street, Vicksburg (Moto G5 phone)

This was a late 1800s wood building broken up into 5 or 6 apartments. In 2021, I saw that part of the roof had collapsed, which foretold the eventual condemning of the structure. It was demolished in 2022.

 

Deconstructed church, 1205 MLK Blvd., Vicksburg

Someone took apart this little church on Martin Luther King Blvd. I do not know if they recycled the wood or rebuilt the church in another location.

Warehouse, Railroad Avenue, Hazelhurst

Oops, I could not resist, a door from Fells Point, Baltimore Inner Harbor, Maryland.

Fells Point, Maryland

This ends out short tour of the mysteries of doors. Thank you all for reading.

Mississippi Doors

End of Year Note

Dear Readers, this is the end of 2022. Thank you for reading and please add comments if something interests you. If you are looking for a certain topic, type a key word in the search box to the right. Most of my articles have been indexed by location or camera type, but the search tool will look for that word even within the text.

Doors

Some decades ago, I did a study of Greek doors. That was not too innovative because there were already tourist picture books on Greek doors for sale in bookstores and at the Athens airport gift shops. But still, Greece does have interesting doors, especially in the rural villages. When I make time, I will look over some of my old Greek slides for a revival here in Urban Decay. 

Some of you long term readers may remember the Doors of Nepal (click the link). 

Let us look at doors again, but here in Mississippi. We will take a semi-random tour around the state looking at unusual or interesting doors - portals to another world.

Jackson Southwest Hotel, 2648 US 80, west Jackson (Panatomic-X film, 50mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

Arlington mansion, Natchez (Tri-X Prof. film, 135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens, yellow-green filter)

Doorway to pleasure, Eagle Lake (Panatomic-X film, Hasselblad 80mm Planar-CB lens). The outhouse is no longer extant, but I did use it while it stood.

Store in Hermanville (Rolleiflex 3.5E, Schneider 75mm Xenotar lens, Panatomic-X film)

Club next to former Jo-Anna Motel, North Washington Street, Vicksburg

Former corner store, 1620 Main Street, Vicksburg (Panatomic-X film, Fuji GW690II camera)

Former store, Hwy 28, Union Church (Fuji Acros film, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.4 lens)

Burks Gro., Burk Road, Utica (GAF Versapan film, 50mm ƒ/3.5 Color-Skopar lens)

Slightly unused store, 2201 Simpson Highway, D'Lo (Tri-X 400 film, 90mm ƒ/6.8 Angulon lens)

Shed, Mississippi Basin Model, Buddy Butts Park, Jackson (TMax 100 film, Olympus Trip 35 camera)

What lies beyond these doors. Is there anything interesting? Just junk? A snake or two?

Thank you for following along. Standby for more Mississippi doors soon.

Exploring John R. Lynch Street and West Jackson, Mississippi

University Boulevard

University Boulevard is a major thoroughfare that takes you from I-20 to just east of Jackson State University and into older residential neighborhoods in West Jackson. 

This former restaurant at 1336 University with the log cabin look resembles road houses and restaurants I have seen in Michigan, Indiana, and other upper Midwest states. The stone facing on the lower part is another unusual decorative element.

John R. Lynch Street

The 900 block of John R. Lynch Street is on the 2021 list of 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi. From 10 Most:

Named for the first African American elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives, John R. Lynch Street is the gateway to Jackson State University.  Significant historic sites along the corridor include the COFO Office, Mt. Olive Cemetery, Masonic Temple, Ayer Hall, and NAACP Headquarters.  To the east of campus, Lynch Street now consists mostly of vacant lots, with four buildings in yjr 900 block serving as a reminder of what was once a bustling African American commercial district.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Chambliss Shoe Hospital was operated by Jesse R. Chambliss from 1936 until the 1970s.  A prominent leader in the African American community, Chambliss was a founding member of the Jackson Negro Chamber of Commerce and State Mutual Savings and Loan and organized the first African American Boy Scout Troup in Jackson.  The central building once housed the Ebony Theater, which was opened in 1947 by Dr. A.H. McCoy, who also owned the Ritz Theater on Farish Street.  Following the shooting deaths of Philip Gibbs and James Green by Jackson police in 1970, Lynch Street was closed off and the once-thriving African American business district entered a decline.  Today, the buildings of the 900 Block of John R. Lynch Street stand vacant, damaged by fire and the ravages of time.   

