The collections feature a plethora of items, including photographs, documents, and audio/visual interviews. If you are interested in learning more about the interviews, below are summaries of each one:
Lynn and Wayne Guy, June 18th 2025
Lynn and Wayne Guy were interviewed at the MAX on June 18th, 2025. Mary Freeman asked them about how they got married and how they came to live in Merrehope. The couple first discovered Merrehope when they were in high school. Lynn described it as her "dream home," saying that she would even ask Wayne to bring her by the house in order to look at it. They married in 1969 and moved into their apartment, the original cottage, that night. Lynn told me it was a dream come true and that living there made her feel like a princess. While living there, they would hear spooky sounds at night like stomping and dragging, though they never saw anything supernatural. They often explored the house which was undergoing renovations by the Meridian Restoration Foundation at the time, discovering closets, skeleton keys, and old artifacts throughout the house. Lynn actually watched the renovators as they discovered the columns located in the entryway. Ultimately, their dream was cut short by a burst pipe during an ice storm which flooded their apartment. After moving out only two years after they married, they eventually went on to build a house which features many of the architecture that the renovated house had, including columns, window-paned door frames, and wide crown molding. They are still active visitors and friends to the house, and they hope that going forward, Merrehope will continue to stand as a beacon of resilience, history, and community for Meridian.
Charles Tibbetts Jr., June 24th 2025
Charles Tibbetts was interviewed at the MAX on June 24th, 2025. Mary Freeman asked him about when he lived in Merrehope as well as a few questions about his family members who owned the house, most notably Otto Tibbetts. Charles was born in 1947, and he was raised in Kemper County before he moved into the house with his grandfather Otto, his grandmother Mabel, and his father Charles Sr. and his mother Gennell. He lived there for a few years as a young child -- one memory he recalled was sliding down the bannisters of the stairway in the house. His mother did not like for him to go upstairs because she worried that he would bother the tenants. He moved out but later returned the house. He knew it only as Grandpap's house, rather than as an apartment building. It was centrally located for his and his roommates' jobs -- Charles worked at the Burnley Shirt Factory -- which is why he chose to live there. He recalled the heavy sliding doors on the left of the entrance, which is where the early twentieth century columns now stand. He was not very close to his Grandpap, but he recalls that it was really Mabel that kept the house in good shape throughout his time as an owner. He recalled that once Mabel passed, Otto struggled to keep the house in the type of shape it ought to have been; thus, the house had fallen into relative disrepair by the time the Meridian Restoration Foundation purchased it in the 60s.
Monte Royal, July 1st 2025
[Note: this interview was NOT recorded. I took handwritten notes. The following summary is drawn from these notes, NOT a transcript of the verbatim words of the interviewee]
Monte Royal was interviewed at Merrehope on July 1st, 2025 by Kim Waters and Mary Margaret Freeman. He was born in Meridian, MS and graduated from Meridian High School. When he was in ninth grade or around 16-17 years old, he played music gigs around the east-central Mississippi and west-central Alabama areas. While playing these gigs, he met and played with various musicians, such as Bobby Alexander, Butch Carter, Paul Davis, Frank Morris, and Mike Ward. Alexander rented an apartment from Otto Tibbetts. While at the house, Royal, Alexander, and others would gather in the apartment above Alexander's (where the gift shop now sits) in the one that belonged to Marcus Stokes. He remembered thinking that the house was in "poor shape" and that they entered the apartment through a back staircase. He does not recall a bathroom or a kitchen inside the apartment. While in Stokes’ apartment, the group sometimes would hang out, play cards or drink after gigs. Stokes often played cards but occasionally he would sit out a hand to do other things. Royal remembers the surface wires of the electricity. He described a wall switch that had cloth-covered wires running from the switch, up the wall, across the ceiling to the center of the room, from which an exposed bulb would hang. Royal recalls that the exposed bulb's light would often be diffused by a brown paper bag. One time, he recalled that the paper bag grew very hot, and he remembers that it may have even begun smoldering such that they were forced to replace the bag. He said the ambiance created by the bag fit the scene -- a soft brown light. He described a table situated underneath the exposed bulb that served as a card table. Around the room was a fireplace with a mantle, and on the mantle, there would be Dead Soldiers [a nickname for empty beer or whisky bottles]. He described Paul Davis as a "pretty responsible guy" who may stay for a few hands but went home early because he had "things to do." Royal recalled that he and Butch Carter would often stay later. When describing Stokes, he said that while he was medicated, he often wore a visage of sadness and pain. He thought he might have been a teacher at either Meridian High School or Meridian Junior College. He recalls that there were bottles that lined the mantle, and one night, someone heard someone shooting the bottles off the mantle one by one -- though who was shooting them is not known. Royal recalls "getting ragged" by the musicians for being an athlete -- he played football at Meridian High School.
