Old Capitol Museum, artifacts damaged

By Sherry Lucas
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The Old Capitol Museum, facing restoration costs recently estimated at $11.1 million, got an additional wallop from Hurricane Katrina winds and rain. The copper roof, according to one employee, "peeled back like a banana."

The state history museum appeared to be the hardest hit of Jackson area attractions.

"The roof on the southern half is gone and that resulted in extensive water coming in," said Hank Holmes, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. "That happened around 3 p.m. (Monday) and it was open to rain from that point on."

At the Old Capitol, staff had covered some shelves with plastic sheeting but water was coming down the walls of the storage room where thousands of artifacts were kept.

Objects had been moved to the building's south side, away from a northern corner that was damaged by water during a storm Memorial Day weekend. Trying to avoid an area that typically leaks, "We ended up moving them in harm's way," museum director Lucy Allen said.

The 1839 building is closed until further notice. It's not known whether any artifacts are completely lost to damage. Clothing, oil paintings, swords, sculpture, baskets, furniture and silver received major water damage.

"Some dried off better than others," Allen said.

The museum's public areas are now staging areas for assessment of artifacts, making it difficult to have anyone in the building for the next two weeks, she said.

Damage estimates weren't available Tuesday but they will include one for structural damage and another for conservation costs, Holmes said.

The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science dodged major structural damage but not a power outage and water leaks. Emergency personnel there scrambled to find diesel fuel for its generator Tuesday to keep the 100,000-gallon aquarium system operating. They were unloading fuel they found in Yazoo City as the power came back on at the museum Tuesday afternoon.

"We can't be without power too long without losing fish," said curator George Phillips.

The museum will reopen for visitors this morning. The timing is particularly important as the major exhibit A T. rex Named Sue nears its Sept. 11 end date. "We paid a big price to rent her. We want people to see her as much as possible," museum director Libby Hartfield said, adding that the cast of the T. rex skeleton on loan from Chicago's Field Museum is fine.

No animals were lost at the Jackson Zoo, but 35 trees were down at the park. "It's like the whole zoo has an inch worth of leaf litter," director Beth Poff said. "Most of the trees fortunately missed all the animal exhibits."

Exhibits weren't damaged in a few cases where trees fell toward them. A generator kept the Coral Reef exhibit going and a building where animal food was stored didn't lose power, she said. In the area under construction for the upcoming Wilderness Mississippi exhibit, one window in a public restroom was broken.

Arizona-based subcontractor Cemrock, handling ponds and rock work in the Wilderness Mississippi area, pitched in at the zoo. "Since we had no electricity, they volunteered the entire work crew to help with cleanup," Poff said. Heavy cleanup Tuesday, to be finished today, should have the zoo reopening Thursday.

At Mississippi Museum of Art, Visqueen covering the skylight that was to be repaired blew off. "That means that the leaks are recurring ... there are ceiling tiles down in the atrium area" but art, removed prior to the storm, wasn't damaged, director Betsy Bradley said. "We may reopen (today)."

Davis Planetarium had a small leak around the outside but no damage, manager Gary Lazich said. For updated information, call (601) 960-1550.

Reopening of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum was undetermined Tuesday.

Staff at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center couldn't be reached Tuesday.