The Meridian Star

The Meridian Star has served the citizens of East Central Mississippi and West Alabama since its founding as the The Evening Star in 1898. The newspaper was renamed The Meridian Star in 1915 and has served as the city's only daily newspaper since 1921. Currently owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., The Meridian Star publishes seven days a week. The newspaper converted from evening to morning delivery in early 2005.


James B. Skewes, whose family bought the paper in the early 1920s, was the editor of the Meridian Star when we were in school and continued as editor into the sixties. (and maybe longer)

I have trouble believing this headline below was printed, but it's written on
the "James Earl Chaney Foundation" website. (scroll to the bottom of the page).

"THE NIGGER WAS FOUND ON TOP" read the August 5, 1964 headlines of the Meridian Star, a local newspaper. While enroute to Meridian, Mississippi the three civil rights workers were stopped by a Neshoba County sheriffs' deputy and turned over to the Ku Klux Klan. They were murdered and their bodies buried in an earthen dam. The 44 day search for their bodies was national and massive. The body of James Chaney was a "mangled mass". The injuries, besides the bullet holes, it was said "could only occur in a high speed airplane crash!"

Whether the above headline is true or not, the below was published in the Meridian Star on January 17, 2009.

The Meridian Star's mea culpa

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Opening lines of:

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Matty Hersee Hospital

The hospital, as we knew it, served mostly the needy, less fortunate among us.


Closure of Matty Hersee Hospital

From and after July 1, 1989, the Matty Hersee Hospital at Meridian shall be closed, and the Legislature shall not appropriate any funds for the operation of this hospital after that date.

Said hospital shall not admit any person as an inpatient into the hospital after June 15, 1989. The hospital shall make every effort to locate and make arrangements with hospitals or other appropriate institutions to provide treatment and care to any patients who will continue to need treatment and care after June 30, 1989.

MATTY HERSEE HOSPITAL
8TH STREET RD
MERIDIAN, MS 39301

Matty Hersee as we remember it in the '50s:

Watch out! Th' Boss is gaining on us.

That tempus just keeps on fugit-ing.

Click on for a bigger picture.

From 25 years ago:

Glory Days

Dancing in the dark

The Downtown Hallmark

The Threefoot Building was built in 1929 and has 16 stories that tower over downtown Meridian. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. I looked around for a while until I found what I thought were more illustrative pictures of this remarkable building, the focal point of Meridian's skyline. It was disheartening to learn of its demise. That this elegant art deco masterpiece is being given new life is fortunate and, of course, an important component to downtown's revitalization. But, that it will become a mid-range Marriott property in its new life is quite a comedown from its former eminence. Click on to enlarge.   

I hope Meridian can generate and maintain sufficient business to support a 125 room Marriott Courtyard property .

Art by Martha Ann Hopkins, neé Markline

Our classmate, Martha Ann, has recently created a blog comprised of her art. I like her work, but asking me to review art is like asking a fish to ride a bicycle, so I'll let Martha Ann speak for herself:

I earned a BFA in Sculpture at the University of Alabama in 2004. I started painting seriously in 2004, and my concerns in painting are the same as they were in sculpture. I start with a minimal look, and then tweak it to provide expression. Rothko and Anish Kapoor have influenced my work. I am using color as expression. Many of my canvases are 3D; I like to respond to an actual shape (other than a flat canvas) with paint.

"Displaced Target" (Acrylic on Shaped Canvas)



"Concert in an Egg" (Unglazed Porcelain)


Visit Martha Ann's Blog by clicking on this link. I think you'll be impressed by her talent(s).

Ripe For Redevelopment?

Note the Threefoot Building towering in the background. Perhaps its conversion to a new purpose foretells this site's future, as well. Let's hope so. Tell me what buildings we are looking at and I'll label the picture as such.  Click on for a larger photo



Taken by a photographer who calls himself: toml1969

Remember Vise Clinic?

Click on for a great photo.



Per the photographer who calls himself johnnyurban:

"For whatever reason I was drawn to this 1947 Moderne building in downtown Meridian. After doing some research, it turns out this was the 1st air conditioned building in the state. The wraparound windows are striking, and the contrasting facade depths also add interest. There's a great vertical neon sign on the opposite side of the left white edge that announces the original tenant, the Vise Clinic. The green marble is reminiscent of the Barcleona[sic]* Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe. It feels odd to be admiring these kinds of buildings, but Mid-Century is the new Art Deco in 2009."

*Barcelona (DNJ)