Beauvoir - Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library

From the Press Release:

Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library

For Immediate Release
For Further Information Contact:
William Earl Faggert
H 601-787-4660
C 601-310-4016

BEAUVOIR'S BEAUTIFUL VIEW DEVASTATED BY KATRINA

With a fury, Hurricane Katrina came roaring across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In her wake, she left the twisted remains of history. Decades of Mississippi disappeared. Yet, one important historic home remains, severely damaged but not destroyed.

Beauvoir, the last home of Jefferson F. Davis, suffered severe damage from the waves and winds of Katrina. Only two of the buildings remain, the mansion and the Presidential Library. The positive news is that both of these will be repaired, with adequate time and funds.

Listed on the National Historic Register, Beauvoir is also a National Historic Landmark, as well as one of Mississippi's Archaeological Landmarks. Jefferson Davis spent his last years here, enjoying the view, and writing his memoirs. Davis' professional career included years as the President of the Confederate States of America, and also as a prominent leader in the United States. He served in positions such as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, a U. S. Senator from Mississippi, and was a renowned military leader in the Mexican War.

Today, Beauvoir is one of the few remaining historical sites on the Coast. With all the devastation left by Katrina, Beauvoir, in the words of many, has become the spirit of determination of recovery on the Coast. It has become the heart of the cultural and historical rebuilding. The mansion and Presidential Library both can be rebuilt, but it is going to require help from all. (Visit our website at http://www.beauvoir.org/ to view some of the damage.)

Efforts are underway now to begin Beauvoir recovery, but we need your financial assistance. Staff members, working with members of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, have already begun removing many items for preservation. Your donations are needed more than ever.

Please forward all contributions to:

Mississippi Division - United Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc.
dba The Jefferson Davis Home & Presidential Library
P O Box 7
Meridian, MS 39302-0007.

Checks may be made payable as above or simply Beauvoir Relief Fund, and all contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Images from before and after can viewed here, and you know what you can contribute, so do so when you can as much as you can.

--WP