The Noxubee County Library was built in 1907 and served as the county jail until it was converted into a library in 1984.
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Noxubee County Library is getting some welcome money for much-needed repairs and renovations.
The library is getting nearly half a million dollars from a Mississippi Department of Archives and History grant that funds projects to restore historic properties.
The Noxubee County Library was built in 1907 and served as the county jail until it was converted into a library in 1984.
Noxubee County District 2 Supervisor Landis Mickens said now more than 100 years since its beginning, the building is starting a new chapter.
“We received 400 and something thousand dollars from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. And we received a donation from Harold Gibson Memorial Foundation of $100,000,” Mickens said.
The grant process began around 2013 when the previous board of supervisors was looking for ways to restore the historic building.
Now, nearly 10 years later work has finally started to restore the property.
Library Director Shameka Conner said the repair work needs to start at the top.
“Currently, we are having pretty much roof issues. If you can’t get the roof, you have to start with the roof. We’re leaking in different parts of the areas of the west wing and east wing. The west wing is the major damage,” Conner said.
The MDAH has certain requirements when it comes to restoring historic buildings. So, the restoration process will be done in several different phases.
“They have to have certain materials that is what makes it so expensive. They are going to carefully remove the red tile that’s on the roof. And they are going to replace that and hopefully match it because it is such a unique tile. So, what they are going to do is save what they can and see if they are able to get the same type,” Conner said.
Conner said it’s great to see a place filled with so much history, turning a new page.
“It’s great to see and be a part of it because I’ve been in this library since 2005. That’s been 18 years. So, to see it deteriorate and actually look at old photos when they renovated it back in ’84 and to now see renovations similar to what they had going on and get the roof done. I love it,” Conner said.
The contracting company has a deadline of 200 days to try and restore the roof until they go back to the drawing board for the next phase.
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