As recovery from Hurricane Katrina continues, people often count the cost in rebuilding lives and livelihoods, but the Gulf Coast area was also dealt a huge blow to its history and culture. While many historic sites were damaged or destroyed, some have survived to rebuild again, demonstrating that the truest part of the area’s heritage is the undying spirit of its people.
Beauvoir (228.388.4400; www.beauvoir.org), once home to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, was extensively damaged during Katrina and began a $4 million post-storm renovation that restored the property to its original appearance. Ninety percent of the restoration is finished, and tours of the graceful Biloxi home will begin again June 3. Groups can use the pavilion for outdoor events, and indoor meeting space will be available again when the presidential library is rebuilt; the library is slated for completion by 2010.
Although the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art (228.374.5547; www.georgeohr.org) in Biloxi had begun construction on a new site before Katrina, the storm significantly impacted the project when a barge hit the building. Now the construction project has turned into a rebuilding effort, and the work of George Ohr, the “Mad Potter of Biloxi,” will again have a whimsical home. Opening in phases over the next several years, the museum encompasses the new Frank Gehry-designed shells, resembling giant pods, of the George Ohr Pavilion, which has become a popular place for outdoor events. Small receptions of up to 50 people can also be held at the transitional museum location, a historic house just two miles east of Beauvoir, which is open to the public.
Another staple of coastal culture has been the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum (228.435.6320; www.maritimemuseum.org), which represented the area’s rich history of sailing and fishing. The museum was completely destroyed by Katrina, but the Biloxi Schooners, the two replica ships docked at the museum, survived and are still available for charter trips at the Schooner Pier Complex, located across from the new museum building site. Each schooner can accommodate up to 49 people. Construction on the new museum will start in January 2009, with completion slated for summer 2010.
