The North Frontage Road motel known for its welcoming parrots and its allegiance to local history has been sold, former owner Warner Byrum said Friday.

Byrum, who bought the Battlefield Inn as a Ramada Inn in 1975, sold it to Florida hotel owner Yogesh Patel of HSG Hospitality Inc. Thursday.

Patel could not be reached for comment.

Byrum said he will retire to Sanibel-Captiva Island in South Florida, but will spend part of his time in Vicksburg.

Byrum, 77, said it was not an easy decision to pack up and leave, but he will return often and continue to run the adjacent Battlefield Museum.

&#8220I’ve been working all my life,” he said. &#8220I don’t know how to do this retirement thing.”

Byrum said he decided about a year ago to sell Battlefield Inn, which has been the finish line to the annual Run Thru History for 27 years. The 10-K road race, which Byrum helped start in 1980, has grown to host 1,500 runners and 150 volunteers annually.

&#8220It’s a nice asset,” he said. &#8220I’m hoping the town will continue to embrace it. They’ll keep it going.”

The Battlefield Museum, 4139 I-20 Frontage Road, which houses a Civil War diorama of the Siege of Vicksburg with 2,500 miniature soldiers along with other Civil War relics, will be Byrum’s continued attachment to Vicksburg, he said. His love of history has made his business venture more like a hobby.

&#8220I love the history,” he said.

Byrum, a former partner in the museum, became sole owner in July 2005 of the museum, formerly the Gray and Blue Naval Museum, which had moved from 1823 Clay St. in the early ’90s to 1102 Washington St., before moving to its current location.

The motel, at 4137 I-20 N. Frontage Road, is also home to Jacque’s Cafe In the Park and Jacque’s Sports Lounge, both run by Jacque Parmegiani.

The local eatery has been home to Italian, Cajun and continental cuisine for the past 11 years, and the lounge has seen a growing karaoke audience in recent years. Byrum said Parmegiani will continue to run Jacque’s.

In fact, he said, little will change about the motel, which houses many local history artifacts. Even the four live, caged parrots he added in the early 1980s to greet guests near the pool and in the lobby of the 117-room motel will stay, he said.

&#8220Everything will stay the same and it will continue to do well,” he said. &#8220I just won’t be there.”

Byrum said he feels he is leaving the motel in good hands.

&#8220I think he’ll do well,” he said. &#8220The community will be pleased.”

Byrum moved 31 years ago to Vicksburg from Chicago, where he spent 25 years in the perfume and cosmetic business. He had been vice president of sales for Estee Lauder.

&#8220I was tired of living in airports, so I decided to get into the hotel business,” he said. &#8220After one month, me and another (man) bought three hotels in Missouri. Then, someone called and said this one was for sale – ‘no money down.’”.

After owning the business for eight years, he sold it in 1983, but decided to buy it back four years later. The person he sold it to had lost the Ramada Inn franchise, so Byrum decided naming the motel Battlefield Inn would help capitalize on the history that surrounds it.

&#8220I thought it was an appropriate name for it being next to the park,” he said. &#8220With the position of the motel and the history of the town, we put an awful lot of Vicksburg history inside.”