Port Gibson News in Port Gibson MS

PORT GIBSON, MISSISSIPPI 39150
"Too Beautiful to Burn" General U.S.Grant-May 1863
PLEASE SIGN

"Opportunity is often obscured by hard work". Henry Ford

March 31st Port Gibson Antique Mall opens after years of Main Street Manger Kenneth Ross saying opening soon. Its my understanding that Main Street no longer has anything to do with the building and that private business owners from Natchez with run the Antiques Mall.

March 30th House Bill 1810 Dies in Committee: These type of tax bills are designed to tax visitors and tourist of a city not the local citizens. This bill asked for by the Mayor and Board of Alderman if passed would have added a 2% sales tax on prepared food in the city limits but not across the bayou in the county. The biggest hit would have been to the working people of Port Gibson and Claiborne County because the Piggly Wiggly Deli by far sells the most prepared food in town. If passed a referendum would have to take place and the cost of that I am sure would have been more than the estimated $2200 dollars the tax would bring in. Was the real reason to drive business from the Piggly Wiggly Deli to the deli that Mayor Arnold manages outside of the taxing district?

March 27th Ora Reed Visits Loren and Nancy Ouart owners of the Bernheimer House. Fifty-Six visitors from City of Brandon Senior Services led by Walt Grayson with WLBT TV Chanel 3 and "Looking Around Mississippi" fame had lunched at the Bernheimer House and Ora Reed sang the Mississippi Song.

From Left: Walt Grayson, Ora Reed, Nancy Ouart and Loren Ouart

March 26th Business owners set October 13, 2007 for Discover Historic Port Gibson in the fall.

March 17th Discover Historic Port Gibson Business owners and home owners agree that it was worth the effort and everyone had a good time.

January 4, Local business owners meet at the Bernheimer House to discuss the March 17, 2007 event. They chose "Discover Historic Port Gibson" as the events name. They discussed what their business could do for the day, homes open for tours and cemetery tours. It was suggested that home owners open for tours collect at the door for their home and keep what they collect. 5:30 January 17th was was set as the next meeting date.

Work resumes on Bernheimer House Mosaics: Loren Ouart owner of the Bernheimer House started the job of replacing the mosaics that had been lost to the elements over the last 105 years. About 50% of the missing stained glass on the front is complete but still needs grouting and sea shells added to the corners and center of the long ones. The work is expected to be completed before the January 20th Murder Mystery Dinner. To view the historic mosaics Click Here

Christmas Music Down Town Port Gibson

Downtown Port Gibson businesses have requested Main Street President Don Carter for Christmas music be played on the speaker system in the Port Gibson business district from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm seven days a week. If you say there is no one down town on the weekend why play the music, the weekend is the main time that tourist are driving around and will leave a good impression of the "Town of Churches" and encourage them to come back. The Bernheimer House has been playing Christmas music for the past three years and after many people commented on how great it would be to have it through out the whole downtown area a couple local businesses took action and passed a letter around the business district. I am not aware of any business that didn't want to sign it if a businesses name is not listed it's because of time restraints not all were asked.
Mr. Carter never responded to the letter.

(August 22-25-06 Hattiesburg, Ms) Mississippi Certified Tourism Professional

Loren Ouart, Bernheimer House owner, member of Port Gibson Tourism and Small Business Association and President of Bed and Breakfast Association of Mississippi was one of fourteen tourism leaders from around the state that traveled to Hattiesburg USM campus to completed Phase II and final phase of the Mississippi Certified Tourism Professional 2006 Educational Program Presented by the Mississippi Tourism Association and conducted by University of Southern Mississippi. Phase I was held in Natchez, MS at the Natchez CVB earlier this year.

(August 9-11-06 Natchez, Ms)

Port Gibson business owners attend Miss-Lou Regional Tourism Summit.

The focus of the conference was Identifying & Marketing Your Community Resources.

