The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has awarded grants totaling more than $97,000 to eight preservation projects in seven Certified Local Government (CLG) communities across the state.  

The scope of work for awarded projects ranges from professional assessments, as with the evaluation of three National Register-listed buildings for future use by the City of New Albany, to more advanced phases of rehabilitation, as with the Lundy House project in Lexington.   

“We are pleased to partner with these communities in 2024,” said deputy director of Historic Preservation, Meredith Massey. “The projects mainly focus on rehabilitating historic buildings and conducting professional assessments and surveys, as well as technological upgrades that benefit CLG communities. We look forward to assisting these communities in their preservation efforts.” 

The 2024 grants are:

Aberdeen, $10,000.00, High Street Community Center professional assessment. 

Aberdeen, $10,000.00, second Neuberger Library rehabilitation. 

Greenwood, $10,000.00, Confederate Memorial Building and Greenwood Carnegie Library professional assessments. 

Hattiesburg, $18,000.00, Historic Site Management Tool map viewer upgrades. 

Lexington, $13,000.00, Lundy House rehabilitation. 

New Albany, $12,558.10, Benjamin F. Ford School, old police station, and light, gas, and water building professional assessments. 

Ocean Springs, $15,000.00, historic guidelines and district updates. 

Woodville, $9,400.00, Polk’s Meat Market rehabilitation. 

The Certified Local Government program is a federal-state-local partnership designed to assist local governments in dealing with diverse preservation needs through funding and technical assistance. CLG communities may apply for annual grants to undertake preservation projects of importance to the community. Grants may be used for such diverse projects as the restoration of historic buildings; preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; educational programs; publication of local design guidelines; and marketing tools for historic resources. 

Funding for the grants comes from the Historic Preservation Fund, a federal grants program appropriated by the U.S. Congress and administered by the National Park Service, which provides financial support to State Historic Preservation Offices, including the Historic Preservation Division of MDAH. 

To become a CLG, a community must adopt a preservation ordinance establishing a preservation commission in accordance with federal and state guidelines. Once the commission has been established, application for CLG status may be made to the National Park Service through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. MDAH works closely with local government officials and citizens to help them create and manage a workable local historic preservation program. To learn more about the CLG program, visit https://www.mdah.ms.gov/historic-preservation/preservation-planning-development#clg. 

The fifty-seven CLG communities in Mississippi are Aberdeen, Baldwyn, Bay Saint Louis, Biloxi, Booneville, Brandon, Canton, Carrollton, Carthage, Claiborne County, Clarksdale, Cleveland, Clinton, Columbia, Columbus, Como, Corinth, Durant, Eupora, Gautier, Greenville, Greenwood, Hattiesburg, Hazlehurst, Hernando, Holly Springs, Indianola, Jackson, Kosciusko, Laurel, Leland, Lexington, Louisville, McComb, Meridian, Mound Bayou, Mount Olive, Natchez, New Albany, Ocean Springs, Oxford, Pascagoula, Philadelphia, Port Gibson, Quitman, Raymond, Senatobia, Sharkey County, Starkville, Tunica, Tupelo, Vicksburg, Water Valley, West, West Point, Woodville, and Yazoo City. 

Members of the MDAH Board of Trustees are Spence Flatgard, president, Ridgeland; Nancy Carpenter, vice president, Columbus; Reginald Buckley, Jackson; Carter Burns, Natchez; Betsey Hamilton, New Albany; Mark E. Keenum, Starkville; Lucius Lampton, Magnolia; and TJ Taylor, Madison. 

For more information, call 601-576-6940 or email clg@mdah.ms.gov.