In 2024, the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation (SCHF) reached a milestone, one that maybe even the founders could not have envisioned: For 30 years, thanks to those who have served as its executive directors, board members and community supporters, the SCHF has continued to be a vital asset to the River City.

In recognition of its three-decades-long service to the community, a celebration was held in November. To kick off the evening, master of ceremony Blake Teller shared with those present how the foundation of SCHF was conceived, and briefly described the history of the facility.

With the SCHF grounds comprised of five buildings which formerly served as the St. Francis Xavier Convent and Academy, Teller said the Sisters of Mercy nurtured, educated and cared for the community of Vicksburg for more than 150 years.

“These walls and grounds have seen joy, war, illness, learned, hope, faith and family as generations of Vicksburgers were educated and cared for by the Sisters of Mercy,” he said.

And in an effort to preserve the historical facility after the school moved out of the property and the convent closed, Teller said Dr. William Ferris, a Vicksburg native and founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, and former Vicksburg mayor Robert Walker began talks on how the buildings could be preserved.

In an earlier interview conducted for the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation Executive Director Nancy Bell said both men had been worried about St. Francis Elementary School being vacated due to a new school being built and the pair was also concerned there was a lack of opportunities available for locals and visitors to learn about the cultural and ethnic heritage of the Vicksburg-Warren County community.

Therefore, plans got underway to acquire the buildings and open a center that would preserve Vicksburg’s rich heritage and diversity, and to create and host cultural activities that would expound on the American South.

During the 30th anniversary celebration, on a taped recording, Ferris said the foundation was born out of a partnership between the City of Vicksburg and the University of Mississippi’s Center for Study of Southern Culture. Together, he said, they were able to preserve an entire city block of buildings erected by the Sisters of Mercy.

And in doing so, the foundation offers “programs which feature films, lectures, musical concerts and food events that showcase the rich history of families in Vicksburg who have lived in our city for generations,” Ferris said.

Also addressing the audience through video were two of the SCHF’s past executive directors, Bess Averett, who served from 2003-2007, and Annette Kirklin, who served from 2008-2013.

“One of the most significant things that happened during my tenure — I was the first executive director,” Averett said, was to pull away from being a city department. “For the first time since operating as a 501(c)(3), we had to earn our own operating budget, which was tricky. But I had a really strong board and phenomenal people who knew how to help guide me. And one of our goals was to get activities in all of the buildings.”

At that time, Averett said, only one of the five buildings and the first floor of the auditorium were being used.

Averett went on to say that, with the help of Bell and architect David Clement, the group achieved one of the things she was most proud of during her tenure: the grant they received to restore the Cobb House.

“The first round (of the grant) was just under $100,000 to do the exterior portico, and the interior was another $250,000 grant,” she said, which meant they would have to secure matching funds before work could begin, which they did. Averett said that once renovations had been completed, the Association of Garden Clubs donated antiques from Planters Hall, making for a beautiful art and event space.

“This was just a beautiful culmination of public and private funds and the community coming together to show what this amazing place could be,” she said.

As the current executive director of the Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park, Averett said having the SCHC “rounds out our cultural tourism offerings in Vicksburg.”

Kirklin said that, during her tenure, she focused on grant-writing to secure funding and to bring in “innovative programing” to expand SCHF’s reach.

“My vision was to make the cultural center a welcome space where people of all backgrounds could connect with history and culture, and to sustain the vision we prioritized securing grants and partnerships to support daily operations and projects,” Kirklin said.

Some of the projects Kirklan initiated to reach her goals included the Holly Days Arts and Crafts Show, Classics in the Courtyard and taking on the Over the River Run, all of which not only serve as fundraisers, but the events that bring culture and community together.

Stacey Mahoney is the SCHF’s current executive director. She began her tenure in 2014 and has since continued the procuring of funding from grants, and continues to offer the aforementioned activities started by Kirklin.

Mahoney has also developed additional programing.

“We started the Star-Spangled Banner Night Run, the Southern Exposure Camp for Kids, Halloween events including a witch’s brunch, a haunted house and an It’s Fall Y’all Carnival.”

Also through Mahoney’s leadership, the SCHF offers weekly line dance classes and a line dance party once a month. Mahoney has also been instrumental in creating a bridal suite and “man cave,” both of which complement the SCHF’s auditorium, which can be rented as a wedding venue.

As a former student at the school, Mahoney said, she has a special connection to the SCHF.

“I attended school here from kindergarten through sixth grade, which make these buildings very important to me and restoring and protecting them became a priority to preserve history and to ensure that we can continue offering arts and cultural programing for generations to come,” she said.

Also key in helping make the SCHF a reality is Bell, Teller said.

“Through it all, Nancy Bell has been a guiding light as the board president, head cheerleader, historic and business advisor and mover and shaker since the beginning. Her perseverance and vision have ensured the continued viability and growth of the cultural center and without her none of this would be possible,” Teller said.

During the prerecorded video message, Bell shared how the SCHF was formed for the sole purpose of saving the whole block of buildings that once belonged to Sisters of Mercy. And, to have money to preserve all five buildings, she said the group’s original plan was to turn the convent building into a 47-room bed-and-breakfast with a restaurant, and to use the auditorium as a theater.

And while the auditorium is now used in that capacity, she said they had not considered it being used in an “educational way.”

As for the Cobb House, she said it was going to be used as offices for the complex and the academy building was to be more of a conference center.

“Not so much as the things we do for kids now,” she said.

It was thought the gym could serve as a multicultural museum. And Bell said they even had a museum company come and look at the gym to see if that was something that could be done.

“But very quickly we learned, and this was partly through our first director Grace Aaron, that that was not really the way we needed to go. We really needed to go more with what these buildings were intended for, and these buildings were intended to teach kids,” Bell said.

And with its continued success as being a cultural center where children, as well as adults, can learn, explore, create and commune, Bell said she thought this “block of buildings were the most important in Vicksburg.”

“And I have cherished my time here,” she said. “I quite frankly think these buildings are the crown jewel of Vicksburg.”

For more information on the SCHF, visit www.southernculture.org.