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Civil rights icon Medgar Evers was born on July 2, 1925. In honor of his birthday, admission to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History will be free on Friday, July 2. Admission will also include the special exhibit, I AM A MAN: Civil Rights Photographs in the American South, 1960–1970. Museum staff will highlight Evers’s life and legacy through guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“Medgar Evers was an American hero, whose strength and tenacity is unequaled,” said Pamela D.C. Junior, director of the Two Mississippi Museums. “In honor of the day that he was born, July 2, 1925, the Two Mississippi Museums will offer free admission to our visitors to read and to learn more about this great man who wanted freedom for all.”

A native of Decatur, Evers served in World War II and graduated from Alcorn A&M College in 1952. He began his civil rights journey as an insurance agent for the Magnolia Mutual Insurance Company in Mound Bayou. After a failed attempt to enroll in the University of Mississippi School of Law due to racial discrimination in 1954, Evers began working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to help organize boycotts and recruit local chapters in the community. His leadership skills and expertise eventually led him to become its first Mississippi field secretary. Evers relocated to Jackson and established an NAACP field office in the Masonic Temple on John R. Lynch Street near Jackson State College. He organized voter registration drives; participated in local demonstrations, sit-ins, and boycotts; and investigated numerous hate crimes, lynchings, and cases of discrimination against African Americans across the state.

Safety precautions at the museums include requiring all visitors to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines. Masks are available on-site. Regular museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the museums is free on Sundays.

The museums are located at 222 North Street in Jackson. For more information, email info@mdah.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Historical Society is pleased to announce a call for individual papers and complete panels on topics related to the study of Mississippi history for presentation at its annual meeting March 10–11, 2022, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

“Mississippi’s history is full of compelling stories,” said Mississippi Historical Society (MHS) president Stephanie Rolph. "Our annual meeting provides a space for us to appreciate the diverse contributors to our history and its preservation. From teachers to public historians and archivists, our community benefits from the various investments that have made our history so vibrant and accessible."

Founded in 1858, MHS proudly embraces the contributions of scholars and laypersons interested in the study and dissemination of all aspects of Mississippi history. Undergraduate and graduate student participation is encouraged, in addition to scholarly work from professional historians in a variety of practices—archival, teaching faculty, and public historians. MHS values the ongoing work of educators across the state and would welcome proposals from elementary and secondary teachers offering unique deliveries of Mississippi history curriculum, community-engaged learning practices with local archives/libraries, or other partner-oriented learning opportunities. While all proposals are welcome, we are especially interested in topics and approaches that broaden our shared understanding of Mississippi’s culture, economy, political landscape, and social history. MHS encourages interactive presentations that engage our participants’ interest and knowledge of Mississippi’s history through a collaborative approach that solicits feedback.

Individual paper proposals should include a 250-word abstract of the topic, name and affiliation (institution of higher learning, school, business, government entity, museum, archive, etc.), and presenter’s contact information. Panel proposals should include a 500-word abstract that contains a brief description of each proposed topic and includes the names, affiliations, and contact information for each presenter. Proposals are due Friday, September 17, 2021. Please send directly to mhs@mdah.ms.gov. For more information visit the Mississippi Historical Society website at www.mississippihistory.org.

Case files, photographs, and other records documenting the 1964 murders of civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner are now available to researchers at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). The materials were gathered and compiled by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office in its 2004 reopening of the Mississippi Burning (code name MiBurn) case and investigation, which culminated in the June 2005 trial and conviction of Edgar Ray Killen. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood officially closed the investigation in 2016, and the files were transferred to MDAH in spring 2019.

The materials, dating from 1964 to 2007, include case files, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memoranda, research notes, photographs of the exhumation of the victims’ bodies and subsequent autopsies, aerial photographs of the burial site, federal informant reports, and witness testimonies.

Goodman and Schwerner were two of the hundreds of volunteers who joined Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964. The primary goals of the project were to register voters, conduct Freedom Schools, and promote civil rights.

Schwerner and his wife, Rita, joined Freedom Summer in January 1964 and worked with Meridian native James Chaney, an experienced Congress of Racial Equality organizer. Chaney and Schwerner worked with the congregation at Mount Zion Methodist Church in rural Neshoba County to organize a Freedom School.

On June 16, 1964, a delegation of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan attacked parishioners attending a meeting at Mt. Zion Church. Later that night, the Klansmen burned the church to the ground. Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner drove to investigate the burning. The three men were abducted and killed on June 21 and buried in an earthen dam.

