Summer Music Series: Marta - Sunday, June 1, 2025

William F. Winter Building

Welcome to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

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.

Community Curation Day - May 24, 2025

The Two Mississippi Museums is a Blue Star Museum, offering Free Admission for Active Military and their Families through Labor Day.

Hurricane Katrina: Mississippi Remembers Gallery Talk - June 5, 2025 at 11 A.M.

William F. Winter Building

Welcome to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

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.

The Two Mississippi Museums is a Blue Star Museum, offering Free Admission for Active Military and their Families through Labor Day.

Community Curation Day - May 24, 2025

Summer Music Series: Marta - Sunday, June 1, 2025

Hurricane Katrina: Mississippi Remembers Gallery Talk - June 5, 2025 at 11 A.M.

Empowering people through Mississippi's many stories.

That’s our vision at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. We are here to help you explore and discover your Mississippi stories.

You can use this website, and our reading rooms in downtown Jackson, to:

  • Research historical records, archival collections and special publications
  • Discover historical sites and museums to visit all around the state
  • Check out upcoming events, including our History is Lunch series
  • Preserve Mississippi’s historic buildings and archaeological sites
  • Download field trip guides, lesson plans, and teaching units
  • View regulations for managing state and local government records
  • Find out how to volunteer, donate, and more
News & Events

Find the latest news, upcoming programs, and special exhibitions at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

News & Events

Research

Discover your story. Search the ultimate primary resource of Mississippi’s historical documents, photos, videos, and more.

You can use our online collections, and the extensive resources at our reading rooms in downtown Jackson, to build your family tree, create an engaging presentation, or simply explore your Mississippi history.

Get Started

Explore

Real stories, real places. Set out on a hands-on history adventure and discover the people and places that shaped your Mississippi.

MDAH welcomes curious visitors of all ages to more than a dozen museums, historic sites and cultural attractions throughout the state.

Go Places

Preserve

Tell your story for generations to come. Mississippi is rich in architectural and archaeological history.

See How

Teachers and Students

Stories are for sharing. Help your students explore their Mississippi history from K-12 to college.

Discover ready-to-use field trip guides, professional development opportunities, a host of classroom resources and information on Mississippi History Day, our history-themed student competition.

Education

Religion Initiative

Learn about the role of religion in Mississippi history and culture. Made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, MDAH offers programs through its religion initiative that range from free group tours of the Two Mississippi Museums to research fellowships in the archives.

Learn More

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

News & Articles

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has completed a preservation and stabilization project at Windsor Ruins that includes a walking trail and new signs that tell the stories of the plantation owners and the people who were enslaved there.
The Two Mississippi Museums – the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum – will participate in Blue Star Museums, a program offering free admission to currently serving military personnel and their families, from Armed Forces Day on May 17 to Labor Day, Sept. 1.
Bradley Smith, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, has been named the 2025 Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellow. Smith will use archival holdings at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) to research the role of religion in Mississippi from the state's secession to the surrender of Vicksburg.
Theron Wilkerson, a doctoral student at Auburn University, has been named the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Research Fellow for 2025. Wilkerson will conduct research this summer in the Medgar Wiley and Myrlie Beasley Evers Papers housed at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson.
A group of Mississippi students will head to the National History Day Contest in College Park, Maryland, in June after winning at the state level at an event hosted by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Kyle Alvey, a doctoral student at Purdue University, has been named the 2025 Eudora Welty Research Fellow. Alvey will use archival holdings in the Eudora Welty Collection housed at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to research the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. to research the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Events

Discovery Day: Mississippi In Space
May 24, 2025, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Join us for Discovery Day: Mississippi in Space, a family-friendly event celebrating Mississippi's vital role in space exploration and discovery Sa

Community Curation Day
May 24, 2025, 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Learn how to preserve precious artifacts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, for our Community Curation Day in the orientation room of the William F.

Free Sundays at the Two Mississippi Museums
May 25, 2025, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Admission to the Two Mississippi Museums is free every Sunday.