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Columbus
has retained its old South charm through the preservation of historic
homes and churches.
Even
through the Civil War, two world wars, and the Great Depression, Columbus
kept its spirit intact and continued on its way to become one of Mississippi’s
most special places. Dedication to preserving the best of the past has
given a boost to the tourism industry through a relatively new category
known as cultural tourism. It’s the same interest that keeps museums
thriving, and it’s also cultural tourism that takes millions of
Americans to Europe each year to see castles and quaint old towns.
Columbus today is capitalizing on the fact that preservation is big
business. Such efforts instill a sense of pride in locals, and give
visitors a reason to come to see the town. Perhaps the best known preservation
effort is the Columbus Pilgrimage, an annual springtime tour of historic
homes that brings visitors from all fifty states and many foreign countries.
And it keeps them coming back year after year.
Topping the list of preservation priorities is for a property to be
included among the list of National Historic Landmarks. Riverview, a
grand Columbus home that has graced Second Street South since the 1850s,
is now a National Historic Landmark. This prestigious designation is
also enjoyed by Waverley Plantation, a Columbus Pilgrimage tour home.
The Columbus Pilgrimage
The Columbus Pilgrimage — an organized, two-week tour of antebellum
homes and churches — is the second largest in the state, and one
of the South’s most respected because of the quality of the historic
homes and their authenticity. Begun in 1940, the Pilgrimage is an economic
boon to the town since some of the visitors stay for days.
Hotels, restaurants, and downtown shops are the beneficiaries of pilgrims’
extended stay. In some cases, the Columbus Pilgrimage sells real estate,
too. Back in April of 1988, the magazine Colonial Homes did a major
feature — about 40 pages — on the homes of Columbus. Not only
did Pilgrimage attendance benefit from that article for years afterward,
but it also encouraged a lovely couple from New Jersey to move here.
They were visiting family in New Orleans when they saw the article,
so they decided to drive up to see the town. Once they arrived, they
saw a pretty pink Victorian house on the Southside with a “For
Sale” sign out front; they called the Realtor, and bought the house
that day!
The Columbus Pilgrimage is indeed an asset to the town. It shows the
world that Columbus cares about its past and realizes that preservation
is essential for the future. Along with the dozen or so homes rotating
on and off the Pilgrimage event, there are many more historic homes
in Columbus, equally as grand as those on Pilgrimage. The architecturally
superior historic homes of the town serve as elegant invitations to
visit.
Pilgrimage is a project of the Columbus Historic Foundation. It is held
the first two weeks of April, when spring flowers are in bloom. From
twelve to fifteen antebellum houses rotate on five tours, so that two
tours are available each day, with candlelight tours on selected evenings.
“Tales from the Crypt” is an evening tour of Friendship Cemetery.
It is a historical reenactment of local people interred at Friendship,
done in conjunction with history students at the Mississippi School
for Mathematics and Science.
The Columbus Historic Foundation also sponsors the annual Antiques Show
& Sale and Decorative Arts & Preservation Forum each fall. It’s
a popular event that gets bigger each year and it attracts a quality
crowd of scholars and collectors.
The Queen City Hotel
Another historic property that is currently undergoing a restoration
is the Queen City Hotel, at the corner of 15th Street and 7th Avenue
North. The Queen City was the heart and soul of the African American
business district. The lot was purchased in 1909 by Robert Walker.
By 1914, the Queen City was a thriving business. Ed Bush acquired the
Queen City in 1941; the Weatherspoon family bought it in 1996; they
deeded it to the Queen City Archives Association in 2000, and as a non-profit,
the great old place is eligible for state and restoration grants.
Through the years, the Queen City Hotel housed such illustrious guests
as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, Mahalia Jackson,
Pearl Bailey, Marian Anderson, B.B. King, the Black Barons, and numerous
other noted African-American entertainers who came through or performed
in Columbus.
According to Brenda Wilson, president of the Queen City Archives Association,
having the property appear on a 1999 list as one of Mississippi’s
“Endangered Historic Places” list helped to secure a restoration
grant. “The Mississippi Department of Archives and History awarded
us a portion of the amount allocated for the restoration of African-American
properties. The Queen City project was awarded $106,000, which will
help with the stabilization of the building, and help prepare and distribute
collateral materials for use in membership and fund-raising campaign.
“We
anticipate that it will cost about $350,000 to completely restore the
Queen City Hotel, and that amount includes artifacts, a historical review,
a parking lot and more. Restoration of this important historic property
is one way to honor people who came before us, and those who are working
now to complete the restoration. The Queen City Hotel is truly a community
project,” said Brenda Wilson.
National Register and Railroads
Mississippi University for Women has 24 buildings listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, which help to showcase the beautiful campus.
But it’s not just homes and buildings that reflect preservation
efforts in Columbus. There’s an interesting old train at Propst
Park that has a colorful past. Its history is linked with that of Columbus-based
C&G Railroad, a major transportation entity for more than one hundred
years. Ten-wheeler No. 178 earned its keep by getting two cars of passengers
and a car of mail from Columbus to Greenville in five hours on a train
called “The Deltan.” With the help of federal funds, the city
restored the old engine and four C&G cars, which are now displayed
at Propst Park. The historic No. 178 is Columbus’ answer to “the
little engine that could.”
