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The Mississippi Department of Archives and History hosts several genealogy workshops a year, teaching individuals how to trace their family history. During a recent workshop, Joyce Dixon-Lawson shared how the Dawes Rolls are a research tool for Native American genealogy. 

Lawson explored the ways in which participants can utilize census records, land deeds, and other files to build their family tree. She also encouraged the participants to use the archives at MDAH to research their families. 

Lawson has been researching and helping others find their genealogy for years. She formerly served as a manager of research and genealogy at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Lawson told workshop participants that genealogy results can sometimes yield surprising results.

“Genealogy is personal. If you're not ready to embrace whatever record you find, genealogy is may not be something you want to do,” Lawson said.

Lawson encourages anyone who is researching to start with themselves and their families. “You start with what you know, and you systematically work your way down.” Lawson said.

She also reminded people to utilize MDAH resources, including census records, and to be persistent.

“Genealogy is a lifelong journey,” she said.

Ready to begin your genealogy search? Start here.

During a recent History Is Lunch presentation, author April Holm put forth that the Civil War created religious divisions between the North and the South that existed for decades, shaping major evangelical denominations and influencing the relationship between the federal government and churches.

Holm, author of In Kingdom Divided: Evangelicals, Loyalty, and Sectionalism in the Civil War Era, is an assistant professor of history and associate director of the Center for Civil War Research at the University of Mississippi. Her book explores religion, morality, and politics during Reconstruction. Her recent presentation at the Two Mississippi Museums was part of the MDAH Religion Initiative, made possible through a grant by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. 

Holm said the religious rifts were a major contributing factor to the division between the North and South during Reconstruction. The divisions also led to Black churches forming across the nation.

Watch the presentation on the MDAH YouTube Channel.

Learn more about the MDAH Religion Initiative.

Ralph Boston, a native of Laurel, competed in three Olympic games – and won medals in each, including gold in 1960. His record-breaking track and field achievements are highlighted in the Mississippi Made exhibit at the Two Mississippi Museums – all thanks to his family who have loaned the artifacts for display.

Janna Newell, Boston’s niece, said loaning the Olympian’s shoes he wore during the games and three of his medals was a way of sharing his story with a new generation.

The Mississippi Made exhibit highlights several home-grown innovators, artists, entertainers, and athletes. The exhibit features 250 artifacts to reflect Mississippi’s contributions to American history. 

Boston was a record-breaking long jumper. He won his first Olympic medal – gold – in 1960. He won his silver medal at the 1964 Olympics and bronze at the 1968 Olympics.

The exhibit displays his spikes worn at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. One year later, he became the first man to jump over 27 feet, breaking his own world record.

Newell said Boston’s family always supported him.

“We were always very proud of his accomplishments. We didn’t think of him as a hero or somebody extremely special. We just knew him as our uncle,” Newell said. “To make it to one Olympics in itself is a beat but to go to three Olympics and medal in all three of them, that's something special.”

The medals and shoes have been loaned to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which administers the Two Mississippi Museums. The artifacts will be on display until the exhibit closes Nov. 6. 

Newell said there’s a reason her family was willing to loan the artifacts to MDAH.

“These are the types of things that were instilled upon us – you should give back.”

See who else is highlighted in the Mississippi Made exhibit. Visit the Two Mississippi Museums.

Betty Bobo Pearson, whose life is highlighted as a Point of Light in the Two Mississippi Museums, is remembered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for her lifelong civic engagement, including advocacy for civil rights and voting rights.

Pearson died May 26, 2026, at the age of 104.

Pearson joined the United States Marines in the fall of 1943, eventually earning the rank of Second Lieutenant. She spent the war years at the San Diego Naval Base.

MDAH recognizes Pearson as a Point of Light in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

In 2016, her life was the subject of a History Is Lunch program based on Sally Palmer Thomason's biography, Delta Rainbow: The Irrepressible Betty Bobo Pearson.  

