Marcella Archibeque is spitting mad that she can't obliterate her own bit of Gulf Coast history; she wants her historic shotgun cottage scraped off the face of the earth and sent to the big trash heap where other architectural victims of hurricane Katrina have gone.
But it's exactly because this shotgun style home -- or what is left of it -- is designated as "historic" that she's having trouble getting it bulldozed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
In order for the Corps to carry out a demolition of the building, it must first get approval from FEMA. FEMA, in turn, needs the Mississippi State Department of Archives and History to sign off on the demolition. That arrangement, multiplied by thousands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, inevitably leads to confusion.
Archibeque says she's been waiting since October to have the demolition approved. FEMA says it's waiting for the state of Mississippi to give its approval and the folks at the Department of Archives and History say they are waiting for FEMA to send them the papers.
Until the papers resurface, with the Department of Archives and History's signoff, not a single brick or board is going to be moved from Archiebeque's historical home, unless she does it herself. She is perfectly free to do that -- at her own expense, of course.
"What historical site?" snaps Archibeque, a wispy woman with shining crown of white hair, stabbing the air in the direction of an above-ground pool filled with branches and brackish water. "Does this look historical to you? You tell your readers if they want an 'historical pool' they can just come over and have it!"
Archibeque says she only learned "through the grapevine" that her house was on the historical registry -- the official listing of historically significant buildings. But given its current condition, that categorization strikes her as absurd.
"(It) isn't historical anymore because years ago it was modified, redesigned and now it’s a mess," she says. "There’s nothing historical about it; it’s hysterical now."
Bulldozing history
The devastating toll that Katrina took on Mississippi's rich architectural history is only now becoming clear. Jennifer Baughn, an architectural historian with the state Department of Archives and History said that the storm destroyed 366 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and "severely damaged" another 367, which "will most likely be torn down." That accounts for nearly two-thirds of the 1,114 buildings listed on the register before the storm.
READ RELATED STORY: A great 'bump' of historic proportions
Comparable statewide figures are not available for Louisiana, but its richest concentration of historic buildings, some 37,000, are located in New Orleans. Of those homes, 11,000 were "damaged or destroyed" in some manner, according to Sue Sperry, a spokeswoman for the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, a non-profit group working to help save the historic properties. However, damage varied greatly among the 20 historic districts found in New Orleans. Of the 16,000 homes and buildings controlled by the city, only 172 -- or 1 less than 1 percent -- collapsed or are considered in imminent danger of collapsing, the city's Historic District Landmarks Commission reported recently.
Waveland and Bay St. Louis alone had 576 homes on the National Register of Historic Places, but lost 238 of them. "Katrina took them in a heartbeat," says Charles Gray, director of the Hancock County Historical Society.
Another 40 historic homes are "marginal," or probably salvageable, but "I hold no hope they will be," he adds. "No one has any say about what they can do. We can go to them and beg plead, but we have no legal authority if the owner arbitrarily decides to tear it down."
Gray says bitterly that he spent 10 years "trying to get the damned City Council to pass a preservation ordinance," but the members always wanted changes and the measure never was passed. If it had been, Gray says, would have put some restrictions on the modifications of historical properties owners could make, but the payoff would have been that owners of these homes could have applied to the state for grants and loans to help rebuild them.
With so much demolition waiting in the wings, architectural experts fear that much of the Gulf Coast's history and charm will simply be bulldozed for the sake of expediency.
"A lot of these people figure they can’t afford to restore their historic homes," Gray says. "One person I know is spending $225,000 to put their house back on its foundation -- it's a little shotgun style house -- and very few people have the means to do to that. So it’s the cost factor persuading them to do go head with demolition."
Baughn, the state historian, adds, "It’s incalculable how much history is going to be lost (because of people choosing to demolish homes)."
Baughn said that "for years after Camille hit" people bemoaned the fact that they didn't think long and hard before just demolishing their properties. "We hear it all that time, 'I shouldn't have torn down my place,'" Baughn says. "It’s incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking to see the pattern repeating and people don’t realize it."
Baughn says that her department has tried to talk to FEMA about the possibility of the agency subsidizing putting houses back on their foundations, which is all many of them require to be saved. But FEMA has "made it clear that they will tear these houses down no matter what; they have no interest in saving them," she says.
