Renovations continue with the historic Oakes House as the community recently joined on the historic home’s front porch to admire the work that has already been completed.
Although closed for several years, President of the Yazoo County Fair and Civic League Juanita Lear was excited to show the public the craftsmanship by Pearl River Glass in the restoration of the leaded and stained glass, along with the woodwork, as well as the foundation work completed by Perry Foundation Repair and Construction.
The Oakes House is filled with a rich history that spans over a century. The Oakes House was home to the Oakes family for 125 years. It began as a one-room structure located on a lot purchased in 1866 by John Oakes, a free man, and his wife, Mary, a former slave, from South Carolina, who settled in the Yazoo area around 1859. That one-room structure eventually grew into a regal two-story home.
The Oakes family moved from South Carolina to Yazoo City in 1853 after John Oakes bought the freedom of his wife Mary and her two children. In 1866, the family purchased a lot with a one-room structure that would remain the home of members of the Oakes family until 1989. By 1930, the one-room structure had grown to the regal two-story home that stands today.
The careful restoration of the Oakes House, which occurred during the 1990s, preserved the uniqueness of the construction, and it is now listed on the Mississippi and the National Register of Historic Places. That restoration effort continues today as the house still stands on a hill overlooking historic downtown Yazoo City.
The house has many architectural features that are unusual and remarkably well preserved. The lead-glass entrance doors, original mantels, chimneys, walls, and stairs are especially interesting.
A.J. (Gus) Oakes, III, deeded the Oakes family home to the Yazoo County Fair and Civic League in 1990. Mr. Oakes died in 2001.
The Oakes African American Cultural Center’s most impressive exhibit is the home itself, along with the family letters and business papers that span several generations. The historic site stands as a testament to the remarkable history of the Oakes family and the numerous outstanding contributions of other African Americans to the history and heritage of Yazoo City.
To date, the restoration and repairs have been funded by the following partners: Mississippi Department of Archives and History; the State of Mississippi, with funds secured by Senator Joseph Thomas, Sr., and administered by the Yazoo County Board of Supervisors; the City of Yazoo City, Mayor David Starling; the Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau, John Meeks, President; CF Industries, and other private donors.