According to the book, a defining moment in Pearson's life came in 1955, when she attended the trial for Emmett Till alongside her close friend, Florence Mars. Witnessing firsthand the blatant injustice and deep-seated racism on display transformed Pearson's perspective and strengthened her resolve to fight for equality.

"Betty Bobo Pearson's courage, compassion, and unwavering moral conviction continue to inspire generations of Mississippians," said Two Mississippi Museums Director Michael Morris.

The late Mississippi Governor William Winter once reflected on the book and Pearson's enduring impact: "This is the intimate, tell-it-all account of the life and career of one of the most remarkable women whom I have ever known. If Mississippi had had more people of conscience and courage like Betty Bobo Pearson and her friend, Florence Mars, we would have spared ourselves much unnecessary grief in the past, as we struggled with the issue of race. But this intriguing book is not just about race. It is an enlightening and inspiring insight into the character and values of one who was always true to herself and, as a result, to everyone else."

The Rev. Ed King, a United Methodist Church minister and co-founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), is remembered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. 

King died July 4, 2026, at the age of 89.

Born Ralph Edwin King, he joined the ministry as a young man and enrolled at Boston University, where he volunteered for civil rights causes. In 1963, he accepted a position as chaplain at Tougaloo College and joined the Jackson Freedom Movement, organizing a downtown Jackson boycott with Mississippi NAACP field secretary Medgar Wiley Evers and John Salter, a professor at Tougaloo College. King served as an “observer” during the 1963 Jackson Woolworth sit-in, reporting the demonstration’s ensuing violence to Evers.

The day after the sit-in, police arrested King and others for trespassing when they attempted a kneel-in on the steps of the Federal Building on Capitol Street in Jackson. King’s civil rights activism provoked White ministers to expel him from his home church. He continued fighting for equal voting rights in the state, serving as Aaron Henry’s running mate in 1963’s Freedom Vote, a mock election opposing disenfranchisement among African Americans, and as a challenger to the seating of an all-White Mississippi delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. Despite facing attacks and threats from White supremacists, King advocated for solidarity between White and Black churches in Mississippi. His journey as a civil rights veteran is featured in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum of the Two Mississippi Museums.

“Ed King was a quintessential civil rights activist,” said Barry White, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “His resilience in efforts to desegregate churches and to fight for equal voting rights in the state remain a shining testament to his courage.” 

Two days before our nation marked 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 19 people became American citizens during a ceremony at the Two Mississippi Museums.

Jennifer Jimenez was one of them. Before the ceremony, she toured the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History, where she likely saw stories of other immigrants who make up the fabric of Mississippi’s history.

So, after U.S. District Judge Kristi H. Johnson administered the oath, Jimenez succinctly shared how she felt in that moment.

“I am so proud,” said Jimenez, who was born in Panama. “It is good to know this country accepts you.”

In her remarks, Judge Johnson welcomed the new citizens to exercise their rights as Americans.

“I encourage you to strive to make this country, this state, your own community the best they can be, and exercise the rights and privileges you are now entitled to as an American citizen,” Johnson said. “Vote. Serve on a jury, if called. If you want to run for public office – run. But these new privileges and rights carry with them new responsibilities and duties.

“You have a duty to obey the law, pay your taxes, and defend your new country. We are always in need of good citizenship, no matter if we are naturalized or natural born, and we should all leave this ceremony today recommitting ourselves to the ideals represented in the United States Constitution,” she said.

The naturalization ceremony was part of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s activities to observe America250. This is the second year the ceremony has been held at the museums in collaboration with the U.S. District Court.

In his opening remarks, Spence Flatgard, president of the MDAH Board of Trustees, told the 19 they were being celebrated.

“You are part of our American family now,” Flatgard said.

The new citizens also received gifts from the Daughters of the American Revolution as they exited the stage with their Certificate of Naturalization.

