Beauvoir Overcomes Katrina Tragedy
It’s been almost a decade since Katrina pummeled Beauvoir, the historic home of Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederacy. The museum was closed for three years, but today they have a new exhibit showcasing how far they’ve come.
Historic artifacts that were once on shelves were underwater. As for the house itself: “Only one building remains standing in a refurbishable condition and that was the main house, Beauvoir itself,” said Dennie Spence, Beauvoir museum curator.
While the beach front house was still standing, there was a lot of work to be done. Even though the house was on stilts, there was a foot of standing water in the house and the front porch was completely torn off. “When you’re talking about ceilings and walls that were painted in the 1840s, the 1850s, you’re talking largely irreparable damage,” said Spence.
While a number of artifacts were salvaged, Katrina washed away much of the written documentation about the origins of the historic relics. Museum workers have gone to great lengths to properly restore what remains. Kitsaa Stevens, with Beauvoir Tours, Programs and Events, said, “It’s a progression of how we have come from total destruction to a facility that we can have guests come and tour and re-live the history of the property.”
A carriage, once used by the first lady of the Confederacy, is a great example of an artifact so severely damaged by the storm that it more than likely will never be fully replaced. Unfortunately, once this exhibit closes, the carriage will be placed back into storage. “Not only the loss of an artifact, but the loss of what is it, the loss of the personal connection causes such a catastrophic turmoil in how do we go about presenting this item,” said Spence.
Beauvoir’s Katrina exhibit will be open for the next six months.
Historic artifacts that were once on shelves were underwater. As for the house itself: “Only one building remains standing in a refurbishable condition and that was the main house, Beauvoir itself,” said Dennie Spence, Beauvoir museum curator.
While the beach front house was still standing, there was a lot of work to be done. Even though the house was on stilts, there was a foot of standing water in the house and the front porch was completely torn off. “When you’re talking about ceilings and walls that were painted in the 1840s, the 1850s, you’re talking largely irreparable damage,” said Spence.
While a number of artifacts were salvaged, Katrina washed away much of the written documentation about the origins of the historic relics. Museum workers have gone to great lengths to properly restore what remains. Kitsaa Stevens, with Beauvoir Tours, Programs and Events, said, “It’s a progression of how we have come from total destruction to a facility that we can have guests come and tour and re-live the history of the property.”
A carriage, once used by the first lady of the Confederacy, is a great example of an artifact so severely damaged by the storm that it more than likely will never be fully replaced. Unfortunately, once this exhibit closes, the carriage will be placed back into storage. “Not only the loss of an artifact, but the loss of what is it, the loss of the personal connection causes such a catastrophic turmoil in how do we go about presenting this item,” said Spence.
Beauvoir’s Katrina exhibit will be open for the next six months.
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