On the music scene in Meridian, Royal recalls being part of multiple bands and groups. He played frequently at the EM Club at the Navy Base. He was initially thrown together with Bobby Alexander due to a shared interest in CB radios, shared by Royal's girlfriend's father and Alexander. Royal recalls playing at school dances, proms, and the Navy Base. The music store that he got a set of Premier Drums from was Art Harwell’s music store on south side of 23rd Ave between 4th and 5th street. He remembers it as Art’s Record Mart. After picking up the drums, he brought them over to Paul Davis’ house and uncrated them in his front yard. Paul had a recording studio in the upstairs of his home. After leaving the Jesters, Davis played with the Six Soul Survivors and the Endless Chain. After leaving the Jesters, Royal played with the MaleBox band and was the house band The King of Clubs. Royal also played with the famous B.J. Thomas, whose hits include “Hooked On A Feeling” and Academy Award winning song, "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head”. This was during the time that he was playing with The Malebox Band. He recalled the influence of British invasion, with him and his band members' long hair and boots. During the 90s, Royal played with a group called "Subject to Change," which consisted of mostly Peavy employees. The band played some pretty large venues and often had to rent a U-Haul truck to haul all the equipment. He also remembers meeting with Paul Davis, in the 70s at Webb 4 Studios while in Atlanta picking up film for our theatres. Paul was the same ole really nice guy, always happy to see old friends in those days. Davis provided Royal with an acetate demo of "I Go Crazy," one of Davis's most well-known hits, but Royal "didn't love it" at the time. Now, he still plays for fun in his spare time, but he recalls this era of the house as good times.
Sharon Curran Chatham, July 9th 2025
Sharon Curran Chatham was interviewed by Mary Margaret Freeman on July9th, 2025 at Merrehope. The interview was recorded. Mary asked Sharon about her father, John Curran, who lived with her mother and older siblings two separate times in the early 20th century. Chatham brought a plethora of family materials, including a family tree that her older brother John compiled in the 1990s. Chatham was born in Meridian, MS in the 1940s. She lived in a house on 23rd Avenue with her family as a young girl. She was a teacher for over 40 years, teaching in Illinois and New Hampshire before moving back to Meridian. Her father was born in Ispheming, Michigan and her mother was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They moved to Meridian after her father was hired by the Southern Railroad. They lived in Merrehope before the Great Depression forced them to remove to Adams, Wisconsin, which was her mother's family farm. They returned in 1940 when the railroad called Mr. Curran back. They lived at Merrehope until they moved out into the house which Chatham remembers. She recalled that her older siblings were close with other tenants of the house even calling them aunt and uncle. They also used coal for heat, which they obtained by lowering a bucket down their outside window to a provider before hauling in back inside. She was not aware of the house as a child, but as an adult she has returned many times to visit the newly renovated house.