For Nikitaben Kosada, originally from India, the moment was made even more poignant as it comes so close to the nation’s anniversary.

“It’s like being part of 250 years of history,” she said.

A Mississippi Department of Archives and History archivist recently catalogued an amazing artifact within the agency’s collections – a scrap of a white surrender flag from the Civil War.

Shaun Stalzer, MDAH’s senior archivist of government records, made the discovery while sorting through the collection.

A curious item grabbed his attention, and he was floored by what he found – a yellowing scrap of linen, about 5x10 inches, with these words printed in fading ink, "Piece of white flag that surrendered Ft. Lee, Vicksburg, July 4, 1863.”

MDAH Civil War experts were able to figure out the artifact’s backstory. It was determined that Private Willam C. Phipps of Company A, 11th Indiana Infantry, received this section of flag during the surrender of the Confederate Fort Garrott (then known as Fort Lee). The fort flew white flags of surrender when Confederate Lt. General John C. Pemberton surrendered to Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant. Phipps’ company captain ripped the Confederate surrender flag and distributed pieces to his soldiers.

This background information was determined by historian Jeff Giambrone and Shane Keil, deputy director of the MDAH Museum Division. Keil and Giambrone are currently identifying artifacts for the Vicksburg Civil War Visitor Center that will eventually open in the historic River City. Keil and Megan Bankston, Vicksburg Project manager, are leading the development of the museum that will be adjacent to the Vicksburg National Military Park.

The rare flag artifact will one day be on display at the Vicksburg Civil War Center. Until then, it can be viewed among many other artifacts online. Visit MDAH’s Historic Objects Collection page to see more. To learn more about MDAH’s work on the Vicksburg project, visit here.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History will accept applications for the Community Heritage Preservation Grant (CHPG) Program July 1 – Oct. 2. Communities across the state are encouraged to apply.

The CHPG program helps preserve, restore, rehabilitate, and interpret Mississippi courthouses and schools across the state. In communities that participate in the Certified Local Governments program, buildings other than courthouses and schools are also eligible, if they have been designated as Mississippi Landmarks.

“We are grateful to the 2026 Mississippi Legislature for funding this year’s program,” MDAH Director Barry White said. “The grant program benefits communities across the state, offering a resource to preserve their local structures, and in turn, their local histories.”

Since its inception in 2001, the CHPG program has provided more than $61 million in funding for 355 projects in 71 counties across Mississippi.

Eligible applicants are encouraged to review the application materials early in the application period to allow adequate time to prepare a complete the submission.

For more information, visit MDAH’s Preservation and Planning webpage. Applications must be submitted before 5 p.m. on Oct. 2.

The MDAH Board of Trustees will award the grants at its quarterly meeting in January 2027. For more information call 601-576-6535 or email chpg@mdah.ms.gov.

Author and native Mississippian Eddie S. Glaude Jr. offered his take on the nation's legacy when he recently stopped by the Two Mississippi Museums for a conversation about his book, America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries.

Glaude sat down with Two Mississippi Museums Director Michael Morris to talk about how his latest writing project evolved into an America 250 theme. Each chapter of the book walks the reader through America’s anniversaries and celebrations. Ahead of each chapter is a bar of music written by award-winning classical composer Joel Tapson. The music’s role, Glaude said, is to help capture the feeling of that chapter’s narrative.

“You’ll hear quotes of familiar American theme songs. A motherless child you can hear in the middle part, the upper registers of the piano and the lower registers of the piano going at each other,” Glaude expressed. “I'm still emotional when I listen to it.”

He described his approach as “a risk” and said he was going outside of his comfort zone.

“I knew I took a huge risk at that level of form and content. … I was doing something I never had done before,” he said.

Glaude’s book explores American history and how race has played a crucial part in shaping nations. He discusses other prominent authors and figures such as W.E.B DuBois, John Dos Passo and Herman Meville.