Cindi Greer with Back Forty Quilting and Loren Ouart with Bernheimer House attended the three day conference and rented display tables, The Art and Gift Gallery and PG Tourism and Small Business Association also rented tables promoting their business and Port Gibson at the Natchez Convention Center. The conference was attended by Magazine and Newspaper publishers, motor coach operators, MS/LA state tourism leadership every town between Greenville and Woodville was represented by their local Chamber of Commerce or CVB except Port Gibson.
The conference covered various topics concerning regional tourism.
Cultural Tourism: Leland Speed, Executive Directory Mississippi Development Authority (MDA).
Importance of Regional Partners: Craig Ray, Mississippi Development Authority/Director Division of Tourism.
Tourism Means Business in Louisiana and Mississippi: Chuck Morse, Assistant Secretary Office of Louisiana Tourism.
On day two we motor coached to Woodville a town often compared in demography to Port Gibson. Every store front in Woodville is rented.
Topics covered were Promoting Tourism Through Effective Media Relations, Tourism is Now Here/Communities that Click, Marketing with Limited Resources and Niche Markets.
Day three was: Success Stories Frogmore Plantation, Town of Woodville, Ms and Rosemont Plantation family home of Jefferson Davis. The steering committee looked at where we go from here. It was decide to do this again during the first two week in August 2007. Everyone agreed it was a very worth while program and they would try to keep the fees low because towns like Rolling Fork and Fayette were on very limited budgets and business owners in Port Gibson were paying their own expenses. Everyone agreed the conference was very worth while and was a help to bring tourism to Miss-Lou Loop.

Quilt Shop Opens in Historic Downtown Port Gibson, MS

Cindi Greer and Kathleen Pauli have opened Back Forty Quilting (601) 437-0777

25 Raymond United Methodist Church members traveled to Port Gibson Friday March 31st. The church supper club selects a different restaurant each month to have dinner they chose the Bernheimer House and an extra Murder Mystery Dinner this month. The evening consisted of a six course dinner including hors d’oeuvres, appetizer Butterflied shrimp with Boursin cheese, Choctaw Corn Bisque, Bernheimer House salad, grilled rib eye or stuffed catfish, and for dessert a puff pastry wrapped baked apple stuffed with cinnamon red-hots. Between the courses the group was entertained by the members of there group that had taken parts in the murder mystery A Taste of Wine and Murder. After dinner the group toured all three floors of the Bernheimer House.

Natchez Chapter of The Links, Inc

The Natchez Chapter of The Links, Inc. met for its regular monthly meeting at the Bernheimer House in Port Gibson, Mississippi. Saturday January 14. Members attending the brunch meeting were from Natchez, Port Gibson, Alcorn, Brookhaven and McComb Mississippi.
The Links, Inc is a service organization of more than 10,000 members internationally. The Organization focuses on service in four areas – national treads, international trends, services to youth and the arts.
Dr Jo Ann Smith of Port Gibson is the Chairperson of services to youth.
This meeting was hosted by: Link Countess Thompson, Link Betty Johnson and Link Jo Smith.

Mississippi Magazine

Quilting in Mississippi by Janna Hoops

Story features Libby Hollingsworth and the Crossroads Quilters in Port Gibson.

Country Roads Spot Lights Port Gibson

Amazing Stories Told One Small Piece At A Time by Dale Irvin

This story feathering quilts by the Libby Schaiffer Hollingsworth family and a book written by Carol Vickers & Mary Elizabeth Johnson Mississippi Cultural Crossroads.

The Magnetic Charms of Port Gibson by Dale Irvin

Country Road's Story

Country Roads Web Site

Bernheimer House Hires Chef

The Bernheimer House “Where Thing Happen in Port Gibson” has kicked it up a notch by hiring Chef Alan Borum from Churchill Mississippi. Chef Alan likes to be creative with menus and not repetitions the Bernheimer House allows him freedom of expression with both menu and presentation and he does as well with desserts and he does entrée’s.

Bernheimer House will kick off their New Year events with “Till Death Do Us Part” Murder Mystery Dinner January 21, Valentines dinner February 14 and February Murder Mystery Dinner “Murder at Mardi Gras” on February 18. You can view the menus and they become available at http://www.bernheimerhouse.com/port_gibson_murder%20mysteries.htm .

With Chef Alan taking over kitchen duties for special events this will allow Nancy and I to spend more time with details like theme decorations etc.

Local Author releases new book, The Consort

An avid history buff, Mack R. May from Port Gibson, Mississippi, a town rich with history and heritage. The Consort, takes place in Grand Gulf, Mississippi. This thriving port town on the Mississippi River flourished between 1830 and 1856. It flourished indeed, until the river washed most of it away. Today, there is little left to testify to its splendor. The old cemetery tombstones bear witness to those who lived and died long ago. Several of those tombstones inspired him to write this book. Though completely fiction, it hopefully will reflect upon and honor some of the tragedies and hopes that those early settlers of our country endured.
The story weaves around some enjoyable characters who will give you a fresh taste of southern charm and chivalry. Well seasoned with traits of loyalty, faith, honor, greed, vanity, deceit, courage, and the spice of gossip, you will come to appreciate their complex nature.

