The clean up of the old Mayo Free Press building is moving rapidly. Five large dumpsters full of fallen roof and rotten wood have been removed so far. B.Z. Cashman, Town of Mayo; Dwayne Valentine, Mayo Correctional Facility; and Taylor Cullar, Lafayette County Historical Society are working with a crew from Mayo Correctional Facility to conduct the clean up.

If you have pictures of the old Mayo Free Press or old Dees Drug Store building, please let the Historical Society borrow these pictures to assist with the restoration. Please contact Vi Johnson, Dust Catcher – 294-2482 or Taylor Cullar – 294-3819 to share pictures or information about the building’s history.

Artifacts from the building are being identified and saved for future review. Various metals are sorted and sold to raise additional funds for the renovation of the building.

When the clean up is completed, the architect and engineer will survey the building again and finalize their plans and recommendations. A contractor for replacing the roof will then be sought.

Application has been made for Phase 2 funding to replace the windows and doors and repair the exterior walls. For this phase, the Society’s grant request for $50,000 from the Department of State, Historical Preservation Division, will be reviewed April 4-5 in Tallahassee. Funding will depend on the recommendations of the review team and appropriations from the State Legislature. The Historical Society will be notified in June or July if they will receive additional state funding.