News

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) has announced the 2025 Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Grant program (MHSPG) grantees.

In 2021, the Mississippi Legislature authorized the creation of the MHSPG program to acquire sites related to Civil War battles, Native American archaeology, and civil rights history. The funding supports the preservation of endangered and historically significant properties.

“The MHSPG program assists applicants with the acquisition of eligible properties,” said Barry White, director of the Historic Preservation division at MDAH. “Ultimately, preservation of these sites ensures our state’s history is told to future generations.”

Eligible properties must be listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or the published 1993 Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields or identified as nationally significant in a National Park Service Special Resource Study.

The 2025 grants were awarded for the following projects:

• Chickasaw Bayou, Warren County, American Battlefield Trust - $278,250. There are five proposed grants for properties in the Core and Study Areas of the Chickasaw Bayou battlefield. These are the Curry, Creekmore, Dunham, Tarver, and 4 J Properties tracts.
   
• Mills Tract, Alcorn County, American Battlefield Trust - $14,500. This tract is within the Core Area of the Corinth battlefield.

Funds in the MHSPG program are used to defray costs for land acquisition to protect historic properties. A one-to-one match is required.

A receiving property may have significance in more than one area, such as a battlefield with a recorded archaeological site within its boundaries, which is considered in scoring applications.

For more information, call 601-576-6941, or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (MCRM) has been nominated – for the second consecutive time – for the Best History Museum in the United States in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.  

Voting begins on Monday, Jan. 13, at noon EST and ends on Monday, Feb. 10, at 11:59 a.m. EST. The top 10 winners, as ranked by USA TODAY 10Best readers, will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at noon EST. Readers can vote here. 

“We are honored that the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum has been nominated again in the category of Best History Museum,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums – The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. “This recognition comes from the collective efforts of staff and visitors to elevate this museum among top institutions in the country.” 

Visitors to MCRM are greeted with a timeline of African American history in Mississippi before moving to interactive exhibits that chronicle the events of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement from World War II through 1975. 

The museum also embraces complex stories of Mississippians like Medgar Evers, James Meredith, Fannie Lou Hamer, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, and Vernon Dahmer with unflinching academic rigor, engaging visitors through historic records, artifacts, impactful programming, curated exhibits, and archival photographs and footage.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opened in tandem with the Museum of Mississippi History on Dec. 9, 2017, in celebration of the state's bicentennial and is administered by MDAH. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum explores the period from 1945 to 1976 when Mississippi was ground zero for the Civil Rights Movement nationally. The Museum of Mississippi History explores the entire sweep of Mississippi’s territorial and state history and the inhabitants of its land. 

For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.  
 

FedEx will sponsor free admission to the Two Mississippi Museums during an extended observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Jan. 18-21.

The holiday weekend events include the MLK Night of Culture on Monday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium, with a theme inspired by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Other activities during the free weekend at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History include themed crafts, student performances, museum tours on voting rights, and gallery talks from Freedom Rider Hezekiah Watkins. Additionally, staff from the Elections division of the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office will be on-site for voter registration.

“We are grateful to FedEx for their continued support of our annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which administers the Two Mississippi Museums. “Welcoming the public as guests of FedEx allows more people to experience the rich, historical stories in the museum and honor this important holiday.”

Having sponsored free admission on MLK Weekend for six consecutive years, FedEx generously extended the 2025 celebration to include Tuesday, Jan. 21, a day designated as National Day of Racial Healing.

“At FedEx, we believe that every person deserves a chance to access opportunities that lead to success in work and life,” said Rose Jackson Flenorl, Manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity. “Dr. King dreamed this vision and we are proud to continue supporting the Two Mississippi Museums and their efforts to help visitors connect with Dr. King’s legacy.”

The MLK Night of Culture features local artists performing original pieces. The program is hosted by Vicksburg native Alexis Noble, owner of Vibe Studio Jxn and curator of The Mash Up, an online platform for Mississippi artists. 2025 Night of Culture artists and performers include:

The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians will be closed Monday, December 30, due to a power outage. It will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, and remain closed on Wednesday, Jan. 1.

How to Join this Public Meeting of the Mississippi State Records Committee Meeting (src)

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. 

Written comments must be presented no less than five (5) days before the scheduled meeting, by mail or personal delivery, to the attention of the Director of the Department of Archives and History at 200 North Street, Jackson MS 39201, in accordance with the information provided at https://www.mdah.ms.gov/sites/default/files/2020-02/State-Records-Committee-Rules-and-Procedures.pdf. 

The meeting packet for Thursday, January 16, can be found here: https://www.mdah.ms.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/July-2024-Meeting-Packet.pdf.

This public meeting may be joined via Zoom video from (PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81682848598?pwd=dOg7ju8oll9kC1bwswn9wx55oz4SaU.1#success

Meeting ID: 816 8284 8598

Passcode: 380112

Or Telephone: Dial: USA (312) 626-6799 (Chicago) Find local numbers: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdO3eF1xBF

For more information, call 601-576-6850 or e-mail info@mdah.ms.gov

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. 

Today, the trains circle a town that has grown to include a depot, church, bakery, barbershop, icehouse, sawmill, cotton gin, train yard, and much more. There are also houses located off Main Street, farmsteads, a small airport, and even a river baptism scene.

In addition to the exhibit, visitors can view a toy collection from the state Historic Objects Collection that spans over 150 years. The oldest toy in the collection – a toy stable with horses and a wagon – dates from the 1840s.

The Two Mississippi Museums opened on Dec. 9, 2017, in celebration of the state's bicentennial. Museum hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.– 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. Admission to the museums is free every Sunday. The Two Mississippi Museums are located at 222 North St. in Jackson.
Free parking can be found alongside North Street or in the visitor garage of the Two Mississippi Museums on Jefferson Street.

For more information, call 601-576-6800 or email info@mdah.ms.gov. 

MDAH Hosts Windsor Ruins Program in Port Gibson

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 featured speaker, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University, will explore the historical context of the 19th-century cotton boom that led to the establishment of the Windsor plantation. Jeffries will also address the challenges of uncovering and presenting the narratives of enslaved individuals in historical interpretations of sites like Windsor.

In addition, MDAH staff will share findings from recent research that bring to light the stories of those enslaved at Windsor. Using a combination of wills, census data, military and banking records, and oral histories, researchers have uncovered details that add depth and humanity to these once-overlooked lives.

“We know Windsor Ruins as an iconic Mississippi site that draws people in,” said Katie Blount, director of MDAH. “This program will shed light on the lives of the enslaved people who lived and labored there, honoring their contributions to Mississippi’s culture and history.”

Windsor Ruins, one of Mississippi’s most renowned historic landmarks, was originally constructed as the Windsor plantation for Smith Coffee Daniell II in 1861 and was later destroyed by fire in 1890. Today, 23 full columns and five partial columns remain standing, marking the site’s historical significance. In 2024, MDAH completed a stabilization project at Windsor Ruins, which included adding parking and an ADA-accessible walking trail that allows visitors to view the remains of the former mansion. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and holds Mississippi Landmark status.

Founded in 1902, MDAH is dedicated to preserving and sharing Mississippi’s rich history through its five divisions: Administration, Archives and Records Services, Historic Preservation, Programs and Communication, and Museum. The department currently oversees 11 historic sites and projects statewide.

The program will take place at Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, located at 507 Market Street in Port Gibson. No registration is required to attend. 

For more information, contact MDAH at 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.