National Trust Partner Continues to Support Mississippi Gulf Coast Recovery
by Guest Writer on November 13th, 2009Written by Lolly Barnes
Harold Payne, Cathy Reed, Jordan Payne, Jittaun Payne, Darryl Payne, Karin Iwasaka, Nicco Payne and Jason Payne in front of the home as work is underway.
Jittaun Payne lives on a street surrounded by family, friends and memories. She grew up in a house three doors down from her present house. Her son and brother now live in her childhood home. As a little girl, Jittaun used to visit her neighbor Etta Porter and stay the night when Etta’s husband, a member of the Merchant Marine, was away on duty. She never imagined that one day Etta’s house would be hers.
In 1995, when Harold and Jittaun made plans to move back to Krebs Avenue to be near Jittaun’s ailing father, they learned that Ms. Porter’s home was vacant and condemned. Despite severe deterioration, including missing floors, doors and windows, the Paynes undertook the project, determined to save this special place.
SSgt Mindy Dahl (left) and SSgt Tammy Williams (right), both of Biloxi, volunteer at the Payne’s house.
Today, the house is beautiful again, inside and out. Hurricane Katrina proved a setback, but the Paynes were able to secure a grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to address storm damage. Thanks to donations from Valspar and the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the hard work of many volunteers, Harold and Jittaun Payne’s house is now painted a vivid kaleidoscope of greens and reds (from the National Trust’s Historic Paint Colors, of course). Hands On Gulf Coast volunteer coordinator Cathy Reed, who has spearheaded the painting project, sums it up well. “They just don’t make stuff like this anymore. This house needed to be saved”.
Leatrice Cain’s home in Bay Saint Louis, MS.
The Payne’s house is nearly finished, and after that, the “Good Neighbor” team, which includes Valspar and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, United Way of South Mississippi and volunteers from Lockheed Martin, will begin painting Leatrice Cain’s home in Bay Saint Louis. This shotgun house will be painted in a very traditional color scheme, with Jekyll Clubhouse Yellow siding and La Fonda Trail Green. Leatrice is excited for the work to begin on November 13th.
Read our earlier post about the work at Jittaun Payne’s house »
Lolly Barnes is the immediate past president of the Mississippi Heritage Trust Board of Trustees and a lifelong resident of Biloxi. The Mississippi Heritage Trust is a statewide organization dedicated to the preservation of the prehistoric and historic cultural resources of Mississippi.
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November 19th, 2009 at 9:53 am
[...] While members of the Keesler Air Force Base 335th Training Wing were gathering in Pascagoula to put the finishing touches on Harold and Jittaun Payne’s house, a group of more than 30 employees from Lockheed Martin and their families were hard at work in Bay [...]