Long Beach presented Heritage Award for work on Greenvale

The Mississippi Heritage Trust awarded the City of Long Beach a 2024 Heritage Award for its preservation work in restoring Greenvale, also known as the Quarles House.

The awards were presented at a ceremony last week in Vicksburg.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Coast in 2005, it took the roof of the Quarles House with it.

The Mississippi Heritage Trust stepped forward to install a roof to buy time for Carol Paola and her team of Discovery students to build community support to repurpose Long Beach’s first school and general store.

In 2020, Long Beach and state Rep. Richard Bennett worked with Paola to secure a $2 million dollar grant to restore the house through the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund.

Jim Alexander and Janet Alexander Griffin then donated the house and land that includes the Quarles family cemetery to the city.

Architects Albert and Robinson, J.O. Collins Contractors, and Community Affairs Director, Courtney Cuevas, oversaw the restoration of this special place to become a visitor’s center.