The Pleasant Reed House located in Biloxi Mississippi is a testament of what the south was like just after the American Civil War. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is that of a shotgun house.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina devastated the home in August of 2005, leaving nothing more than a few traces of artifacts. The Board of Trustees of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art has promised to rebuild the house. They plan to design the home in every detail that the original home was made from.
The Pleasant Reed House was built by Pleasant Reed who lived from 1854 to 1932. After being freed from slavery after the Civil War, he moved his family to Biloxi, a coastal town that had more promise of work, and built the house for them to live in. He worked as laborer and a carpenter to feed his ever growing family and to pay for their first home.
Later, the Biloxi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority saved the home from being destroyed, having it placed on the register in 1978. In 2003, the house was moved to the campus of Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art and restored. There it was open to the public for tours until Hurricane Katrina hit. Tours included a guided tour that would allow visitors to ask questions and explore various artifacts throughout the small home.
Prior to visiting, contact the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art for further details about when the Pleasant Reed House will be open for tours and sight seeing again.
