Page 165 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

natural materials on the property to construct a fortified home that still stands. Tabby is a building method that combines lime, sand, water, and oyster shells. The mixture is fitted into wooden frames to create concrete-like blocks. While tabby was known to have been used on the East Coast of the United States, the tabby at the LaPointe-Krebs House is the only known use on the Gulf Coast.
A second method employed by Krebs
is called Bousillage. Wood timbers are used to create a structure within which water and Spanish moss are used as fillers. Spanish moss mixed with water and buried will basically ferment causing the outer casing of the moss to fall away leaving strong fibers that when mixed with river mud make solid cakes for filling walls. Both building methods took time to assemble but in large areas of the home, these walls and floors still exist! Lesson number two: it can take a long time to
do something right but anything worth
doing, is worth doing right.
There is an oyster shell border all
around the house that mitigates the impact of the drip line off the roof and helps battle erosion. When the latest and most complete restoration of the home began in 2010, it was discovered that
the native Pascagoula Indians who had inhabited the parcel for hundreds of years used the area as a dumping ground for oysters therefore there was a plentiful supply of oysters for building materials and landscaping. Termite resistant woods were used in the hand-cut shingles and plaster made on site from sand and lime cover the walls and fireplaces. Lesson number three: local natural materials can stand the test of time.
Deep porches and the north-south orientation of the home creates shade and lovely breezes. Even on the hottest days of a South Mississippi summer, the home feels comfortable. It sounds impossible, but it is actually quite nice.
Now, granted, the kitchen was detached when this home was built and there still isn’t one now, but maybe that’s part of lesson number four. Old ways are good ways and stay out of the kitchen in the summertime.
The LaPointe-Krebs house isn’t located in a charming downtown among shops and bustling businesses where you might just run across it. It can be found on
one of our original main streets, a river byway that has witnessed the passage
of time and the creation of a country. Take a drive to Pascagoula and visit the LaPointe-Krebs House and Museum. Stand within the walls of the oldest house in Mississippi and see how it was built. Walk the grounds. It will be easy to imagine life in the 1700s because so little about the view has changed. And save some time to visit the museum. There is a lot to learn about the diverse cultural history of the Gulf Coast. It continues to teach us lessons.
Holly Harrison has been a licensed interior designer for over 35 years.
Shannon Stage has spent nearly
20 years in the giftware industry. Together they own Sassy Bird Interiors in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Sassy Bird Interiors
122 Court St., Bay St. Louis 228.344.3181 | www.sassybirdinteriors.com
LaPointe-Krebs House & Museum
4602 Fort St., Pascagoula www.lapointekrebs.org
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
October 2023 | 165