Stuck in Historical Limbo
Mary Van Pelt knew all about the historical value of the 100-year-old home she lost to Katrina. That was a big attraction to her when she bought it 2 1/2 years ago. But Katrina took it all; there's nothing really to save except perhaps some doors, architectural moldings and the like.
And so Van Pelt has asked that her property be demolished. But because her request is somehow "stuck" in the system, awaiting signoff by the Archives and History department, all Van Pelt can do is sit and wait and watch as her dream house forlornly awaits its fate.
But it gets worse.
Now working in Atlanta, Van Pelt has heard reports that her home is being looted, picked over by Katrina scavengers looking for anything they can carry away. Her beautiful French doors are broken or gone; the thieves apparently couldn't carry off the heavy old Franklin stove, "so they just shoved it around," .
"It feels like someone is picking my bones," she says, the pain of this final desecration evident in her voice. "After going through almost every emotion, this was the final blow, to hear that people are looting. At this point it’s bittersweet, (the demolition) has to be done so just go ahead and do it."
A pungent parade
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Andy - I'm with you! You wouldn't believe how many people said next time they will light it on fire before they evacuate and then the insurance companies will HAVE to pay - I'm sure most of these people were joking, but I guarantee you that with what we are all having to deal with regarding insurance, some are not joking!!! Like our Congressman, Gene Taylor, said - he thinks that Insurance Executives should have to register just as Sex Offenders do, because he holds them to the same esteem! It is an absolute crime, not to mention sin, what the insurance companies are doing to us - we paid our entire lives those healthy premiums and now they are saying that the 40' wall of water that came in had nothing at all to do with the 140mph winds that caused it! - Unbelievable! If I had to pick one thing that is causing the slow recovery (other than debris removal) is people waiting and fighting with their insurance companies - as if we have the emotional, mental and physical strenght left to do that!!
Hang in there Marcella and hopefully you contacted Robbie Sherman from Texas - I just got the feeling from his post that he would make it happen for you - I've come to realize that those who are helping the most are those people of few words and plenty of action! Please let us know how you are progressing!
T. Ryan (Sent Mar 14, 2006 7:11:46 PM)
I was born and raised in Mississippi, and remember the beautful homes and moss draped trees of Biloxi, gulfport, and Pass Christian. I only hope that this careless demoliton and construction won't turn that lovely unique area into anoter ubiquitous row of condos. I can see the developers lickig their lips.
Carolyn Clearwater, Florida (Sent Mar 14, 2006 9:16:06 PM)
I agree with Andy. Accidents can happen! Salvage something from it and bring that history to your new home. Hang in there.
Marni, Texas (Sent Mar 15, 2006 12:17:40 PM)
while Katrina didn't do much damage here....job loss ..does.....lose your job....because...the jobs went to other countries...."NAFTA"....thanks president Clinton......an "accident"...like Marni says ...might be the answer for a morgage....you can't pay...without a job....if your insurance is paid.....BUT when the firetruck dumps water on the house...insurance...will probably call it "flood damage".......man i guess i'm just disscusted....yeah they did it to me also {my Basement}..."flood damage"....I said sh**....I live on a hill....then i asked the adjustor....if i was covered for FIRE....he hit da door.....runnin'...i ain't changed companies....cause non are worth a sh**...when you really need em
andy,ms (Sent Mar 16, 2006 11:05:28 PM)
As a resident of Biloxi I must say I am appalled by the media and by so many of the idiots in this country that have tunnel vision on New Orleans. To all of you who think this story was about New Orleans, WAKE UP! It was about Mississippi!
Not only do you morons seem to think the only place hit by Katrina was NEW ORLEANS you are too stupid to realize that NEW ORLEANS was damaged by flood water, the hurricane had already passed over. Nagan tried to hide his indigent citizens from the world so that no one would know what a slumlord he is and he got caught with his pants down. I feel badly for the people of New Orleans but take a long hard look, much more of Louisiana was damaged than just New Orleans, and you can add Mississippi and Alabama to the figures also.
You all sound like Bush who wants to earmark money for only the New Orleans community. I have friends in Louisiana who are as appalled as I am by the fact that everyone else has been forgotten. Take a good look people, there was a far greater area than New Orleans damaged! And for those of you that commented on New Orleans here in response to the house, well, learn to read and to interpret what you read accurately before commenting.
