2024 Listen Up! Conference and Heritage Awards

When we talk about why we want to save a historic building, the conversation inevitably turns to stories. These meandering tales filled with family history are tied to places, such as the church you attended as a child and your grandparents’ house where you went for fried chicken after the sermon. Often, larger themes such as growing towns, changing economic opportunities and world events frame these personal remembrances. Growing up on stories of place has led many a Mississippian to commit to the cause of historic preservation. Some of these dedicated community leaders serve as volunteers on preservation commissions and civic organizations, while others choose to dedicate their life’s work to architecture, planning and public service.

During this year’s Listen Up! Historic Preservation Conference, we celebrate the people who dig in to document, discover and defend the places that helped shape their lives and define communities like Vicksburg. Highlights of the conference include a welcome party at the lovely Duff-Green Mansion Bed and Breakfast hosted by the Heritage Guild of Vicksburg and Warren County, keynote address by the Mississippian voted first to dig in, Thomas Gregory, the presentation of the 2024 Heritage Awards and a tour of downtown Vicksburg led by Vicksburg Main Street highlighting some of this happening town's recent preservation victories.

Conference Schedule

Wednesday, June 5, Duff Green Mansion, 1114 First East Street

4:00-5:30 p.m. Welcome Party Hosted by the Heritage Guild of Vicksburg and Warren County

Get into town early? Come by the beautiful Duff Green Mansion for drinks, snacks and convivial conversation about how to save the places that matter.

Thursday, June 6, Southern Cultural Heritage Center, 1302 Adams Street

9:00-10:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration

10:00-10:30 a.m. Welcome

The Honorable George Flaggs, Jr., City of Vicksburg

Amber Morton, President, Mississippi Heritage Trust

10:30-11:15 a.m. Keynote Address-Preservationists Dig In

Thomas Gregory, Executive Director, Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation

In his nearly twenty years of work in community development, Thomas Gregory has learned what it takes to make a place special. It is not splendid historic architecture or scenic vistas, though these things certainly help. The secret ingredient that makes places unique and authentic is the people. Thomas will share stories of communities that have turned back years of blight and neglect through the leadership and determination of their greatest asset—local citizens.

11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. You Don’t Know What You Have ‘Til It’s Almost Gone-Julius Rosenwald and His Legacy

Jennifer Baughn, Chief Architectural Historian, Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Brian Davis, Executive Director, Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation

Tripp Muldrow, Principle, Arnett Muldrow & Associates

Gary Anderson, Rosenwald Historian, Isaac Chapel Rosenwald Historical Museum and Educational Center, Byhalia

In partnership with Booker T. Washington, businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald help fund the construction of 5,357 schools for African American children across the south between 1917 and 1932.After serving over 700,000 children for four decades, these buildings were largely abandoned after desegregation. Today, only a handful of Rosenwald Schools remain. Thanks to strong preservation programs in Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina, a number of surviving Rosenwald Schools are being restored and repurposed to meet new community needs.

12:30-2:00 p.m. Lunch in Downtown Vicksburg

You have a magic ticket to a delicious lunch in downtown Vicksburg. Stroll down Washington Street and decide if you are in the mood for pizza, pinwheels or pastrami.

Milano’s Italian Restaurant, 1306 Washington Street

Bohemia Café and Bakery, 1119 Washington Street

Brick Street Market and Deli, 1102 Washington Street

2:00-4:00 p.m. Vicksburg National Military Park Celebrates 125 Years

John Schweikart, Archaeologist, Vicksburg National Military Park

National Park Service Archaeologist John Schweikart, RPA, will discuss new technology that is being used to uncover historical evidence of life during the siege of Vicksburg hidden under the grounds of the Vicksburg National Military Park since the long summer of 1863.

5:00-7:00 p.m. 2024 Heritage Awards Celebration

Raise a glass to the incredible preservation work that is happening all over our state thanks to the dedicated homeowners, talented architects, creative contractors and committed business owners who are this year’s Heritage Award recipients.

Friday, June 7, The Watermark, 1415 Washington Street

8:30 a.m. Breakfast and MHT Update

Claire Winn, Director of Programs, Mississippi Heritage Trust

9:00 a.m. Mississippi’s African American Heritage Is In Good Hands

Dr. Rolando Herts, Director, Delta Center for Culture and Learning

Panelists:

Malika Polk-Lee, Executive Director, B.B. King Museum, Delta Interpretive Center and Club Ebony, Indianola

Herman Johnson, Director, Darryl Johnson, Co-Founder, Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture and History

Anne’ McMillion, BSBM, MBA, CEO of H.A.N.A.P. LLC and Founder of Jabali Preservation Inc., Moss Point’s Civil Rights Movement and The 1964 Freedom Summer Project National Register District Nomination

Yaphet Smith, President, Keysmith Foundation, Annalise Flynn, Independent Curator, L.V. Hull House, Kosciusko

Jenna Welch, Producing Artistic Director, Storyworks, Clarksdale

Dr. Rolando Herts and the crew at the Delta Center for Culture and Learning know a thing or two about partnerships. When they put out the call for people to attend a summit on Civil Rights Heritage Tourism last fall, eager advocates flocked to the B.B. King Museum and Club Ebony in Indianola to discuss past successes and future strategies. The summit highlighted the important work that is happening to save, restore and repurpose historic places that tell the story of the African American experience in the Delta and across Mississippi.

After hearing from Rolando about the work of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, our panelists will share stories about projects up and running and in the works.

11:00 a.m. Vicksburg-199 Years of Fabulous

Kim Hopkins, Director of Vicksburg Main Street, will lead participants on a tour highlighting some of the recent preservation successes that are making downtown Vicksburg the place to be.

1:00 p.m. MHT Annual Membership Meeting, The Thrift Kane House, 2530 Oak Street

Following the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s Annual Membership Meeting, participants will enjoy light fare while Randolph Adair and Gregory Bingham, owners of the Thrift Kane House, share stories about their efforts to give this fascinating c.1850 house a new lease on life.