The book was published by Author House and may be purchased online as well as ordered through your local bookstore. Enjoy the humor, romance, tragedy, adventure, and tales of the old town.

Not open yet! The idea of a Port Gibson Antique Mall took legs May 23, 2002 and still no antique mall. First the sign said opening mid December 2004 then ads said June 2005 it's now August 2006!!!

The architect on this project is Waycaster & Associates Natchez, MS.

The project manger is James Johnston Natchez, MS.

The contractor is George Harris Building & Roofing Co. Hazlehurst, MS.

I have absolutely nothing to do with the project and if there are problems the people in charge should look at them selves and not point fingers to someone that has nothing to do with it.

Loren Ouart Port Gibson, MS

Bernheimer House prepares to start painting by getting preservation committee's ok on choice of paint colors. This should not be a problem because Bernheimer House will go back to its original paint color and scheme. Two of the colors have just been used on the Episcopal Parish House the only differences is where the trim on the Parish House is white the Bernheimer House trim will be Rockwood Dark Green this color matches the best of any to the color of shutters that were on the home.
Uncovering the stain glass mosaics has also been started and many on the second floor are missing but the third floor appear to be all-intact. To the right and left of the windows on the third floor the mosaics are seashells. There are no plans to replace missing mosaics because of the cost. Bernheimer House hopes to have the paint striped from the mosaics before the next murder mystery dinner August 20th. The dormers and the gable on the east end also have mosaics but stripping them will not be done now.

The painting and mosaic restoration work was completed in February 2007.

Bernheimer House Architecture Style

The following list of information was responses to emails sent out to a list from the office of NCSHPO (National Conference of State Historic Preservations) to State Historic Preservations Directors and Deputy Directors.

Jim Draeger Wisconsin: The overall massing is taken from the Queen Anne style with the projecting bay on the right side balanced by the wraparound porch on the left. The bow window under the right side bay is also very Queen Anne. Some of the details are inspired by the Craftsman style such as the knee brace brackets supporting the roof of the right side bay and the center dormer window in the roof. The exposed rafter ends on the hipped roof on the left side are also a common Craftsman trait. The ornamental detail is most taken from the Tudor revival including the false half timbering in the second story bay on the right and the heavy brackets on the porch. So, if anyone asks what style your house is, say in a authoritative voice: "It is Queen Anne massing with Craftsman and Tudor influences."

Marc Wagner Virginia: The Bernheimer's were well assimilated into American culture--it's curious that they used the mosaic Arts and Crafts pattern that relates to a trend in their home country. I would attribute the mosaics more to a general influence of Arts and Crafts on American architecture in the late 19th--early 20th centuries. Neo-Tudor was not as common at that period. There are a rare few houses here in Virginia that have timber work with pebble faced panels in between the timbers--the glass is neat--and much more rare.

Barbara Michell, Iowa: It seems to me the stylistic qualities of the house are pretty clearly Tudor Revival, from the half-timbering and stucco to the steeply pitched roof with prominent front gable. The use of glass "mosaic" in what is typically just textured stucco is fascinating, however. I have not seen anything quite like it! I am not an expert on Austrian or German architecture/art by any means, but wonder whether the connection to Austria is significant. The eastern European architecture I have studied often has beautiful mosaics incorporated into the interior. The use of mosaics in architecture, of course, is an ancient art (the Romans disseminated what was taught to them by the Greeks throughout the Roman empire, for example). But typically, the mosaics depict a picture or symbol of some sort, rather than the random pattern evidenced in your photos online.
What this house really reminds me of is various folk-art traditions in architectural history, like glass bottle houses or the ornate grottos we are used to seeing in roadside architecture.

Tricia Canaday, Idaho: Interesting - it does look like a blending of styles - certainly it is not a pristine example of any specific style - but rather a blending of a couple... the massing and asymmetry and the porch point to Queen Anne, but, I agree some of the features remind me of Stick Style, but on the other hand that Tyrolean feeling is represented too... personally I wouldn't call it craftsman - the massing is way off for that... My feeling, again, is that they started with a fairly standard Queen Anne house and the Bernheimer's added their own unique touch to the design by adding the Tyrolean feel and the mosaics.

Last modified: April 27, 2007