Shelba Strange, July 11th 2025
Shelba Marie Strange was interviewed at Merrehope by Mary Margaret Freeman on July 11th, 2025. Strange was born in Meridian, MS in 1957. Strange first visited Merrehope as a middle school aged girl along with her sister who volunteered at the house. She recalls helping with the Trees of Christmas as a young girl as well. She attended Meridian High School and later Meridian Junior College, where she studied art. After moving around the country, Strange lived at Merrehope in the early 90s after moving back to Meridian in her 30s. While there, she lived in the cottage at the back of house, which is the original antebellum part of the home. She recalled various spiritual encounters, including one when she was very sick. Living alone, Strange recalled the sensation of a human sitting at the foot of her bed and a hand lovingly stroking her head to her back. This she believes to have been Eugenia, one of the more well-known ghosts. In addition to living in the house, she served as a hostess or a docent for guests who came to tour the home. She recalled opening the museum and leading tourists through the home. She also mentioned that one of her favorite parts about living in the home was the way it sounded during a thunderstorm -- since the house is so big, she remembers, it made thunder sound much louder and made the rain falling through the gutters more exciting. Strange believes the house is alive, full of life, from the spirits to the volunteers who give their time to make the house available to curious visitors.
Joseph "Joe" Norwood, July 21st 2025
Joseph "Joe" Norwood was interviewed by Kim Waters and Mary Margaret Freeman on July 21st, 2025 at the Meridian Arts and Entertainment Experience. Norwood was born in Alabama and moved to Meridian over 30 years ago. He attended Miles College on a football scholarship where he studied broadcasting. He first worked in Meridian as a broadcaster before entering public service, as he now serves as a county supervisor for Lauderdale County. He first discovered Merrehope while covering a newscast at the home. While there, he discovered that the rear apartment was available for rent. He decided to live there and remained there for about 5 years between 2001 to 2006. He also described his living quarters as comfortable for a single man, with large walls, windows and steps. Norwood would sometimes enter the other parts of the house, such as when Trees of Christmas was going on. He believes that stories about Merrehope are best told "with bourbon," as this makes the stories "better." While living there, he described having many experiences, audible and sensational, that were "unexplainable." He recalls one story of inviting a college friend to stay with him while he was driving through Meridian. Once at the house, Norwood's friend was alone for an hour or so while Norwood attended a meeting. Upon returning to the house, Norwood found his friend outside, refusing to enter the home due to a noise that he first attributed to Norwood. He is grateful for the history that remains in the house and believes it is an important beacon of tourism as well as historic preservation.
Dana Gault
[Dana was interviewed via email. This is a summary of her responses.]
Dana Marie Parker Gault was born in Meridian, MS on May 27, 1971. She attended Oakland Heights Elementary from grades 1-5, Carver Middle School in 6th and graduated from West Lauderdale High School after attending from grades 6-12th. Her father was Michael Foster Parker who co-owned Fleming, Robinson, Parker & Goforth Insurance Agency and her mother Peggy Marie Reid Parker Burroughs worked as an office manager for McDonald’s in Meridian. Gault married her husband, Jason Lynn Gault, on Saturday, June 5, 2004. They had a 3:00pm ceremony in the front parlor of Merrehope. She and her peers were aware of the house as “the beautiful antebellum home in town.” She described her wedding day as:
Timeless. Our creative florist filled a vintage birdcage with jade roses, real pineapple stalks, and fresh greenery. The arrangement stood on the front porch at the entrance. White chairs filled the room to the right, and I walked down the grand staircase with my young daughter, Olivia Cecile. We both wore blue dresses—I was sentimental about the color blue, because my engagement ring was an art deco setting with velvety blue sapphire at the center. Jason and I were married in front of the large bay windows by Tom Sykes. Jason also gifted my daughter (age 4) with a sapphire pendant necklace during the ceremony. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed vignettes of heavy hors-d’œuvres, wedding cake, and champagne in the two other grand rooms. I remember big band music filled the air. Soon afterward, our family and friends lined the front walk as I tossed my bouquet from the front porch. We held hands and ran through showers of birdseed to our car. It was so much fun.
She felt a feeling of nostalgia and pride to be married at a place like Merrehope, which she saw as a Meridian landmark. Despite knowing little about the history of the house as a young girl, she recalled being fascinated by the “old fashioned” furnishings of the house growing up