Pascagoula maritime museum starts work on interim home
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) – Work has started on building the Mississippi Maritime Museum in Pascagoula.
Museum officials signed a contract Thursday with Fletcher Construction Co.
The Mississippi Press reports that the first phase involves renovating the band hall of the former Pascagoula High School into a 3,000 square-foot Maritime Activity Center, to house offices and artifact storage. Another 3,000 square feet will be used for training and hands-on projects for local students.
The second phase calls for renovating another former high school building into an interim museum. Officials hope to build a permanent museum on Lowry Island featuring the retired USS Ticonderoga, a guided missile cruiser built and based in Pascagoula.
State legislators agreed to borrow $100,000 to help fund the museum as part of the bond bill they passed this year.