To those who have not forgotten all the communities in addition to New Orleans that were damaged, a very heartfelt thank you.
John Lewis (Sent Mar 16, 2006 11:45:56 PM)
Why is the gov't and all of us responsible for all of these people building or buying homes on land that belongs underwater..? Why do we in Wisconsin have to pay for that..? When my home is ravaged by a tornado, it's a bit different.. I didn't build my home in a tornado incubator, and I don't expect the Gov't to provide me with somewhere to live, living expenses, and a new home.. When you play with gas, why do you cry when you're on fire..? Put another way; When the fool in California builds his house on a mudslide infested bank by the ocean and the rains take it down the hill, isn't he just getting what he asked for? And are the people of New Orleans busting out their checkbooks to pay for it..? They shouldn't be.. shouldn't have to.. shouldn't feel obligated.. We all make choices.. Make a choice and live on dry land.. Don't get me wrong, I am all about helping my fellow man; at least the ones that want to help themselves.. but if you stand in the train tracks, don't expect me to feel bad for you when you get hit, and don't whine about it...
Bob, A small town in Wisconsin (Sent Mar 17, 2006 12:40:26 AM)
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT OUR GOVERMENT SHOULD BE CONSIDERING NOT SUPPLYING ANY AID FOR SOME PARTS OF THE WORLD FOR A WHILE UNTIL THE GULF COAST IS ADDRESSED,DON'T YOU THINK OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN SHOULD RECIEVE AID FIRST REBUILD OUR LAND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BUILT THIS COUNTRY,THE GOVERMENT COULD CUT THE RED TAPE SO THESE OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN COULD GO ON WITH THERE LIVES.......
joe delancey new york (Sent Mar 17, 2006 9:31:52 AM)
There is so much history in this area I agree that some of the homes that were directily involved with history, should be salvaged, but I also feel that if the stucture is not sound, or if the damage is that significant, that the dwelling should come down, not everyone has the funds to restore some of these homes, it is shame that history gets lost, but it is also a shame when the history of a home is put before the peron or persons that lived there.
Evalyn, Sydney, Australia (Sent Mar 17, 2006 9:57:16 PM)
i guess the homes being built back today....will someday....be considered "historic"....build them right so they will last....be a part of history..in the future
andy,ms (Sent Mar 19, 2006 7:27:07 PM)
Hello all .
I live in Laurel , MS .
We here was blessed with only 65 per cent of homes and business damage .
Loss of life ? Yes , that too .
I have read many inputs here and agree with most .
There was many things that went bad here .
We all know of the price gouging and long lines trying to get basics like gas , food , beer , ...
There was no realiable source of information nor aid in many wards here for long periods of time .
Most in my area donot own transportation .
Several times I loaded my little Sentra with my neighbors to go find ICE and food and the National Guard would only give us ONE BAG of ice to split between us . One of my neighbors has 12 children .
I and my elderly mother made it though . I got hurt bad when the power was finally restored and my neighbor's house caught fire and they lost everything .
The transformer was messed up . To big a hurry restoring the power without checking the connections .
BTW there are still peeps living in tents on our coast who really need the help of all Americans even from those yankees up North because we in Mississippi has always helped our Country in times of need !
How about returning the favor instead of bitching .
Dawg (Sent Mar 20, 2006 11:22:37 PM)
Just remember that you can out of your own pockets demolish history and the state nor federal can stop you. Looks like me you are doing this for FREE!!
