Much Worse: Kuhn Memorial Charity Hospital, Vicksburg, Mississippi

The long-abandoned Kuhn Memorial Charity Hospital at 1422 Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard is one of Vicksburg's best urban spelunking sites. It sits empty with windows smashed and is deteriorating steadily. Occasionally, the Vicksburg Post presents a short article on how the City may condemn the structure and is trying to contact the owners, but year after year passes, and nothing happens.

It was a substantial building, with thick concrete and ceramic tile walls, and it had a decent setting on a ridge. The "new" wing is in the background.

This undated aerial photograph shows the new wing in the back. The old plantation house is still in the foreground.

The view through the old ambulance entrance is looking north to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (formerly Openwood Street).

The first floor halls are a mess of acoustic ceiling tile and paint chips. But notice that the walls were so robust, the green and white glazed tiles defied vandals and are largely intact. I have not ventured up to the 2nd or 3rd floors alone.

The City of Vickburg has a real dilemma with a building like this. The owner has abandoned the site. Demolition will cost a lot, and the land may not have any buyers, meaning the City may not be able to recoup the costs. There is no easy solution.

For more information, please see my July 2012 article on Kuhn Hospital.

A recent article in Preservation in Mississippi describes how, in 1948, Mississippi led the nation in building new hospitals to serve rural residents. It was a period of great optimism in public health, when Mississippi’s network of public hospitals was the talk of the nation. I assume the Kuhn Hospital was partly funded or expanded in this era. But today, Mississippi has an abysmal record of health care for the poor, with the nation's highest infant mortality rate, diabetes, heart failure, and other disgraceful firsts. It is a symptom of the continuing racism and denigration of the poor in this state. 

If you are interested in urban exploration, this Wikipedia article shows examples. It is more popular in cities like Detroit, which are full of abandoned factories and hospitals. Vicksburg does not have many industrial sites, but has plenty of decayed houses.

I took these photographs with a Fuji X-E1 digital camera, tripod-mounted, most with the 27mm f/2.8 Fuji lens. I processed the RAW files in PhotoNinja software.

Still Open: Gibbes & Sons Grocery, Learned, Mississippi

Most of the country stores we have looked at in previous posts are closed, victims of changing times and loss of nearby residents who once patronized these stores. But in the little town of Learned, Mississippi (near Utica), the H.D. Gibbes & Sons grocery is still open for business.

Learned is a nice little town, clean and neat. The grocery is at the corner of Main and Pine Streets.

Lunches are served on these polished tables.

Walk on in - it is visual delight. All sorts of old-fashioned stuff greets you: bottles, signs, displays, antlers. But this is a working store, so ask the nice-looking young lady for a drink, candy bar, or even some groceries. One side of the store has a ladder on a rail so the shopkeeper can reach high shelves. The store has an active restaurant on Friday and Saturday, well-known for steak (a carnivore-type of place).

Learned has some more square-front buildings that may have once been stores.

Tired? Find a rocker and put your feet up.

Interior photographs taken with a Panasonic G3 digital camera with Olympus 9-18mm lens. Exterior photographs taken with a FujiFilm X-E1 camera. I reprocessed the raw files with PhotoNinja software. This is the type of place to revisit with real film.

Historic Sweet Olive Cemetery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The historic Sweet Olive Cemetery is said to be the oldest African American burying ground in Baton Rouge. At South 22nd Street and Louisiana Avenue, it is just north of Government Street, north of the Garden District. In 1990, this was a rough neighborhood, and I did not wander too far from the car. Then, many of the stones were displaced and tree roots had damaged many graves. It deteriorated even worse over the following decades until Freshmen from the Louisiana State University Honors College initiated a cleanup effort. One of their sessions was in 2006, and they have probably come back several times since then.

Now (February 2014), the cemetery is still overgrown in some areas, but many of the stones have been re-erected and some of the mausoleums re-plastered (or at least white-washed). Much of the ground has been cleared. The neighborhood now seems reasonably safe.

There are interesting patterns, shapes, and shadows if you are a photographer. I met an art student from Louisiana State University whose project was to visit every week and record and sketch changes over time. She did not seem to have a problem coming alone every Sunday.

Some of the huge old trees (or remaining trunks) are pretty interesting. Do visit; it is one of Baton Rouge's more interesting historical sites.

The two 1990 color photographs were taken on Kodachrome film with an Olympus OM-1 camera. The black and white views were from a Fuji X-E1 camera, with RAW files processed in PhotoNinja software. For most, I used a 1949-vintage Leica 50 mm f/2.0 Summitar lens, which works very well in black and white. These older lenses have character.

Return to Rodney - Semi-Deserted Mississippi River Town

Rodney, Mississippi, is a semi-abandoned town in Jefferson County, Mississippi, about 30 miles north of Natchez. It was once a thriving river town, but the river changed its course in the early 20th century, and the town declined rapidly. According to Wikipedia, the Rodney Center Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One way to reach Rodney is to drive through Alcorn State University - literally through campus - and take the back gate on the west side of campus to Rodney Drive.  It is gravel much of the way and winds through loess hills and woods.  Soon you reach the remains of town.

Mt. Zion No.1 Baptist Church, Rodney

Entry hall, Mt. Zion No. 1 Church

As you enter town, the elegantly simple Mt. Zion No. 1 Baptist Church is ahead of you one block.  It is open via the front door and looks like it had some tender loving care a few years ago.  But rain and decay are taking their toll.

Rodney looking east from Mt. Zion No. 1 church

Look east  towards the town and you see some fields that may occasionally be mowed and a few deserted buildings.

On the right when looking out of the Mt. Zion church is an old store, a substantial brick building, but now decaying badly.

At the corner of Rodney and Muddy Bayou Roads sits the old Brumfield Grocery. In 1985, it must have only recently closed because it had a fairly modern gasoline pump out front.  Today, it has some fencing to keep out visitors or vandals.

At the north side of Rodney Road is an old house with a well.  The structure is still standing but will not be for long.

Two more abandoned farms are on the south side of the street (the same side as Brumfield Grocery). One is almost engulfed with vines. Oddly, just a short distance away is an active farm with some handsome cows, so Rodney does still have residents.

Rodney Masonic Lodge (Kodachrome slide).

Rodney Masonic Lodge, Rodney, Mississippi, 1985 (Kodachrome slide).

A short distance north on Muddy Bayou Road is the old Masonic Lodge. In 1985, it still had a lodge sign, but that must have been stolen decades ago.

Old Rodney Presbyterian Church, Muddy Bayou Road 

The Old Rodney Presbyterian Church is one of the most commonly-photographed buildings in town. Preservation groups are trying to maintain or restore it, but am not sure of the status.

Continue north on Muddy Bayou Road, and there are more abandoned houses.

Hunters like Rodney. One hunting camp is the old railroad car. Another occupies an old house. I was there on New Year's Eve, and the camps had occupants ready for a good party. We saw a couple of well-dressed city ladies in high-end SUVs and high heels come into town - I think they were hunting (but not for deer).

On the way back to Port Gibson, take the Old Rodney-Port Gibson Road, cut deep into the bluffs in some sections. Rodney is a fun place to visit. Go in winter, before the jungle and poison ivy takes over. For more information, The Southern Lagniappe blog has an nice 3-part article on a 2011 visit to Rodney.

1980s photographs taken with Leica cameras on Kodachrome film. The 2013 photographs were taken with Fuji X-E1 and Panasonic G3 digital cameras.