The displays further immerse visitors in the history of racial segregation along the Gulf Coast, which was a perspective that I had never seen presented. The primary highlight for us was Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center, which documents the life & times of the first freed slave to buy his own land in Biloxi. My wife & I encountered no particularly noteworthy pieces of art on display during our visit, but the exhibits are thoughtfully curated & laid out in the galleries. ![]() His architectural contributions to the campus of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi are on a smaller scale than most of his other buildings, but they are unmistakably Geary & provide unique housing for their small but varied art collection. In that vein, I urge any and all to visit Beauvoir with an open mind, fully prepared to hear things that will surprise - and learn.Īny chance I get to see buildings designed by Frank Geary, I don't pass it up. Clark ended his presentation with a beautifully phrased urging to learn background stories in history before reacting to things in a knee-jerk manner, close our ears and minds, accept erroneous conclusions about those who we initially think don’t hold parallel opinions to ours, thus furthering the gulfs that are dividing our wonderful country. What BG Seidule relayed made us more aware of what we experienced and gave us a counterpoint to the messages of other sights that now concentrate on slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. Army Brigadier General, West Point grad, and scholar who had an “aha” moment about what popular American society, especially that part from the Old South, propagated about the Lost Cause, did extensive research, and wrote a very honest, personal, readable, no-holds-barred explanation of the lies we’ve been taught, at the urging of his wife. ![]() Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Virginia native Ty Seidule, a retired U.S. Coincidentally, maybe Gid-incidentally, not too long before our visit, my husband and I read Robert E. I feel privileged to have toured while he was there. If that’s the case, then they’re all exceptional. I was assured that Beauvoir’s remaining docents are just as capable. Why hasn’t she been given a more prominent place in American history? (We all know the answer to that.) Unfortunately for future visitors, Mr. The tale of Sarah Ann (Ellis) Dorsey, the owner who invited President Davis and his family to live on her property and subsequently willed it to him, is beyond fascinating. He made that building and its surroundings come alive. ![]() A master storyteller, he knew minutiae and could spout it on a moment’s notice, answering any and all questions without hesitation. He gave us at least 60 minutes of detailed information withing 45 minutes, only stopping because he had to welcome the next tour. His speaking pace rivaled that of Amtrak’s Acela’s speed. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Ron Clark was beyond a walking wealth of knowledge. In a bit, it became evident that he was the docent. As a group of us was waiting on the house’s porch in record heat and humidity for the tour to begin, a man dressed in torn jeans, a tee shirt sporting some message, some kind of flap cap made of some sort of heavy fabric, noticeably sporting a variety of tattoos emerged through the front door and began to talk. All we knew about Beauvoir before visiting was that it was a home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |