Miss Pearl's House in Coming of Age in Mississippi

By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright (c) 2018

#AnneMoody
#ComingOfAgeinMississippi

This was the home of Violet Jefferson Graves, aka Miss Pearl, in Anne Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi. The house is located near Highway 24 in Centreville, Miss. Photo taken in 2017 by Roscoe Barnes III.

To the average person, the boarded-up house in the curve of Hospital Road in Centreville, Miss., is nothing more than an old building -- a vintage eyesore -- that is taking up space. But to readers of Anne Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi, the building holds an important place in history.

The wood-framed structure, situated on the north side of Highway 24, was once occupied by Violet Jefferson Graves, aka Miss Pearl, in Anne's classic memoir. Miss Pearl was the mother of Anne's stepdad. The house is located just up the road from Anne's childhood home. Anne introduced the house in the opening section of Chapter 4:

We were now living next door to Raymond's mother, Miss Pearl, and all the rest of Raymond's people. Somehow, by hook or by crook, Raymond and his entire family had bought land there, along the gravel road that formed the main street.

Raymond and his brothers had ... built Miss Pearl's house and she had a bathroom.

Anne also mentioned the house in Chapter 16 where she wrote about the fight she had with her stepdad. Filled with rage, she decided to leave her home in Centreville and move to Woodville, Miss., about 15 miles west, to live with her dad, Fred Moody Sr. She wrote:

As I walked toward Miss Pearl's house, they were all standing out in the yard staring at me. ... As I passed, they stared at me like I had lost my mind. I turned the little curve in front of Miss Pearl's and walked up toward the highway.

Interestingly enough, the landscape hasn't changed much since Anne wrote about that area. The "little curve" is still in front of Miss Pearl's house, leading up to Highway 24.

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Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III Ph.D. via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi