Laurel Sites

Beacon Homes for white families was begun in 1939 with clearance of sub-standard housing. The project included 45 buildings of 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 room units on Beacon Street, now renamed Leontyne Price Boulevard. Designed by architects Landry and Matthes, low bid was awarded to W. J. McGee and Son for $466,943. Beacon Homes was the first low-rent housing project in Mississippi. Plans called for construction of one-story duplex dwellings and two-story row houses, with brick walls on hollow tile backup, concrete first floors and wood second floors, pitched roofs with cement asbestos shingles, and gas-fired space heaters. The...

The Calhoun school was constructed 1939 as project x1289. A PWA grant of $13,622 was approved 9/13/1938. Construction began 12/16/1938 and was completed 7/13/1939 at a cost of $28,909. Architects were Landry & Matthes. The school was demolished in 2007.

The Art Deco civic center and armory was Public Works Administration (PWA) project W1206. Designed by Edgar Lucian Malvaney, it was approved 10/24/1036 and completed 11/10/1937. The PWA allotted a grant of $51,226 toward the completion cost of $110,575. A bond sale was held to raise funds for the city's share of the project. The building was demolished in 1975.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds in the amount of $13,676 were approved for the Laurel Municipal school district to improve buildings, grounds and facilities at the George S. Gardiner High School and Kingston School. The work at Gardiner was for grounds improvements and reconditioning of the track and football practice areas for the 1922 school.

A Works Progress Administration (WPA) allotment for $22,000 was approved for two school projects in Laurel in 1940. The Kingston School for African American students shared funds with Laurel High School and Wisner George S. Gardiner High School to improve buildings, grounds and facilities. Kingston School included work on porches, fire escape, and grounds. The school is no longer extant.

Mississippi State Game and Fish Commission sponsored the Works Progress Administration to create a number of lakes for recreation purposes. Near Laurel, Lake Gates was approximately 1500 acres, fed by the Boguehoma Creek. The project began in 1936, and was completed in 1939. At some point by 1947, the name had been changed to Lake Bogue Homa. The lake remains an active fishing location and has been improved over the years.

A Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the amount of $22,000 was allotted to 2 Laurel schools in 1940. One project was to complete plastering and ceiling, drainage and landscaping of the Frank G. Wisner Activities building for Laurel High School. The building was a two-story Art Moderne designed by N. W. Overstreet and A. H. Town completed 1939-1940.

A WPA project for $21,000 improvements at the Laurel Municipal Stadium included brick seats to accommodate 3,000, a brick stadium house, brick wall at the south end of the stadium, permanent parking space, brick walls, brick ticket booths and replacing wooden curbs with brick curbs. The facility remains in use.

Shady Grove school was construction supported by the Public Works Administration as project x1300. A grant of $45,000 was approved Sep. 29, 1938 and construction begun Dec. 5. Architects were Landry and Matthes for the one-story building. The project was 96% completed Dec. 1, 1939 for a total cost of $87,424. The school closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2016.

The Colonial Revival style Stone Deavours school was designed by architects Krouse & Brasfield. PWA project W1059 for $23,881 grant was approved 9/25/1935 and completed 7/28/1936 for total of $56,477. The building was in use as Laurel School District offices in 1988 when it was destroyed by fire.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided $150,000 to establish the experimental sweet potato starch plant, erected under supervision of Dr. F. H. Thurber, who designed the machinery. The experimental plant was leased to the Sweet Potato Growers co-op for the purpose of manufacturing sweet potatoes into starch, in cooperation with ERA, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The plant was constructed in the former Wausau Southern Lumber Company sawmill at the end of South 4th Avenue. It operated from 1934-1945 and while produced significant amounts of starch, the demand was more than the output,...

Triangle Homes for African American families was constructed 1940-1941 by W. J. McGee and Son for a base bid of $325,866. Two-story row houses are still in use in the triangle formed by South Maple Street and South 4th Avenue. A grant in 2018 funds replacement units and construction has been initiated on new facilities across the street from Triangle Homes. It is unknown when the row houses will be demolished.