A tornado blew through the 52 acres of the Beauvoir Presidential Home and Library in Biloxi Wednesday morning, leaving a path of destruction that brought down trees, fencing, and minor structural damage.
“It basically traversed all 52 acres from South to North,” said Dr. Thomas Payne, Executive Director of Beauvoir.
He said the property took on some damage, but it could have been worse.
“We lost a lot of our beautiful oak trees,” said Payne. “We were blessed in the sense that we had minimal damage on the house, the mansion.”
There were only a few broken window panes, but most of the damage was from downed trees and debris scatter.
“We did have some damage in the cemetery, but that was from downed branches,” said Payne.
Payne said recovery should be quick, as the only appeals that will be made to the Department of Archives and History will be regarding the damaged fence line and the garden.
“Beauvoir is very resilient,” said Dr. Payne. “We’re going to be back open (Thursday).”
The staff at Beauvoir is asking for assistance with debris removal. For more information on providing help, contact Beauvoir directly or visit their Facebook page for more information.
