People have until May 21 to send information and comments to state preservationists if they want a say in whether the Ceres Plantation House is designated a Mississippi Landmark.

If the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s board approves the designation, alterations would be restricted to federal guidelines and would stop demolition of the partially dilapidated structure owned by Warren County and located in the Ceres Industrial Interplex at Flowers. A vote is expected July 23.

Talks between the directors of the agency and the Warren County Port Commission, which manages industrial properties, are also under way with the aim of finding someone to purchase and move the house, which has roof damage and several broken windows.

The house came with the grant-funded purchase of 1,290 acres in east Warren County from heirs of U.G. Flowers in 1986. Portions of the structure date to the 1830s. Its most recent commercial use ended in 2007 when a plant nursery closed amid a dispute over maintenance duties.

Word of the commission’s plans to demolish the house led to a petition drive by developer De Reul, who coordinated support for saving the structure among several historic preservation and tourism officials across the state. In February, Reul proposed to build a 19th century village and a bed and breakfast on the site. Commissioners deemed the idea inappropriate for an industrial park, currently home to three full-scale industries, but also declined to accept either of two proposals to raze the structure.

To comment

Comments and requests for more information may be sent to Jim Woodrick, acting director, Historic Preservation Division, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205 by May 21.