I recall years ago that Greenpeace had a T-shirt out with a dinosaur pictured on it. The text around the dinosaur said, “Extinct means forever.” Some of the most beautiful buildings that ever graced Columbus have been destroyed and forever lost. Not only were the buildings beautiful, they each told a story, a story about our families, our friends and about how Columbus came to be.
Sometimes it is insightful to hear what a nationally-known writer has to say about a place, especially when a comment from almost 100 years ago still rings true. In 1917 Julian Street, a prominent writer of the day, visited Columbus and in Collier’s Weekly Magazine published an article titled “A Mississippi Town.”
Of Columbus he said:
“Columbus may perhaps appreciate the charm of its old homes, but there is evidence to show that it did not appreciate certain other weatherworn structures of great beauty. I have seen photographs of an old Baptist Church with a fine (and not at all Baptist-looking) portico and fluted columns … and I have seen pictures of the beautiful old town hall which was recently supplanted … The destruction of these two early buildings represents an irreparable loss to Columbus, and it is to be hoped that the town will some day be sufficiently enlightened to know that this is true and to regret that it did not restore and enlarge them instead of tearing them down.”
Since the 1960s Columbus has suffered the lost of many historic homes and buildings. Most recently it was the Friendship House on Seventh Street North. Earlier, within a block of Friendship House, were lost the early-1820s Mcbee and mid-1840s Craven homes. In downtown the 1861 Gilmer Hotel, which had been a Confederate military hospital, was torn down to make room for a motel and the ca. 1850 First Christian Church, which had been used as a legislative chamber when Columbus served as the state capital, was razed to make way for a parking lot.
The loss to Columbus has been irreparable and is best conveyed by all that remains: faded photographs and old postcards.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.