The following has been republished with permission from Our Southern Souls, and published by Lynn Oldshue. The original article can be found here.

I grew up in Lexington, Mississippi. Ever since the day I painted my name on her bedside table at three years old, my mom has said I was artistic. I never stopped. I wrote my name on everything I owned and didn’t own. In high school, I designed yearbook covers and t-shirts. In college, I majored in educational psychology because I always thought art was just something I could do for fun. It was when I was home with my first baby that I realized art could be my career. It will never be a job as long as it’s fun.

Unfortunately, the Triangle is in danger of collapsing and in need of its own transformation. Bricks are falling off the exterior walls, and 2×4’s are propping up parts of the ceiling on the inside. Rain leaks down the walls and into the basement. We haven’t had air conditioning in the building for a year. After sweating all day, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Yazoo Herald describing the condition of the Triangle. I’ve never done anything like that, but somebody had to stand up and say something. I am also trying to get it nominated as one of this year’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Places to receive a grant and aid from the Mississippi Heritage Trust. The more votes the Triangle gets, the better its chances for the nomination.

The building has its own history and personality, and the beautiful floors tell their own story. When the sunlight hits the main floor, you can see all of the dents, grooves and lines. I imagine the people who have walked these halls for over 100 years. My mother-in-law was a member of the organizations that helped get the Yazoo history museum started and made it something special. She put so much time and love into it. There are fossils from 45,000 years ago, Native American relics, and pictures from the flood of 1927. There are exhibits about Jerry Clower, Stella Stevens, Willie Brown, Robert Johnson, Zig Ziglar and Casey Jones.