The book conversation was in partnership with Lemuria Books and the Mississippi Book Festival. Attendees were able to purchase a copy of the book and receive a signed copy.

Want to know when a book conversation is hosted at the Two Mississippi Museums? Join our Weekly Update Newsletter mailing list by visiting here.

Nine Mississippi properties have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places so far this year, including the Terry Rosenwald School that served Black students in Hinds County from 1924-1948; the W.C. and Elaine Gryder House in Ocean Springs, built by Robert Faust and is an example of Organic style architecture designed by notable American architect Bruce Goff; and the Dr. Early Colman and Ann Foote Clements House, built circa 1891 in Rolling Fork.

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of historic resources worthy of preservation. Mississippi has 1,541 listings in the National Register. Most of the listings in the National Register are buildings, but other historic resources that have been listed include historic districts, objects, sites, and structures.

The Mississippi National Register Review Board, administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, reviews, makes comments on any changes needed to be made on nominations, and approves or disapproves nominations presented to the board. The approved nominations are forwarded to the National Park Service, which makes the final determination to list the resource.

The following is the full list of the 2026 Mississippi sites listed so far in the National Register and the chronological order in which they were listed:

• Natchez Outbuilding Survey Multiple Property Documentation Form, Jan. 26 – The outbuildings and ancillary structures in Natchez are significant artifacts of the experience of enslavement that give insight of daily life during the pre-Civil War period.

• Texada (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation) – Natchez, Adams County, Jan. 26 – The property is composed of a large, two-story, six-bay, double pile brick house at the corner of S. Wall and Washington streets; a two-story, brick kitchen/quarter at the rear and set parallel to the main house; a two-story wood-frame quarter facing Washington Street; and brick-paved courtyard and grassy work yard site. 

• "Prairie Queen" – West Point, Clay County, Jan. 26 – Built in 1898 for Ben Walker by his cousin, Master Builder James R. Walker, the plantation house is a significant local example of a late 19th century Greek Revival style. While built almost a half century after the grandest Greek Revival houses in the area, “Prairie Queen” is a large-scale version of this style showing its continued popularity in the area.

• Hill-Burton Multiple Property Documentation Form, Feb. 23 – The Hill-Burton Act led to more than 200 new healthcare facilities being built in Mississippi between 1948 and 1975. The majority of Hill-Burton funded facilities were in the Southern states, with Mississippi as the nation’s leading recipient. The program played a key role in the future integration of public health care and is oftentimes considered vital federal legislation toward progressive social reform and civil rights.

• Coahoma Community College Historic District – Clarksdale vicinity, Coahoma County, Feb. 23 – Coahoma Community College is a small historically black college located five miles north of Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta. Most of the buildings on the Coahoma Community College campus date to the mid-20th century, with major construction projects taking place throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

• Terry Rosenwald School – Terry, Hinds County, Feb. 23 – The "Colored Public School of Terry" was built as a Rosenwald School, one of over 5,500 such buildings built throughout the South with both private and public funding for Black students. The school building on this site is documented as “Terry School” on a school card in the records of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Collection at Fisk University.

• (Old) Kemper County Hospital – DeKalb, Kemper County, Feb. 23 – The (Old) Kemper County Hospital, built in 1949, is significant as a Hill-Burton funded healthcare facility, along with being an intact example of a mid-20th century International style hospital.

• Dr. Early Colman and Ann Foote Clements House – Rolling Fork, Sharkey County, March 30 – The Clements House was built circa 1891 for Dr. Early Colman and Ann Foote Clements, who were early settlers of Rolling Fork. The Clements House is significant as a late 19th century I-house, a rare intact example of period architecture.

• W. C. and Elaine Gryder House – Ocean Springs, Jackson County, June 15 – The W.C. and Elaine Gryder House is significant as one of Mississippi’s best examples of Organic architecture. It was designed by prominent Organic architect Bruce Goff specifically for its occupants, William Conneil and Elaine Gryder.