Hugh White Governor's Mansion

Designed by noted architect C.H. Lindsley and furnished by Marshall Field of Chicago, the Governor Hugh White mansion is "probably Mississippi's finest residential essay in the Colonial Revival Style" built in 1925. Hugh White owned and operated the J.J. White Lumber Company, in Columbia, for years, cutting out in the early 1930's. The loss of 1,000 jobs when the final whistle blew left the area with almost no off-farm jobs and a bleak future in the oncoming depression years.

While serving as the mayor of Columbia, White began work to bring industry to Marion County which came to be called, a program which came to be called; “Balance Agriculture With Industry." The “BAWI” plan worked for Columbia and in time was replicated by various municipalities throughout the United States.

So successful was White that this initiative put him in the Governor’s mansion. Reliance Manufacturing Company, now known as Pioneer Aerospace, as well as several other industries came to Marion County through the BAWI program. For information and scheduling tours of the Hugh Lawson White Mansion, call Mrs. Ann Simmons at 601.736.1763 or the Chamber office at 601.736.6385.