Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Outdoor Wednesday: The Doors of Vicksburg

I'd like to thank our gracious hostess Susan at A Southern Daydreamer, for taking the time to host our "Outdoor Wednesdays." Be sure to visit Susan today and see her stunning photos of her Rose of Sharon blooms.

I'm sure you're familiar with the saying, "You only have one chance to make a good first impression." I think that applies to houses, too, and the term "curb appeal," which is so widely used on HGTV, to describe the appearance of a house from the street, comes to mind.

One of the first things I notice about a house ... after the landscaping ... is its front door. And it doesn't have to have a big fancy ornate door to attract my attention. I love plain and simple doors, doors with windows, arched doors, double doors, tall skinny doors, stained wood doors, painted doors, doors with stained glass ...

Well, I guess you get the idea. I love doors ... and yesterday, with temperatures hovering near the 100-degree mark (which felt like 110 in the Mississippi shade), I set out with my camera to capture some of the doors in Vicksburg. I thought doors were something I could photograph by just "driving by," without having to get out in the heat, which, for the most part, worked fine.

Here are some of the doors that caught my eye (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like to see the details)...

This is one of my favorite doors in Vicksburg.
I love the ivy growing across the steps.

I love this pretty blue door, too, and that tiny window
with its little flowerbox. I took this picture last fall ...

I like the "lattice-effect" around this door, and the
contrast of the maroon door against the blue-green trim ...

Ernie and Oscar welcome little ones to
the Buttons and Bows Daycare Center ...

And this colorful shuttered door cheerfully
welcomes visitors to this house ...

Bold turquoise trim attracts your attention to this house, which is for sale. I hope they keep that second story door locked!

This is Lakemont, one of Vicksburg's many antebellum homes, circa 1830. If you enlarge the picture you can see the dent in the right front gate which was caused by a Union gunboat mortar.

I'm not sure about those grand Ionic columns flanking the rather simple front door. I wonder if they're original to the house?

I give this beautiful front door
an A+ for its first impression ...

And this door, which is on a house up the
street from ours, is another of my favorites ...

This is turning into a rather lengthy post, and for the sake of brevity, I'm going to let the rest of the pictures speak for themselves.

Southern Cultural Heritage Center



Christ Episcopal Church of Vicksburg


I would love to see what's behind this Green Door ...

Old Downtown Post Office

Constitution Fire Station, circa 1870

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

Vicksburg City Hall

And last, but not least, here are our front doors ...

I hope you enjoyed the photo tour of some of my favorite doors in Vicksburg. They are just a small part of the gracious first impression Vicksburg gives its visitors every day.

22 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I'm with you, Janie, I absolutely love doors! My favorites are yours (I've always loved it), the stable (or whatever that building is), City Hall, and that precious cottage with the tiny window and window box. Neat. Neat. Neat.

Thanks for sharing...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I've enjoyed the door tour! I too am fascinated by different doors!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Stacey said...

Gorgeous post!!

August Rose said...

I love church doors. Just imagine how many people they have seen. The doors of the church see our true face before we put on our nice face for others.

Unknown said...

Love your collection of doors...I'm one of those door freaks as well. I can't get enough of 'em!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Janie, those are some beautiful pics of doors. Love them all!

Lisa said...

I love doors and it looks like Vicksburg has some great ones!

SmilingSally said...

I had fun looking over your shoulder at the doors of MS. Thanks.

Crystal said...

Oh I absolutely loved you door tour. My favorites were the A+ door and your very own doors.
Vicksburg looks like a wonderful place to visit.
Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
Crystal

Regina said...

Very nice shots and post.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Like you, I'm in love with these doors...thanks for sharing...

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Loved the tour - thanks for sharing.
Glenda

Sherrie said...

Hi!
I really like all your photos, but I really like that second one the best, of the little cottage. Really cute, I could see myself living there. Have a great day!!

Sherrie
http://splummer-aviewofmylife.blogspot.com/2009/06/wordless-wednesday-outdoor-wednesday.html

Mary Bergfeld said...

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the doors of Vicksburg. This was an interesting and clever post. Thank you for sharing your pictures with us.

Unknown said...

You got some awesome photos of doors! They look very inviting, except for that second story turquoise door! My husband always takes pictures of doorways on our vacations.

Sue said...

Janie, All of these doors captivated me! They say so much about the house, itself. The class, the style, the personality... Thanks for sharing this tour with us. :-) Sue

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

What a fabulous post. I actually purchased a poster of some of the more interesting front doors in our historic town. They're all so unique!

Btw, I'd guess the "Grand Ionic Columns" were definitely NOT original to that lovely house... what was the homeowner thinking?!!!

Love your front door... it's stunning!

stefanie said...

great post, i love the pictures of all the doors, just beautiful

Claudia said...

I am in love with Doors and entrances too!

Great selection and variety.

Never thought to combine the home doors with Church ones. Great idea.

Thanks for sharing.

TTFN~~Claudia

Beth at Aunties said...

I also love front doors and agree with your favorite selections. I have always loved your front doors and the beautiful vine growing over the top.

~♥Beth

Simply Debbie said...

Happy Outdoor Wednesday
doors are one of my very favorite things.....I could look at pictures of doors all day and I love the ones you chose.
hugs
debbie

xinex said...

Wonderful tour of doors. I love the arched ones....Christine