The Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center is a reconstruction of the original house built by Pleasant Reed in the late 19th century that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A visit to the Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center provides a rare opportunity to see how an African American born into slavery persevered in spite of daunting circumstances. Pleasant Reed was not the only individual born a slave who later built his family a house with funds earned in the post-Civil War economy; but his home is one of the few that that can be identified with a particular African American builder and homeowner.
Pleasant Reed and his wife Georgia in locket displayed on lace (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Locket with photos of Pleasant and Georgia Reed; believed to date from their wedding in 1884.
Pleasant Reed probably began construction of his house in 1887.
Pleasant Reed's house hallway
The side hall cottage is a common house type throughout the entire Mississippi River Valley region, but they are found in the greatest concentration in New Orleans.
The Reed's house was originally built with only three rooms; the kitchen was completely detached from the house until around 1910 when the city was connected to a public water supply.
By the 1970's the home had deteriorated so seriously that it was threatened with demolition. The Gulf Coast chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority intervened to save the house from destruction. The Pleasant Reed House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places from 1979 to 2008.
In 2002 the Reed house was moved from its original location on Elmer Street to the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art's campus.
The Board of Trustees of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum is determined to keep honoring the legacy of Pleasant Reed. In 2005 the original home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. In 2006 the Board voted to build a replica of the house and the Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center was dedicated in September 2008.
Book Cover of the Pleasant Reed Story (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
My House: The Pleasant Reed Story (1890 - 1900) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Dedicated to: The Mississippi Gulf Coast Alumnae Chapter (1895 - 1900) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Foreword (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Kitchen of the original Pleasant Reed House (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
The House that Pleasant Reed Built (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Photograph of the Pleasant Reed family (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Rising from Slavery (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Rising from Slavery Con't. (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-38 (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Late 1800s Biloxi (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
A photo of downtown Biloxi in 1925 (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Late 1800s Biloxi Con't. (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Men working in piney woods near Biloxi, MS, c. 1900 (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Men working in the piney woods near Biloxi, Mississippi. Circa 1900
The Reeds and the Community (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
The Reeds and the Community Con't (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
A letter indicating that Pleasant Reed was on the District Board on Appeal for Harrison County, Mississippi in 1918.
The Reeds and the Community Con't (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
A photo of two sons of Pleasant Reed in uniform serving in World War 1 (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
A postcard to Pleasant Reed from the War Department
Photos of the neighbors and children of Pleasant Reed (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Therese Reed (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Property taxes on the Elmer Street property (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
A water rent receipt made out to Pleasant Reed from the City of Biloxi, Mississippi
Receipts for building supplies (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Architecture of Biloxi (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Architecture of Biloxi Con't (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Architecture of Biloxi Con't (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Parlor, Reed House with photo of Pleasant Reed (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
The Legacy of One House (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
The Legacy of One House Con't (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
The Legacy of One House Con't (Unknown - Unknown) by Pleasant ReedOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Pleasant Reed's parents (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Pleasant Reed's Immediate Family (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Pleasant Reed's headstone (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
The Pleasant Reed house was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Dora Faison (Unknown - Unknown) by UnknownOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
Compiled from the collection and archives of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in partnership with the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area
For their support, the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art would like to thank:
The City of Biloxi
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
State of Mississippi
Mississippi Gulf Coast Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Beau Rivage Resort and Casino
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
