Collection Details:

Collection Name and Number: Gateway Rescue Mission (Jackson, Miss.) Papers (Z/1212).
Creator/Collector: Gateway Rescue Mission, Inc.
Date(s): 1948-1964; n.d.
Size: 0.30 cubic feet.
Language(s): English.
Processed by: MDAH staff, Tom Anderson, February 21, 1973; Allyson Hartling, 2024.
Provenance: Gift of Reverend George R. Roberson of Jackson, MS, on February 7, 1973; Z/U/1973.015.
Repository: Archives & Records Services Division, Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

Rights and Access:

Access restrictions: Collection is open for research.

Publication rights: Copyright assigned to the MDAH. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to Reference Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the MDAH as the owner of the physical items and as the owner of the copyright in items created by the donor. Although the copyright was transferred by the donor, the respective creator may still hold copyright in some items in the collection. For further information, contact Reference Services.

Copyright notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Preferred citation: Gateway Rescue Mission (Jackson, Miss.) Papers (Z/1212), Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

History:

The Gateway Rescue Mission of Jackson, Mississippi, originally formed in 1948 by applying and receiving a charter of incorporation.  The Mission formed with the intention to help those who were less fortunate and to bring others to Christianity.  However, on February 15, 1950, the organization reformed and designated Lynn A. Martin as chairman, who held the position until he stepped down two years later and handed it over to Charles H. Jones.  By 1955, with Horace J. Price as president of the board, the Mission was working toward purchasing land and property for a building to provide services.  The organization had many honorary members who supported the project financially. They worked without a proper building for a few years until they officially had their first base of operations in 1956, which was replaced a few years later when they received enough funding. The new building included everything they would need to house many men in need of assistance.

 

Scope and Content Note:

This collection consists of meeting minutes of the Gateway Rescue Mission of Jackson, Hinds County, about financial opportunities, officer elections, and business involving the way the mission would operate. Also included are by-laws never adopted from 1960, board of directors’ files, a letter to the membership by George Roberson, a pamphlet about a building plan, and a floor plan for their latest renovation project. 

 

Series Identification:

Series 1: By-Laws, circa 1960.

These by-laws of Gateway Rescue Mission, Inc., consist of seven articles.  On the first page of the by-laws, the date 1960 and “never adopted” is written in ink. 

Box 1, folder 1

 

Series 2: Board of Directors Files, 1950; n.d.

The files of the board of directors include a list of honorary members for life, and active members divided by gender, dated February 1950.  There is a roll call card dated May 18, 1950 for the directors meeting of that date, and there is a list of names with no heading or date.

Box 1, folders 2-4

 

Series 3: Meeting Minutes, 1948; 1950; 1955-1957.

Meeting minutes begin with the meeting of the Gateway Rescue Mission Association on September 22, 1948, applying for a charter of incorporation as a non-profit and charitable organization.  Meeting minutes were recorded by the secretary: Annie Hickman Holliday, Charles H. Jones, and Edna K. Whitehead.  Also included are the meeting minutes of Jackson Union Mission on October 21, 1948.

Box 1, folders 5-14

 

Series 4: Letter to Membership, August 1964.

The letter to the membership is from George Roberson, Superintendent, on behalf of Gateway Rescue Mission in which he shares the latest news about the mission’s work and the needed funds to complete the building project.

Box 1, folder 15

 

Series 5: Building Program, 1963.

This series contains one pamphlet “Building Program,” in which the purpose and mission of Gateway Rescue Mission is outlined. Quoted on the front: “Our downtown Gateway Rescue Mission offers three-fold help to one of Jackson’s civic problems.”  The board of directors are named along with their titles, as well as funding needs for the new building project.

Box 1, folder 16

 

Series 6: Broadside, n.d.

This broadside for Gateway Rescue Mission, Incorporated, includes George R. Roberson’s name and title as Superintendent, and shares the message “Jesus Saves.” The white lettering and black graphic design is slightly raised on a blue background.

Box 1, folder 17

 

Series 7: Floor Plan for Proposed Building for Gateway Rescue Mission, 1964.

The proposed floor plan does not include the name of the firm or architect who drew the plan.  It shows a ground floor, main floor, stairwell section, and a cross section view of the main floor where the dormitories and lounge are located.

Box 1, folder 18