About MDAH

Empowering people through Mississippi’s many stories is our vision.

Whether you are interested in researching Mississippi history, visiting historic places, preserving history, attending or sponsoring history-themed events, engaging students with history, properly managing government records or finding opportunities for volunteering, internships and careers, MDAH can connect you with the experiences and information you seek.

By preserving Mississippi’s diverse historic resources and sharing them with people around the world, MDAH inspires discovery of stories that connect our lives and shape our future.

Who We Are

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History was founded in 1902 to collect, preserve, and provide access to the archival resources of the state. Our commitment to preservation continues today through the work of the department’s five divisions.

MDAH is governed by a nine-member board of trustees whose president is Spence Flatgard of Ridgeland. Katie Blount has served as department director since February 2015.

Administration

Administration comprises human resources, financial services, operations, and information systems.

Archives and Records Services

Archives and Records Services oversees the state archives and public reading rooms, where documents, photographs, and other items from the state’s vast collection are made available free of charge to the public.

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Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation works with property owners to preserve the state’s historic sites and structures.

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Programs and Communication

Programs and Communication focuses on programming, education, public relations, and marketing for the entire department.

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Museums

The Museum Division oversees the Museum of Mississippi History, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Eudora Welty House & Garden, Manship House Museum, Old Capitol Museum, and the historic section of the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion in Jackson; the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez; Historic Jefferson College in Washington, and Winterville Mounds in Greenville.

Eudora Welty House

Eudora Welty House

See where the Pulitzer Prize-winning author lived, entertained, and wrote all her stories.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Discover stories of Mississippians such as Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Vernon Dahmer, who changed America as local leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. 

Museum of Mississippi History

Museum of Mississippi History

Explore 15,000 years of history and learn how our shared past influences our future together.

Old Capitol Museum

Old Capitol Museum

The Old Capitol is the site of some of the state's most significant history.

Grand Village of the Natchez Indians

Grand Village of the Natchez Indians

The Grand Village is a museum and 128-acre park featuring three prehistoric Native American mounds, a reconstructed Natchez Indian house, and a nature trail.

Historic Jefferson College

Historic Jefferson College

Historic Jefferson College is the birthplace of Mississippi’s statehood in 1817.

Manship House Museum

Manship House Museum

The Manship House Museum interprets the daily life of a 19th-century Mississippi family through the house the family lived in for so many years.

Winterville Mounds

Winterville Mounds

For hundreds of years, travelers have visited the communal gathering space at Winterville Mounds.

Governor's Mansion

Governor's Mansion

The Governor’s Mansion has been the residence of Mississippi governors and their families since 1842.

News & Articles

The local government records committee will review, approve, disapprove, amend, or modify records control schedules for county and municipal government offices on Tuesday, January 21, at 10:30 a.m.
Artists interested in showcasing their talent at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson are encouraged to apply for the annual MLK Night of Culture program that will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2025.  Applications are open for those who would like to perform spoken word, sing, dance, or perform an artistic piece. This year’s theme focuses on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in honor of the 60th anniversary of its passage.
The src will review, approve, disapprove, amend or modify records control schedules for all state agencies, boards, and commissions at 10 a.m. for the following dates: Thursday, January 16; Thursday, April 17; and Thursday, October 23. Once approved, schedules shall have the force of effect of law.
On Sunday, Dec. 1, the Possum Ridge model train exhibit will open at the Two Mississippi Museums. There is no charge to view the exhibit, which will close on Dec. 31. For more than 40 years, the model trains and the town of Possum Ridge have been a holiday tradition delighting both children and adults. The site depicts a typical Mississippi railroad town of the 1940s. In its first year, it consisted of a single block of an electrified Main Street with 10 buildings, including a bank, dry goods store, newspaper office, and restaurant.
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) will host a community engagement program titled “The Untold Stories of Enslavement at Windsor” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the Mississippi Cultural Crossroads building in Port Gibson. This program is funded by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Christmas by Candlelight Tour will return Friday, Dec. 6, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums, the Old Capitol Museum, the state Capitol, and the Governor’s Mansion. The tour offers a festive evening filled with live holiday music, crafts, sweet treats, and a photo opportunity with Santa.

Events

Free Sundays at the Two Mississippi Museums
December 29, 2024, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Admission to the Two Mississippi Museums is free every Sunday. 

Free Sundays at the Two Mississippi Museums
January 5, 2025, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Admission to the Two Mississippi Museums is free every Sunday. 

Welty Wednesdays
January 8, 2025, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Join the Eudora Welty House & Garden (EWHG) for Welty Wednesdays beginning Wednesday, January 8.

Articles and Publications

MDAH and our partner organizations produce a number of detailed publications related to Mississippi history and prehistory. Select a publication for information on topics, purchasing or subscribing.

Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

Annual Report

Annual Report

Partnerships

Volunteer

Be part of history. Volunteer with MDAH and help us preserve and connect Mississippi’s rich historic resources with people around the world.


Volunteer