Unfortunately, little is left of the Ebony Theater and the adjoining shops.

The east end of the 900 block is anchored by a closed gas station. I assume there were once commercial buildings where you now see concrete and the former island for the gasoline pumps.

Rose Street

Corner store, 545 Rose Street

Convenience store, 602 Rose Street

Store and apartment, 546 Rose Street

No gas today, 1005 Robinson Road at Rose

Head north on Rose Street after turning off from John R. Lynch Street and the scene becomes seriously depressing. Most of the commercial establishments were closed. I was struck by how little traffic I saw. An occasional car came by with the driver looking at me curiously or totally engaged with her phone. Old-fashioned corner stores attest to once-busy neighborhoods. Where has everyone gone? Where do the current residents buy groceries?

Adjacent to 1005 Robinson Road at Rose

Razor wire on the roof? To keep thieves from repelling down the face of the shop? Very mysterious.

West Capitol and West Monument Streets

Art strip mall, 1204 West Capitol Street at Monument

Side of 1204 West Capitol Street

Plumbing supply company, 800 West Monument Street

Head east on West Monument Street and you soon cross under the railroad tracks and get into downtown Jackson. Monument must have once been a major arterial. Traffic still thumps by on the rutted pavement.

I took these photographs with my Fuji X-E1 digital camera and a Fujinon Super EBC 18mm ƒ/2 lens, all hand-held. This is a lens that "photographers" on digital reviewing sites claimed was not "sharp." OK.....

More Wide View in West Jackson/Hwy 80 (Xpan 10)

Dear Readers, I have inflicted photographs from west Jackson on you before. Highway US80 was once a major commercial artery with factories, restaurants, hotels, and motels. Today it is rough. Traffic buzzes past empty warehouses and factories. Motels look like dives.

Not much discounting any more (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

The former Gipson Discount Foods is an example of the type of abandoned warehouses that you see along 80. It has some elements of post-war moderne decoration, possibly not too bad when new. And the yellow paint was cheerful.

Former employee entry to Coca-Cola bottling plant (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

The "Plant" is, I think, the former Coca-Cola bottling factory, originally built in 1949. The complex appears to be unused, but I recently saw a new fence. Possibly it is an attempt to exclude homeless people. According to a 2010 article in West Jackson:

The plant was a mainstay on Highway 80 for 58 years. Then, in 2007, the company vacated the aging facility and moved into a newer building in the Northwest Jackson Industrial Park near Interstate 220. The bright spot in this story: at least they didn’t leave the city. However they did leave 143,000 square feet of building space to rest vacant and lonely on the west side.

Kodak Super-XX film, 180mm Caltar II-N lens, yellow filter

The 1949 architecture was considered modern in the post-war era. A Tulsa real estate brokerage company auctioned the site in 2016, but I did not see on their web page who (if anyone) bought it.  

Jackson Southwest Hotel, 2649 Hwy 80 West, Jackson

The Jackson Southwest Hotel, possibly a Holiday Inn at one time, sits empty and vandalized on a hilltop just west of Ellis Avenue. According to WLBT News in October of 2020, a grant will help revitalize it into a residence for seniors. I previously wrote about the hotel in 2020.

Hotel O, Ellis Avenue, Jackson

The Hotel O is on Ellis Avenue just north of the westbound ramp to Interstate 20. Despite its modern appearance, vagrants have lived in it for several years and have set fires. You can see fire damage on the right side of the building in the photograph above. It is likely that the building will be razed soon, just like the former Best Western Metro Inn, which was once right across the street. The Metro Inn was crunched up in April of 2021, and nothing is left. 

Is this really what happens in American cities? Build, maximize the tax benefits, let the property decline as it moves down the food chain, abandon it, and then demolish it at taxpayer expense? What a ghastly waste of resources, earth materials, and energy.

The panoramic photographs are from Kodak Portra 160 film via the amazing Hasselblad XPan camera and its 30mm and 45mm lenses. Click any frame to see details at 2400 pixels wide.