The bodies of the civil rights workers were found on August 4, 1964. In October 1967, the federal government charged eighteen men with conspiracy, including Edgar Ray Killen. Neshoba County Sheriff Deputy Cecil Price, Sam Bowers, and five others were convicted. The jury failed to convict Edgar Ray Killen. In 2005, Killen, a former Baptist minister and Ku Klux Klansman, was convicted of manslaughter in the 1964 slayings.

There are three catalog records for the collection: the Attorney General’s research files are Series 2870, the FBI Memos are Series 2902, and the photographs are Series 2903. Each catalog record includes a box-level description.

MDAH collects and preserves the archival resources of the state, including official government records, books and manuscripts related to Mississippi history, personal papers, newspapers, newsfilm, audio recordings, photographs, and more. These materials are available to the public free of charge at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, 200 North St., Jackson. Contact our reference department at refdesk@mdah.ms.gov to learn more about gaining access to the collections. For more information email info@mdah.ms.gov or visit the department’s website, www.mdah.ms.gov.

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has awarded the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) its Award of Excellence for the Mississippi Distilled: Prohibition, Piety, and Politics special exhibit at the Two Mississippi Museums. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The exhibit runs through Saturday, June 26, 2021.

Mississippi Distilled: Prohibition, Piety, and Politics is an immersive exhibition exploring the state’s tumultuous relationship with alcohol from the colonial period to today. It features fascinating artifacts, enticing stories, and surprising images that take visitors on a journey that begins with ancient alcohols and the science of spirits through the social problems that led to the upheaval of the temperance movement and its impact on voting rights, lynchings, child labor laws, and domestic violence.

Visitors will walk through a saloon façade to learn about unregulated alcohol in the Mississippi Territory. Artifacts from religious organizations help tell the story of alcohol in sacred rites. Medicines and original nineteenth-century prescriptions document how whiskey was used to treat everything from the common cold to heart disease and diabetes.

 After the widespread use of alcohol during early statehood, Mississippians began to fight against alcohol and the social problems it helped fuel. The stories of Carrie Belle Kearney and Bishop C. B. Galloway explore the complex motivations behind temperance.

 In 1908, Mississippi passed statewide prohibition—twelve years before National Prohibition became law. The Wettest Dry State gallery depicts the next fifty-eight years in a state where alcohol was supposedly banned and features stories of moonshiners, blues players, bootleggers, law makers, gamblers, and enforcement officers. Highlights include a moonshine still confiscated by the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department and video of alcohol raids and barrel breaking.

 The gallery spotlights illegal alcohol at the white-collar resorts of the Gulf Coast and the strip of nightclubs known as the Gold Coast or ’Cross the River in Rankin County, ending with the infamous Jackson Country Club Raid of 1966 and the political changes that led to Prohibition’s repeal.

 Mississippi Distilled closes with local option elections that keep Prohibition alive in many Mississippi counties. Stories of the alcohol industry—including some of the state’s oldest breweries, distilleries, and distribution companies—round out the exhibition. Visitors are invited to share their own memories of a dry Mississippi.

The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, or go to www.aaslh.org.

The exhibit runs through Saturday, June 26, 2021, in the FedEx and Medgar and Myrlie Evers Exhibition Halls at the Two Mississippi Museums and is made possible with the support of Southern Beverage Company, Inc.

Ticket prices for Mississippi Distilled are $15 for adults and $8 for children and include admission to the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Discounts are available for children under three, students, seniors, active duty and military veterans, and groups of ten or more. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the museums is free on Sundays.

 

At a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) on Friday, April 16, Reuben Anderson announced his plans to retire in July. Spence Flatgard of Ridgeland was elected to serve as board president beginning in October.

“Mississippi has been uplifted by Justice Anderson’s leadership, character and grace,” said Flatgard. “We all stand on his shoulders and those of former board presidents Mayor Kane Ditto and Governor William Winter. We invite every Mississippian to visit our world-class museums and compelling sites throughout our state to reflect on our rich history and look ahead to our bright future together.”

Anderson joined the board in 2007 and was elected president in 2020. After becoming the first Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi School of Law, Anderson began his career during the 1960s as a civil rights attorney with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund. In 1977, Anderson became the first African American to be appointed a county court judge in Mississippi. In 1982, he became the state’s first African American circuit court judge, and he became the first African American to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1985.

Anderson was instrumental in the creation of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, helping to raise $20 million for its construction. Most recently, Anderson served as chair of the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag, which recommended a new design to represent the state. On November 3, 2020, Mississippians voted overwhelmingly to approve the design.

“Reuben Anderson has made history all his life, and he did no less at MDAH,” said MDAH director Katie Blount. “From the beginning, he shared Governor Winter's vision for the Two Mississippi Museums, and his strong public advocacy ensured the project's success. With strength and moral clarity, he led Mississippi in choosing a new flag that elevates our state and unites our people. I speak for all the staff as I say that we are honored by his leadership and proud of what we have accomplished together.”

Anderson said, “I am proud to be succeeded by Spence Flatgard, who will be a strong leader for MDAH, drawing on his thorough understanding of the agency’s work and his broad network of contacts both in the public and private sector. Like Kane Ditto and myself, Spence is a great admirer of Governor William Winter and shares his conviction that we cannot move forward together without a shared understanding of our history. Spence will lead this outstanding board with character and commitment, and I look forward to watching MDAH flourish in the coming years.”

Flatgard began his career as Senator Roger Wicker’s first Legislative Director and has served as State Bond Attorney for both Governors Barbour & Bryant. He is now a government affairs attorney and partner at Watkins & Eager, PLLC, located two blocks from the Two Mississippi Museums. He and his wife Lou Ann cheer for their daughter Andie’s basketball teams as their family pastime.

Blount said, “Spence brings a wide range of skills and professional experience to MDAH. He is passionate about the work we do and has built strong relationships with the staff. We look forward to continuing to expand our audience and strengthen our impact under his leadership.”

A new trustee will be elected to fill Anderson’s seat in July. Members serve six-year terms. Other members of the board of trustees of the Department of Archives and History are Hilda Cope Povall of Cleveland, vice president; Nancy Carpenter, Columbus; Betsey Hamilton, New Albany; Web Heidelberg, Hattiesburg; Edmond Hughes, Ocean Springs; Mark Keenum, Starkville; and Helen Moss Smith of Natchez.

Winners of the 2021 Mississippi History Day State Contest were announced in a virtual awards ceremony on April 17. First, second, and third place winners were chosen from the five contest categories. Special awards were also presented to students based on their projects.

"We are so incredibly proud of what students across the state were able to produce this year,” said Al Wheat, state coordinator for Mississippi History Day and MDAH director of education. “Despite all the hurdles in front of them, these students were able to conduct research and create projects that were bordering on, if not exceeding, college level work. All the participants should be thrilled with the work they did this year."

More than eighty student projects were submitted for the annual event, which was held virtually for the second year in a row due to COVID-19. Judges from MDAH, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi Historical Society, and other organizations analyzed student papers, documentaries, websites, exhibits, performances, and research related to this year’s annual theme, “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.”

The 2021 Mississippi History Day awards ceremony is available for viewing on the Mississippi History Day Facebook page. For more information about Mississippi History Day, visit the MDAH official website. Winning entries from the contest categories are listed below:

Senior Paper

First Place—Aline L. (Oak Grove High School), "Making Myths Out of History: Remembering Bulgaria's Batak Massacre"

Second Place—Emma L. (Pascagoula High School), "The Fighter in the Writer: Dr. Seuss’s Wartime Cartoons, Military Education Videos, and Political Allegories"

Third Place—Shirl C. (Pascagoula High School), "The American Code Girls of WWII: Cracking the Code of Communication"

Junior Individual Exhibit

First Place—Abigail M. (Jefferson Middle School), "British Suffrage Movement: The Struggle to be Understood"

Senior Individual Exhibit

First Place—Elsie A. (Lafayette High School), “Protest In The Spirit of Crazy Horse: The American Indian Movement”

Second Place—Berkley M. (Lafayette High School), “War Pigeons: The Unsung Heroes of Communication in the World Wars”

Third Place—Grace F. (Lafayette High School), “Communication of Culper Spy Ring”

Senior Group Exhibit

First Place—Mia D. and Olivia R. (Lafayette High School), "How the Titanic Communicated a New Message"

Second Place—Kailey G. and Caden C. (Lafayette High School), "FDR: Chatting with the Nation"

Third Place—Sara Jane W. and London-Grace D. (Lafayette High School), "The Inevitable Invention of the Internet and How it Changed the World"

Senior Individual Performance

First Place—Sarah H. (Lafayette High School), "Why Braille Is Important: The True Story"

Senior Individual Documentary

First Place—Nathan G. (Mississippi School for Math and Science), "Tapping in the Heart of Darkness"

Second Place—April G. (Starkville High School), "Stirring the American Conscious: How Lewis Hine Exposed the Harsh Realities of Child Labor Through Social Photography"

Third Place—Sloane C. (Lafayette High School), "Eleanor Roosevelt: Heroine Behind the Scenes"

Senior Group Documentary

First Place—Marly K. and Genesis W. (Lafayette High School), "Comic Book Communication: You Can Be Anything"

Second Place—Madison B. and Braylon R. (Lafayette High School), "The American Experience Through Selma's Eyes"

Third Place—Mary Margaret B., Kate D., Amanda K., and Neely W. (Starkville High School) "Jerry Mitchell: Uncovering the Truth"

Senior Individual Website

First Place—Haley M. (Pascagoula High School), "Why We March - How the Language of Protest was the Key to LGBT Liberation"

Second Place—Catherine W. (Lafayette High School), “A Lady Never Tells...: The WWII Women in Espionage and Intelligence”

Third Place—Aubrey G. (Lafayette High School), "Music and How it Tells our Stories"

Senior Group Website

First Place—Amanda Z., Jessica Y., and Amy Z. (Mississippi School for Math and Science), "Hello Girls: The Trailblazers of Telecommunication in WWI"

Second Place—Ja'Shaylee M. and Ja'Kaylee M. (Pascagoula High School), "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom"

Third Place—Nina P., Khushi P., Kinjal P., and Kashama M. (Mississippi School for Math and Science), "The Diversity of Indo-Aryan Languages in India"

SPECIAL AWARDS

Best Project in Mississippi History (Sponsored by the Mississippi Historical Society)

Winner—Presleigh L. and Sydney H. (Lafayette High School), "The King of Rock and Roll: Message through Music"

Honorable Mention—Danaria W. (Lafayette High School), "Ida B. Wells: Shedding Light on Atrocities through Journalism"

Black History Award (Sponsored by the Center for Black Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi)

Winner—Ja'Shaylee M. and Ja'Kaylee M. (Pascagoula High School), "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom"

Honorable Mention—Kyle T. and Bralen W. (Lafayette High School), "Music: A Major Factor in Civil Rights"

Best Project in Mass Media (Sponsored by the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Foundation)

Winner—April G. (Starkville High School), "Stirring the American Conscious: How Lewis Hine Exposed the Harsh Realities of Child Labor Through Social Photography"

Honorable Mention - Elsa P. (Lafayette High School), "The Jazz Singer: Revolutionizing Film Culture With Song"

Best Project in Gulf South History (Sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Gulf South at the University of Southern Mississippi)

Winner—Benjamin F. (Lafayette High School), "Blues: The Other Side of History"

Honorable Mention—Addison J. and Brooke H. (Lafayette High School), "Hidden Maps: Communicating Freedom in Quilts"

Archival Award (Sponsored by the Society of Mississippi Archivists)

Winner—Sloane C. (Lafayette High School), "Eleanor Roosevelt: Heroine Behind the Scenes"

Honorable Mention—Shirl C. (Pascagoula High School), "The American Code Girls of WWII: Cracking the Code of Communication"

Oral History Award (Sponsored by the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi)

Winner—Marly K. and Genesis W. (Lafayette High School), "Comic Book Communication: You Can Be Anything"

Women’s History Award (Sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Center at the University of Southern Mississippi)

Winner—Catherine W. (Lafayette High School), “A Lady Never Tells...: The WWII Women in Espionage and Intelligence”

Honorable Mention—Amanda Z., Jessica Y., and Amy Z. (Mississippi School for Math and Science), "Hello Girls: The Trailblazers of Telecommunication in WWI"

Best Project in Military History (Sponsored by the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi)

Winner—Nathan G. (Mississippi School for Math and Science), "Tapping in the Heart of Darkness"

Honorable Mention—Berkley M. (Lafayette High School), "War Pigeons: The Unsung Heroes of Communication in the World Wars"

Best Projects in the Humanities (Sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council)

Winner—Angelica N. (Pascagoula High School), "Viva La Raza: The Chicano Movement"

Winner—Kenaysia S., Daleisha F., Gabby M., and Jaylen C. (Pascagoula High School), "Communication in Civil Rights: The Pink Triangle.. A New Meaning"

Winner—Haley M. (Pascagoula High School), "Why We March - How the Language of Protest was the Key to LGBT Liberation"

The Eudora Welty House & Garden will launch a new outdoor audio tour on Tuesday, April 13, in recognition of Eudora Welty’s birthday. The Welty Garden Audio Tour interprets the history of Welty’s garden and its influence on her writing.