Charles Batten (Sent Mar 21, 2006 3:20:03 AM)
OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW. let us just move on with our life
Denis Wise Long Beach ,Ms. (Sent Mar 21, 2006 5:48:06 AM)
I just visited Mississippi this past November and it was devastating all the way up to Hattiesburg! I was so appalled that our Government has let this happen. We paid all this money to these people who expect the Government to take care of them and now we have been taken advantage of by the very ones that we tried so terribly to help. How many thousands of FEMA trailers did I pass on 49 heading towards Purvis??? I couldn't tell you. Thousands, and when I got there with my truck to help (for free now) I couldn't because I had to see a contractor to get hired on. So I asked them, when do these trailers get to the people that need them? The answer, well no answer, and they asked me to leave. I asked another couple who came from Indiana with a small trailer attached to the back of their truck and they said they have made trip after trip on the Government dime and then gave me a number to contact to get hired on. I don't want to get hired on! I wanted to help while I was there. I called FEMA. They wouldn't help, couldn't help, it was in the hands of the contractors now. WHAT? My husband and I stayed with a couple from just across Camp Shelby who was also prior military and they were also devastated. No phone service for months, no good, safe water. This is miles away from New Orleans now!!! I never made it into New Orleans, but what can those of us who can help do? We have been run out. We donate, and donate and watch as olympic size swimming pools are build in Balad in Iraq, and Bases overseas are upgraded daily. Shame on you President Bush, and both my husband and I have served for you in your great military. When do we get the chance to help out our America? Shame on all who voted for him, unless you deny that he was even an opponent now, and shame on you for not researching him and his "goals" before now. Look where we are today. Our country will not be in need of a historical society, because we will not be able to survive. Only the rich, and with outsourcing and other opportunities who would see anything but poverty remaining in this country? Even the rich can't get a break anymore. It is an ugly form of communism, and we have to wake up. I've already talked to my Senator, and made waves all the way up the Southern states with my ill thoughts towards this Government. My husband and I are treated as if we should just keep our mouths shut and follow the President in whatever militaristic action he takes. Well, you spend 18 months in Iraq and come home to try and help those of your own, get shunned and still see nothing done!! God Bless America....
Andie, Tennessee (Sent Mar 21, 2006 10:00:07 AM)
I'm so ashamed of how our leaders have handled the relief help for the Gulfcoast Katrina victims. I visited Ms a few weeks ago and I could not believe how people are still having to live. No excuses are good enough to explain the reasons our government can not do more and do it quicker. If this was a home of a congressmen or senator legistation would have already been passed to render relief. I'm so sorry and so ashamed.
Vicki Cottondale Fl (Sent Mar 21, 2006 5:45:07 PM)
I understand the pain and loss these people feel. Aside from all the red tape and frustration we need to keep one thing in mind, its already the end of March, in less than 9weeks we have to get ready again. Preparations have to be made for those than have started to rebuild and those waiting to start. Either way decisions are taking way to long.
Tommye Jones, Mobile AL (Sent Mar 21, 2006 6:02:56 PM)
I just find it hard to beleive that there is anyone in this country who is still slinging criticism at any of the victims of Katrina. All of you who fit into that catagory need a reality check and a trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in particular the Bay-Waveland area or Pass Christian. You need a week or so of eating MRE's, sleeping in a tent amidst debris and foul smelling ditch water, and 10 hours a day of gutting houses that were flooded, all the while without running water. Granted, most people now have running water and a toilet that flushes. Gee, some people have actually managed to hang drywall and set up beds in and unpainted house with an exposed slab or a new plywood floor. And all of the people that I have been in contact with during my stays in the area since the storm exhibit an incredible determination to make their lives, homes and towns whole again. They greet you with smiles and the kind of warmth that most of us have rarely experinced when going about life in our own communities. They tell you they are fine when they are living in a trailer and have spent the day scraping the last of the sheetrock off of the wood framing so that the wood can be treated for mold. And most of them go to work at day jobs while they spend their evening and weekends working on whatever they have left to work on. You critcs just don't know what suffering is. Are you sure you aren't a memebr of the Bush family?
CW - Falls Church. VA (Sent Mar 21, 2006 6:19:05 PM)
The only way the coast can regain the uniqueness that made her great is by preserving her history. We cannot stop the developers from taking some land, but I implore the people who stay to remain true to the beautiful architecture that made the mississippi coast different from so many other gulf beach towns. When I close my eyes and think of home, it is those historic homes lining the beach that I see. There should be grants to absorb the extra expense involved in restoration. Please be outraged. Please pressure the government to create these sorts of grants. Give the people with the ability to rebuild home, the POWER to rebuild.
Mollie Gulfport,MS (stuck in KY) (Sent Mar 21, 2006 9:25:33 PM)
That report was about Mississippi people...some people seem to think the hurricane touched down in New Orleans and then picked back up and was gone. South Mississippi got the worst of the storm. If I hear one more person only refer to New Orleans I'm going to scream.
