Jefferson Davis Presidential Library
 Main façade of the Jefferson Davis Library and Museum | |
| Location |
2244 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, Mississippi |
|---|---|
| Dedicated | 1998 |
| Named for | Jefferson Davis |
| Management | Mississippi Division, S.C.V. |
| Website | Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum |
The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum has the purpose of preserving, housing and making available the papers, records, artifacts and other historical materials of Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate States, located near his final estate, Beauvoir, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Despite its name it is not an official Presidential Library, as Davis was never President of the United States. It is, however, supported by the State of Mississippi, as declared on a plaque at the entrance.
The facility was officially opened and dedicated in 1998 by the State of Mississippi. Besides the library, the site includes the house, containing many of the furnishings from the time of Davis, the Confederate Museum, and the cemetery of Confederate graves.
On August 29, 2005, the facility suffered heavy damage from the fierce wind and water of Hurricane Katrina. The library pavilion, the Hayes cottage, Soldier's Home Barracks replica, Confederate Soldier's Museum, gift shop, and the director's home were totally destroyed. Artifacts were photographed, inventoried, boxed and placed in environmental storage while conservation of the items and the house furniture were under way. A bid of $4.1 million was taken on January 9, 2007, for the reconstruction of the facilities.
Restoration of Beauvoir mansion was completed in May 2008, and the site was officially reopened on June 3, the 200th anniversary of Davis' birth. Because of hurricane damage, renovation of the former presidential library was deemed impossible; consequently, a new library and museum complex was constructed and opened to the public in June 2013.[1] The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid $4 million to repair the manor house and an additional $10 million to build the new library.[2] The Bill Beckwith statue of Davis that once graced the rotunda of the library stands near the entrance, along with a new statue by noted Civil War artist Gary Casteel that was added in 2009.
References
- ↑ City of Biloxi—Beauvoir to revisit history with new presidential library Retrieved 2014-10-19
- ↑ Fehrman, Craig (June 2, 2013). "Jefferson Davis' 'presidential' library". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
External links
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Coordinates: 30°23′35.52″N 88°58′12.20″W / 30.3932000°N 88.9700556°W