Historic Shaifer House Dedication Near Port Gibson

The recently restored Shaifer House and historic site near Port Gibson in Claiborne County will be dedicated and opened to the public in ceremonies on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. Terry Winschel, historian at the Vicksburg National Military Park will deliver the dedicatory address, and tours of this historic site will follow, led by Libby Hollingsworth of Port Gibson, a descendant of the Shaifer family, and Jim Barnett, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Historic Properties, which oversees the site.

The A.K. Shaifer House was the site of the opening shots of the Battle of Port Gibson on May 1, 1863. This signal battle was the first in General Grant's last, and successful campaign to capture Vicksburg during the Civil War.

The Shaifer House restoration project began during 2006 as a component of the TEA-21 Mississippi Civil War Trails Program. It consisted of two phases: Soil erosion repair consisted of the first part and the second phase was exterior stabilization an drepair, including the creation and installation of interpretive signage for the site. Robert Parker Adams, P.A., of Jackson was the project architect.

For more information about this historic site and the dedication ceremonies, contact the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Public Information Desk at 601-576-6857.

Photograph: Command and General Staff College, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Staff Ride Handbook for the Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862 - July 1863