Home of the Double Eagle

Rev. H.D. Dennis promised "the widow Rogers" (later known as his wife Margaret) that he would build a church around her small grocery store if she would marry him. That was over 30 years ago, but Dennis, 94, kept his promise. Residents along Highway 61 on the east side of Vicksburg, Miss., have watched the "Home of the Double Eagle" grow-all with materials that Dennis, a retired Baptist preacher, found at garage sales or in junk piles. Dennis hand-painted each of the red-and-white plywood signs. Dennis lives in a nearby nursing home following his wife's recent death, but Cool Springs Missionary Baptist Church continues his work with a congregation of 80 active members.