It’s another neat little place in Clarksdale that says so much about this community.
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History Historical Marker honoring the Hicks-Tarzi Memorial Grotto was placed recently on the west lawn of the Cutrer Mansion.
“We have been working with leaders of the St. Elizabeth Catholic School and the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church for a couple of years now on this project and it’s finally here and in the ground,” said Jen Waller, Director of the Cutrer and Coahoma County Higher Education Center.
The J.W. Cutrer House already has an historical marker explaining the history of the massive white Italian style villa that is a local landmark.
The most recent marker tells of the time when the mansion was the site of St. Elizaberth Catholic School founded in 1947. The story says Nuns at the school brought stone from Alabama to the site and created a grotto inspired by the Grotto of Lourdes France. Statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Bernadette Boubirous were given in memory of Johnny Tarzi and Theodore Hicks who died serving in World War II.
The Cutrer Mansion was literally one of the first grand homes in for the community. It is a major tourist attraction for Clarksdale and the grotto is just another neat little story about a place that played a big part in the lives of so many people in this community.
