University Boulevard
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
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| Corner store, 545 Rose Street |
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| Convenience store, 602 Rose Street |
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| Store and apartment, 546 Rose Street |
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| 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?
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| 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
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| Art strip mall, 1204 West Capitol Street at Monument |
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| Side of 1204 West Capitol Street |
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| 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.....
