Tupelo Historic Preservation Society gears up for weekend tours

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Two iconic Tupelo landmarks will be open to the public this weekend, as part of a historic preservation effort.

This Saturday, the Spain House will be open for tours. The two-story house was built in 1900 and sat on Main Street until it was moved about 10 years ago to its current location on South Church Street.

The Historic Preservation Society is in the process of renovating the house. The second property that will be open to the public is the historic Springhill Missionary Baptist Church on North Green Street.

It is the oldest African American church in the city and the sanctuary served as a meeting place during the civil rights marches of the 1960s.

“Often we hear people say, ‘I wish I could see that house, could you show it to me?’ and this is an opportunity for them to come in here and safely walk through and see we have made an awful lot of progress. We hope they will see we have a long way to go and will have interest in properties and will be willing to support us emotionally and especially financially,” said Doyce Deas, Tupelo Historic Preservation Commission.

“This is the beginning for us, and when I say the beginning we want to have a place in our city and community that we can come to for different events, but we need some money,” said Phyllis Sims, Tupelo Historic Preservation Commission.

The Open Houses for the Spain House and the Springhill Missionary Baptist Church run from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. There will be information on how people can support the preservation efforts.

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter