Historic Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Shrine in Biloxi, Mississippi, was set ablaze last week, and investigators are calling it a deliberate act of arson. Fortunately, an alert off-duty firefighter noticed the smoke, and put out the inferno with a water-filled trash bag. The large front doors were charred, but damage to the front porch was limited. The porch had recently undergone $120,000 in repairs.

Beauvoir was the last home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who died in 1889. Currently owned by the United Sons of Confederate Veterans, it operates as a tourist attraction dedicated to Davis' memory. Items displayed include a Davis death mask, and other Civil War artifacts.

Officials would not speculate as to whether the fire was timed to spoil a Saturday party to celebrate Davis's June 3rd birthday, which is still an official holiday in several former Confederate states. [06/13/2004]

February 10, 2012