Foundation for Mississippi History Awarded $225,000 for Margaret Ann Crigler Park
The Foundation for Mississippi History has been awarded $225,000 by the Mississippi Arts Commission for the construction of Margaret Ann Crigler Park in Jackson. The foundation is one of 20 organizations in Mississippi awarded a Building Fund for the Arts grant for 2025.
Margaret Ann Crigler Park will be adjacent to the Two Mississippi Museums and will include a large open green space, an outdoor stage, and a natural play area for children. A new anchor on the city’s museum trail, a walking and biking trail that connects the museums at LeFleur’s Bluff to museums downtown, Crigler Park will feature Mississippi’s native foliage.
“This project not only links the Two Mississippi Museums to downtown but also expands our capacity for public programming that contributes to a vibrant arts and culture landscape in the community,” said Katie Blount, Mississippi Department of Archives and History director.
Plans for Margaret Ann Crigler Park align with the original layout for Jackson from 1822, which included public green spaces on alternating blocks. Only two of the original parks remain: the Old Capitol Green and Smith Park. MDAH has selected Perkins&Will, a national architecture firm that specializes in park design, to develop Crigler Park. The park will be open to the public every day from dawn to dusk.
The first $1 million for the project was donated by retired businessman Noble T. Crigler, and the park will be named after his late wife, Margaret Ann Crigler. The Mississippi Legislature has provided $3 million for the project, and the remaining funds will be raised privately by the Foundation for Mississippi History.
MDAH is the second-oldest state department of archives and history in the United States. The department collects, preserves, and provides access to the archival resources of the state, administers various museums and historic sites, and oversees statewide programs for historic preservation, state and local government records management, and publications.
The Foundation for Mississippi History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that conducts fundraising efforts to support and promote the projects and programs of MDAH, which operates the Museum of Mississippi History, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Eudora Welty House & Garden, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, Old Capitol Museum, Windsor Ruins, Historic Jefferson College, and Winterville Mounds.
For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.