Iconic Mississippi sign pops with new coat of paint
Published 3:42 pm Friday, August 4, 2023
BROOKHAVEN — Visit Brookhaven repainted the “A Home Seekers Paradise,” sign in Brookhaven with a fresh coat of paint Friday. Tourism Director Jillian Richeri said the sign would get another coat of paint this weekend to really make the words pop.
Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce Program Director Katie Nations said Brookhaven’s Tourism Council is tasked with promoting tourism and ensuring downtown Brookhaven remains vibrant. Brookhaven’s iconic sign is a replica of the original sign erected and lit up on display on Nov. 19, 1915. The Daily Leader reported “the Liberty Bell was passing through Brookhaven on the way from the World’s Fair in San Francisco to Philadelphia,” when it was illuminated by light.
During World War 2 the sign was taken down and scrapped for the war effort. A replica of the sign was erected in 1996. Nations said the sign had not been painted in sometime.
“Visit Brookhaven and Brookhaven Trust took on the expense of making sure the lights are working properly and thought it needed a fresh coat of paint,” Nations said. “They pressure washed it and after the white coat of paint noticed the metal frame needed paint. We find it important for people coming in and out of downtown to keep the sign as fresh as we can.”
Visit Brookhaven freshened up the paint on a train car along I55 near the north Brookhaven exit which welcomes visitors to town. Nations said they added an orange cap to the train car and plan to work on landscaping around the railcar.