ENID — The Mitchell & McClendon General Merchants Building here is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The date of the building's official entry into the National Register, maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service, was Sept. 23, according to an Oct. 3 letter from Mississippi Department of Archives and History State Historic Preservation Officer Katie Blount to property owner Brent Tippitt announcing the selection.
Blount explained that "The National Register is the country's official list of buildings, sites, districts and structures that merit preservation because of their significance in American history."
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The newly designated building, located at 1027 Jackson Ave., currently houses The Enid Depot restaurant, where Tippitt is the operator and chef.
Tippitt said the grassroots effort to earn the historic designation began in November 2023 and involved historic preservation students and staff from the Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art and Design; the Mississippi Heritage Trust and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
A history enthusiast himself — The Enid Depot's website features historical documents, photos and references about Enid and Tallahatchie County — Tippitt said the National Register undertaking was initially part of an effort to grow the business that he had purchased Nov. 1, 2022.
After some digging, and receiving advice from a friend of a friend, Tippitt began to see the importance of raising public awareness about the history of the one-and-a-half-story commercial building constructed in 1907.
"I do like history and I think it's important to put the pieces together of what this building was," he said Thursday. "The building is a historical place and we want to share it with people."
Tippitt credits Lolly Rash, executive director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, for putting him in touch with the right people to conduct the legwork.
He said MSU students Jennifer Burt and Katy Kemalyan made three trips to Enid and "spent probably 25 hours" taking photographs of the structure and gathering and compiling information about its history as part of a 2024 field survey conducted on the property. They then wrote their graduate studies thesis on the building for MSU's Master of Fine Arts degree in Historic Preservation program. Their professor, Jeff Fulton, also played a role, he noted.
Tippitt said it was the students who submitted necessary documentation about the building's history to the appropriate state office. Blount certified and signed off on the package in July before it was sent to federal officials for their consideration.
During the Mitchell & McLendon General Merchants building's "period of significance," placed at 1910 to 1975, when it ceased to function as a retail operation, it was a part of the "commercial and social center of Enid during the early 20th century, serving as the rural community's primary source for goods and a gathering place for surrounding farmers," according to a section of the registration form. "Its prominent location and multi-use layout, including retail space, funeral parlor, butcher, and barbershop, show its role in the community's development and daily life."
"For nearly 75 years, the store served as the primary commercial hub for Enid. Residents depended on it for essentials like flour, coffee, horse collars, and home goods to name a few examples. The store even offered specialized services over the years, including a barbershop, WPA [Works Progress Administration] library, meat counter, and funeral parlor with a casket display. It was a place to shop, gather, and catch up on the news."
Tippitt has several mementos from those earlier days and is especially proud of a Mitchell & McClendon General Merchants receipt dated Dec. 7, 1907, as well as a 1910 railroad survey that shows numerous stores and other buildings on either side of the railroad tracks in Enid.
To have the history of the 118-year-old monument recognized and preserved, Tippitt noted, is "a wonderful thing."
"I'm just a steward of this building, and it needs to be around for future generations."
The Mitchell & McClendon General Merchants Building joins 10 other properties and sites in Tallahatchie County that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Those sites, their address and the year of their listing are as follow: the Allison Mound, Webb (1988); Black Bayou Bridge, Glendora (2011); Buford Site, Sumner (1986); Dell Bullion Mound, Grenada (1988); Dr. Tandy and Sarah Harrison House, Charleston (2019); Jack's Site, Philipp (1978); Lamb-Fish Bridge, Charleston (1982); Murphey-Jennings House, Sumner (1982); Spivey Site, Crowder (1978); and Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse, Sumner (2007).
