Present Meets Past at Old Capitol
Mississippians know Evelyn Gandy became the first woman elected to statewide constitutional office when she won the race for state treasurer in 1959. She went on to hold the offices of assistant attorney general, commissioner of public welfare, and in 1976 lieutenant governor. Gandy is one of many influential Mississippians who will be portrayed by reenactors at the Old Capitol Museum's Present Meets Past program on Thursday, October 25 at 5 p.m.
“Present Meets Past is one our site’s most popular programs,” said Old Capitol Museum director Lauren Miller. “It is a tribute to our state’s history that both children and adults can enjoy.”
Nine historical figures will be stationed throughout the building, ready to discuss the events of their times: Adelbert Ames, military and civilian governor in Reconstruction-era Mississippi; Adelbert Ames’s wife, Blanche Butler Ames; State Librarian Helen Bell; Major General Fox Conner, a mentor to Dwight Eisenhower and George Marshall; Evelyn Gandy, the first woman to hold the office of lieutenant governor in Mississippi; architect Theodore Link; ceramic artist George Ohr; anti-lynching activist and writer Ida B. Wells, and playwright Tennessee Williams.
The performers will remain in character all evening. Visitors are invited to ask questions and interact with them.
The Old Capitol, Jackson’s oldest building, is a National Historic Landmark. Located on State Street at Capitol, the museum’s regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, free of charge. The Old Capitol is a museum of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. For more information call 601-576-6920.