Sarah Petal MS (Sent Mar 22, 2006 10:20:44 PM)
To CW in Falls Church - I too find it amazing that people continue to criticize the victims of Katrina. What I also find amazing is that people continue to criticize the Bush administration (and in your case, family!)for the disaster. It is obvious that we have problems with our disaster response plan, all the way from local and state governments up. No doubt many lessons are being learned at the expense of the gulf coast residents. But in my opinion, the amount of aid and support this region is receiving is unprecedented. The money and resources are coming; local and state contractors and agencies seem determined to siphon a very unfair portion of it for themselves. So if we're going to play the blame game, lets spread it out to all who deserve it, not just Mr. Bush.
dana g., Miami, Fl. (Sent Mar 23, 2006 2:14:22 PM)
So typical of our for the people government. Maybe these people should apply for non-profit organization status, seek out loans for immigrants, seek out someone to lobby on their behalf, then default on the loans, fire the lobbiest after they find out he did nothing for them then board a plane to iraq and find out where one trillion dollars
(1,000,000,000,000,000)that put countless generations at risk for more of the same that could of helped them 1000's of times over and 1,000's of times faster. martin gleba phoenix az
marty gleba (Sent Mar 24, 2006 4:38:43 PM)
Holy Cow!!!! The lady just wants to get her lot cleaned up and move on. Why is it that everytime someone speaks up about an issue with the "storm" that it turns into a political bashing of the Bush administration? The President has no more authority to bring on such a storm as I do and I assure you I certainly do not! I worked two blocks off the beach in Gulfport for 15 years and saw many storms come and then go; we all know what may happen yet we choose to live and work in the area. Its kinda like driving 65 in a 55mph zone, you know in your heart your chances of getting caught increase each time you exceed the speed limit. I don't mean to down play the situation but....get real! All she wants is to cut the tape and get on with it; seems pretty simple to me. By the way, I'm still cleaning up debris at my home and farm and I'm 45 miles off the coast due north of Bay St Louis.
ken rigby, lumberton, ms (Sent Mar 24, 2006 5:22:54 PM)
I continue to see and hear of the devastation that these poor people are dealing with. What I want to know is, are we better prepared for the next one-- the next hurricane, earthquake, terrorist attack- can we count on our government for a well developed plan of action? Has this horrible tragedy been for nothing? If we've learned one thing, it's that America's citizens have a huge heart for helping. Can the government get it's act together, or do we need to start acting on our own to get things ready? It will happen again!!
Lupina F. Tulsa, Okla (Sent Mar 24, 2006 5:28:52 PM)
I know may of you are hurting. I spent three years there in Biloxi with my family. We were blessed to receive our orders just before the hurricane hit so we were safe. We have been back and are surprised at how little is done towards clean up. There is still garbage on the grounds of our community where we lived and where people still live (our building was destroyed). I have dear friends who are working to reclaim their lives without the bitterness that I am hearing. It will take a positive attitude and determination to help the MS coast regain its heritage. I was of mixed mind to see the casinos damaged because they are a financial boon to the economy, but I don't want to see them return at the price of the average person who lives there. I am saddened at the loss of the history in Waveland, Diamondhead, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, and the cities further inland and I hope to see the cities rise like the Phoenix to be reborn.
Sara Lyn (Sent Mar 24, 2006 6:42:33 PM)
I find it incredible that some poor victims of these acts of nature are unable to move on because of being stuck in a perpetual loop of governmental and insurance red tape. They are asking people to move on and rebuild, yet for some people, the government are themselves the ones preventing progress. A natural disaster being followed by a bureaucratic disaster. Certainly not what these victims need or deserve no matter if they are in NOLA, Mississippi or Alabama. Heartfelt prayers to ALL OF YOU.
Debbie, New Jersey (Sent Mar 25, 2006 7:25:15 AM)
i live in Adelaide, Sth Australia. As sad as it is we all must get on with life and just rebuild our society into something bigger and better. I really feel for all of you on the Gulf Coast, my heart and prayers are with you. I just wish there was something i could do for you all.
Mary Jane, Adelaide (Sent Mar 25, 2006 6:09:00 PM)
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