This two-story, three-bay, galleried cottage with Vicksburg pierced columns was most likely built for W. H. Nicholson in about 1885. Nicholson owned a real estate firm and operated a number of rental properties, this being one. He was born in Clinton, Mississippi and moved with his family to Vicksburg when he was a baby. His obituary in The Vicksburg Post, published on Sept. 18, 1913, stated “he was yet a very small boy at the outset of the great civil war, yet his youthful ardor was aroused and when the Hill City Cadets prepared to go to the front, young Nicholson enlisted. He was too small to carry a musket and so he became a drummer boy. Mr. Nicholson, with his comrades, was sent to Pascagoula, where he remained a year. Subsequently he participated in the battle of Shiloh. After that he was placed in charge of a Confederate prison at Meridian. Still later he came to Vicksburg where he served through the siege of Vicksburg. He was a courier on the staff of Gen. Vaughn. Mr. Nicholson always stoutly protested that Gen. Vaughn’s headquarters were located at Camp Nogales, where he says he often messed with his superior. The military park officials have located Gen Vaughn’s headquarters elsewhere, but Mr. Nicholson never sought to get in a controversy about the matter.”  Nicholson married Lina Lum in 1870 and they had a son, W. L. Nicholson, who made his living in real estate and insurance.

The property at 1419 Cherry was divided into two apartments originally, upstairs and downstairs.  There were many occupants and at least one of the apartments was often listed for rent. Early residents were Moses Beer, who operated a furniture store (1886) and Charles Armstrong, a planter (1906). In about 1911, Sarah Bazsinsky, widow of Nathan, moved into the second floor and stayed the longest, until 1924 when she advertised that all of her household furniture was for sale. Sarah’s daughter Leona, who lived with her, was listed in The Post’s article about “New Women Voters” in 1921, as women had recently won the right to vote. 

In 1927, Mrs. King’s Tea Room operated from the first floor and offered “Sunday Turkey Dinner” for $1.00.  In June 1930, Harry Andress, his wife and three children moved into the upstairs apartment. He was moving to Vicksburg to take a position at the Mississippi River Commission. Later that year, Rozelle White opened a photo studio on the first floor and also lived there, staying there after marrying Miles Barnett in 1931. In 1934, Earl and Willie Mae McGuffee were living in the house. They had recently been hired to run the luncheonette at Jitney Jungle Store No. 1 on the corner of South and Monroe streets, their photos posted in an article in The Vicksburg Post about their employment. Others who lived in the house were Clarence McCoy (1942), Mrs. Sager (1943), Ruth Lofstrom (1948), Bill Raley (who advertised himself as a “philosopher,” 1948), Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Martin (1949), and Wilbur H. Wigley (1953). 

The Vicksburg Post reported that Wigley had received the Silver Star for heroism in Korea in 1951. The citation on the award stated that “Sergeant Wilburn H. Wigley, RA 14 362 438 (then corporal), Infantry, United States Army, member of Company C, 5th Regimental Combat Team, 24th Infantry Division, distinguished himself by courageous action near Yongon-ni Korea on 20 October, 1951. His company had secured its objective for the night, but in the late hours was subjected to a savage counter-attack by determined enemy forces. Due to the intensity of enemy mortar and small arms fire, the friendly unit was forced to withdraw to more strategic defensive positions. Sergeant Wigley, Automatic Rifleman, fearlessly remained in this forward and exposed position. Firing with devastating accuracy into the hostile masses, he inflicted severe casualties on them, affording his comrades sufficient time to evacuate the wounded. Not until all friendly elements had withdrawn to safety did he leave his position and join friendly lines. Sergeant Wigley’s courageous action, unswerving determination and selfless devotion to duty reflect the highest credit to himself and the United States Infantry.”

Mr. and Mrs. William Jabour are listed in the house in 1960 and are still there when their son, William, was born in 1961. This house was demolished in the early 1970s and the one-story brick office building was constructed for Mutual Credit Union in 1973. The credit union was founded in 1930 with 17 members and assets of $100. They operated out of a small office in the basement of the Mississippi River Commission with a door that opened onto Crawford Street.  When the credit union moved from its “shoebox” to its new $150,000 home on Cherry Street in June 1973, it had 5,366 members and $6,207,000 in assets. In 1984,11 years later, Mutual built a new building two blocks south on Cherry Street and the “old” building has had a number of uses since that time.  

– Nancy Bell, Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation.