Isaiah T. Montgomery House
N 33° 52.624 W 090° 43.729
15S E 710061 N 3750846
This is one of the 2013 top ten most endangered places in Mississippi. We hope you will enjoy visiting these forgotten places and, in doing so, bring a little life and memory back into each one.
Waymark Code: WMJFX1
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2013
Views: 19
Listed as a National Historic Landmark
Significance:
Built in 1910 by the founder and first mayor of Mound Bayou, the Isaiah T. Montgomery House has tremendous significance to the history of Mississippi. A two story brick structure with a full basement, the house has a spacious front porch with impressive square Doric columns. Born a slave on the plantation of Joseph Davis, brother of Jefferson Davis, Isaiah T. Montgomery led fellow freed slaves to establish the African American community of Mound Bayou in 1887. Given its proximity to the railroad and the fertile Delta land ideal for growing cotton, Mound Bayou flourished under Montgomery’s leadership. By the early twentieth century, Mound Bayou was prosperous model of black autonomy, with its own bank, school, industrial buildings and numerous shops. The town of Mound Bayou was granted its charter in 1912. Isaiah T. Montgomery, accountant, real estate developer, civil engineer and politician, died in 1924, leaving a legacy that should be remembered and celebrated.
Threat:
The Isaiah T. Montgomery House is currently threatened by ongoing deterioration and lack of maintenance. The house is owned by the Knights and Daughters of Tabor, a civic organization that has expressed the desire to work with the city of Mound Bayou to restore the building for use as a bed and breakfast for medical staff and families of patients at the Taborian Urgent Care Center, scheduled to open in February 2014.
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Visit the other Waymarks in this series:
Meridian Police Department – WMJFNJ
33rd Avenue School – WMJFNM
Mendenhall High School Auditorium – WMJFNX
West Pascagoula Colored School – WMJFNZ
Webster County Courthouse – WMJFP2
Moss Point Water Works – WMJFN5
Merrill Maley House – WMJFN7
Southern Christian Institute – WMJFNB
Millsaps Hotel – WMJFM4
Terrain Rating: 
Photo Required: yes
Hint: Not listed
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