“We are excited to offer our visitors an audio tour of the Welty garden,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). “To hear Mary Alice Welty White read her aunt’s words about the flowers she and her mother nurtured adds an intimacy to the garden tour, which is closer now to the experience of walking through her house.”

The twenty-minute tour includes music, nature sounds, and narration read by retired Welty Garden curator Susan Haltom. The audio tour is available for listeners online at https://welty.mdah.ms.gov/visit/audiotour.

The new exhibit A Parade of Bloom: Stories From the Welty Garden is now open to visitors at the Eudora Welty House & Garden Visitor Center and highlights the importance of gardening in Eudora Welty’s family and social life as well as her literature. The exhibit includes photographs of Welty’s family in the garden, artifacts, garden maps, flower sketches, and journals. Visitors also can learn about featured camellias in the garden and their importance in several of Welty’s friendships. The Visitor Center is free and open to the public Tuesday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and Saturday 12:30–4 p.m.

The Eudora Welty House & Garden interprets the life of the internationally acclaimed author. Tours are by reservation Tuesday–Friday, 9 & 11 a.m. and 1 & 3 p.m. and Saturday, 1 & 3 p.m. To reserve a tour, email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com or call 601-353-7762. The Eudora Welty House & Garden is located at 1119 Pinehurst Street in Jackson and is operated by MDAH.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) has created a new website that prioritizes the repatriation of human remains and cultural items in the department’s archaeological collection. The website will inform the public about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and serve as a virtual platform for consultation with the department’s federally-recognized Tribal partners.

The website features NAGPRA collections updates, policies and procedures, and links to more information about the department’s Tribal partners. An interactive map shows the status of ongoing repatriations in Mississippi counties across the state. MDAH completed its first repatriation earlier this year.

The Choctaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation generously provided images featured on the website. The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana provided additional content.

“Our goal is to engage the public in NAGPRA and to provide information about our collections in a way that hasn’t been done before,” says Meg Cook, director of archaeology collections. “The most important part is remembering that these remains are people, and their families want to see that they are reburied.”

The website will feature internship opportunities, Tribal stories, collections updates, and repatriation progress. For more information visit the website at http://nagpra.mdah.ms.gov/.

A new book uses Mississippi’s civic structures, log cabins, schools, mansions, and skyscrapers to broaden our understanding of the state’s history. Buildings of Mississippi, co-authored by Jennifer V.O. Baughn and Michael Fazio with contributions by Mimi Miller, is the definitive guide to understanding Mississippi’s rich architectural heritage.

“Buildings of Mississippi is the first field guide that covers all periods from prehistoric mounds to buildings of the 21st century,” said Baughn, chief architectural historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “I hope the book shows visitors the variety of Mississippi's built environment and gives Mississippians a reason to take a second look at their hometowns.”

Buildings of Mississippi contains more than 500 building entries, 250 illustrations, and thirty maps. Each entry includes an architectural description of the structure and a brief history. The book is a volume in the Buildings of the United States series of the Society of Architectural Historians. Baughn spent nine years writing Buildings of Mississippi with Fazio, a longtime professor of architecture at Mississippi State University who died last year.

“Michael Fazio was a mentor to generations of architecture students from MSU, and I was so honored to work with him as co-author on Buildings of Mississippi,” said Baughn. “He was a good friend, and I miss his guidance and laughter.”

Baughn and Fazio divided the work on the book geographically—because Fazio lived in Starkville, he took care of the north and east central regions. They jointly wrote the entries for the Coast, picking out sites as they drove along Highway 90. Mimi Miller, executive director emerita of the Historic Natchez Foundation, wrote the entries for Adams County, setting down in print a wealth of knowledge about some of Mississippi’s most architecturally distinctive buildings.

“The book integrates the racial landscape by examining both black and white neighborhoods and landmarks,” said Baughn. “There are the famous white-columned mansions of Natchez that have been the mainstay of heritage tourism since the 1930s but also the distinctive outbuildings that surround them such as kitchens, dairies, and quarters for enslaved workers; there are also elite neighborhoods like Eastover in Jackson nearby the modest GI Subdivision, established by World War II veterans returning from service.”

“Buildings of Mississippi is an invaluable resource and a pleasure to read,” said MDAH director Katie Blount. “Baughn and Fazio offer a fascinating, thoughtful, and beautifully written chronicle of the evolution of our state’s built environment, paying particular attention to the complexities of race and class that have shaped our landscape and culture.”

Signed copies of Buildings of Mississippi are for sale at the Mississippi Museum Store. Call 601-576-6921 or email store@mdah.ms.gov for more information.