The Poplarville Historical Preservation Society is conserving history one home at a time. Years ago, Joan Bassett, the society’s president, discovered many homes in Poplarville were historical gems in need of preservation.

“When I came back to live here in Poplarville, some of the old beautiful homes weren’t here anymore so I thought it would be a good idea to start a driving tour to save some of the old homes,” Bassett said.

The driving tour will give locals and tourists an opportunity to sightsee historical homes in Poplarville dating back to 1890, all of which are scattered within the city limits.

Bassett is currently making the finishing touches on the tour’s brochure, which would not only guide people to each historic location but would provide a brief history of each of the homes.

So far, 15 homes are set to participate in the tour, all of which already have wrought iron markers placed in their front yards. The markers include the home’s name, year it was built and names of the current owners.

For the past two years, Bassett has been working to make this project a reality. The driving tour has been a community effort between the society, homeowners and welding students from Pearl River Community College, who created the markers.

“This tour is very important because if we don’t preserve these homes then the younger generation would lose the history of the area,” Bassett said.

Once the brochure becomes available, people will be able to tour some of Poplarville’s most historic homes. The featured homes are located in Poplarville’s south, north and central districts, Bassett said.

Two homes in the south district are located on West Michigan Street. One of the homes, located at 411 W. Michigan St., was established in 1920 and contains many of its original features, including pine and marble floors, sewing room and kitchen cabinets. The oldest home in the tour is located at 412 W. Michigan St. The 1890’s Victorian-style home is situated on about an acre lot and features a wrap-around porch with large columns, original crown molding, bookcases and windows, according to the brochure.

The north district is home to six participating homeowners. One of the homes, which was established in 1918, is located at 201 N. Main St. The home is a one-and-a-half story craftsman bungalow with original heart pine flooring, windows and crown molding. The house used to have a livery stable in its backyard and was temporarily used as a funeral home, according to the brochure.

Seven homes reside within the central district. Bassett lives in a historic home on South Main Street, which was established in 1928. The traditional home is constructed of heart pine timber and features original crown molding, high ceilings and original heart pine tongue and groove floors. The original windows have a weight/pulley balance system, which was used years ago, according to the brochure.

Bassett hopes the brochures will be ready in the fall. The brochures will be made available at numerous locations, including Poplarville’s City Hall, Poplarville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Poplarville Historical Preservation Society museum, local businesses and the Pearl River County Welcome Center.