Gulfport Civil Rights site one of four to receive restoration grant in MS

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - Not many signs of what was once a booming industrial and residential area in the Turkey Creek Neighborhood of Gulfport remain, but now an effort to change that is underway.

A $499,534 grant has been awarded to the Land Turst for the Mississippi Coastal Plain to restore the Old Phoenix Naval Stores building.

Flowers White has lived in the Turkey Creek community his whole life. He's hopeful the restoration will lead to a place where the contributions of African Americans in the early 1900's can be highlighted.

"I think it's important to restore this building back and try to get it to like a museum for the area to let the whole world know what it was like down in this area back in the 30's and 40's," said White.

The community was centered around the Creosote wood plant and was one of the biggest industrial areas in Mississippi.

"At the time of the Creosote we had people from all over the state and country to come down here to live and get jobs," White said

The old Phoenix Naval Stores building is one of four historic Civil Rights sites in Mississippi to benefit from funding through the National Park Service.

The Phoenix Naval Stores office building is one of ten listed on the Mississippi Places of Peril, ranking as one of the most important endangered historic properties in the state.

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