News

The Mississippi Historical Society presented the best Mississippi history book of 2020, its lifetime achievement award, teacher of the year, and other awards in recognition at its virtual annual meeting on Friday, March 5.

Alferdteen Harrison received the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of her extensive scholarly research and preservation of Mississippi history. Harrison served as president of the Mississippi Historical Society in 1991. She is the former director of the Margaret Walker Alexander Center at Jackson State University and a co-founder of the Smith Robertson Museum in downtown Jackson. She is currently leading an effort to save the Scott-Ford House in Jackson’s Farish Street Historic District.

Nancy Bristow, chair of the History Department at the University of Puget Sound, received the Book of the Year Award for best Mississippi history book of 2020.

Robert Luckett, historian and director of the Margaret Walker Alexander Center at Jackson State University, received the Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year Award for “James P. Coleman (1956-1960) and Mississippi Poppycock.” The article was published in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of the Journal of Mississippi History.

The Outstanding Local Historical Society Award was presented to the Woodville Civic Club for its work in the preservation of historic Woodville, one of Mississippi’s oldest settlements.

The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Theresa Moore of Sacred Heart Catholic School in Hattiesburg. Moore, a fifth and sixth grade history teacher, has served at Sacred Heart since 1995 and has more than thirty-six years of teaching experience.

Awards of Merit were presented to the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag for its work in the development and design of the new state flag; Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign for its work in the preservation, education, monument restoration, and advocacy of the Vicksburg Military National Park; the City of Tupelo in celebration of its 150th anniversary; the Columbus Municipal School District for its work in commemorating the histories of Union Academy and Franklin Academy; the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for its donations of the C.C. “Tex” Hamill Down South Magazine Collection and the Dixie Press Collection to MDAH; and the Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, and Northeast Mississippi Community College for its collaborative work on a phone application for the Corinth Contraband Camp Project.

2020–2021 president of MHS Marshall Bennett passed the gavel to incoming president Stephanie Rolph of Jackson.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member visit www.mississippihistory.org.

Nissan is sponsoring free weekends to the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in February starting Saturday, February 6. The free admission to the museums will also include the special exhibits I AM A MAN: Civil Rights Photographs of the American South, 1960–1970 and Mississippi Distilled: Prohibition, Piety, and Politics.

“We are thankful to Nissan for their continued support,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “Their generosity allows us to invite the public to safely celebrate Black History Month at the Two Mississippi Museums.”

“Nissan is honored once again to welcome our neighbors across Mississippi to the State History and Civil Rights museums during Black History Month, said Parul Bajaj, senior manager, Nissan Philanthropy. “We remain committed to supporting initiatives that foster respect and greater civic spirit within our communities.”

Safety precautions at the museums include requiring all visitors to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines. Masks are available on-site. All public spaces have been sanitized, and thorough cleaning will continue every day. Hand sanitizing stations are provided and staff is on-site to ensure that social distancing guidelines are maintained. A limited number of visitors are allowed inside the museums at one time.

Visitors are encouraged to purchase their tickets online at tickets.mdah.ms.gov. The maximum number of people per group is twenty. Regular museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. The museums are open free of charge on Sundays from 1–5 p.m.

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

Nissan in Mississippi

Since opening its doors in 2003, Nissan’s assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, has donated more than $18 million and worked more than 12,000 volunteer hours to support more than 200 nonprofit organizations in the Great Jackson area. The facility more than 5,500 who build the Nissan Altima, Frontier, TITAN and TITAN XD, NV Cargo and NV Passenger vehicles.

Join Mississippi Public Broadcasting in partnership with the Two Mississippi Museums—Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History—for The Black Church Virtual Panel Discussion Event at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 online.

THE BLACK CHURCH: This is Our Story, This is Our Song is a four-hour, two-part series that will air on MPB Television and PBS stations nationwide in February. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is executive producer, host and writer of the documentary that traces the 400-year-old story and reveals the broad history and culture of the Black church in America.

The documentary reveals how Black people have worshipped and, through their spiritual journeys, improvised ways to bring their faith traditions from Africa to the New World, while translating them into a form of Christianity that was not only truly their own, but a redemptive force for a nation whose original sin was found in their ancestors’ enslavement across the Middle Passage.

It explores African-American faith communities on the frontlines of hope and change, featuring interviews with Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Bishop Michael Curry, Cornel West, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Rev. Al Sharpton, Yolanda Adams, Rev. William Barber II, BeBe Winans, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and more. Through their interviews, viewers will be transported by the songs that speak to one’s soul, by preaching styles that have moved congregations and a nation, and by beliefs and actions that drew African Americans from the violent margins of society.

The two-part series air dates and times are 8-10 p.m. Feb. 16 and Feb. 17 on MPB Television.

MPB’s virtual event will include a screener of the documentary, songs from HBCU choirs, door prizes and the panel discussion. The MPB Education Department will also share details of an essay contest for middle school, high school and college students who submit writings after watching the series as well as educational materials for teachers to use in the classroom.

Panelists for the event are Bishop Ronnie Crudup of New Horizon Church International, Rev. C.J. Rhodes of Mt. Helm Baptist Church, Pamela Junior, director of Two Mississippi Museums; and Lannie Spann McBride, music minister, retired educator and composer. These leaders will share a more local perspective of the church’s impact today. Comedienne/musician Rita Brent will moderate the discussion.

Registration is required through Eventbrite here.

PBS, WETA - the leading public broadcasting station in the Washington, D.C. area, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are presenting The Black Church series to the nation.

WETA is partnering with PBS in a national virtual event for THE BLACK CHURCH: This is Our Story, This is Our Song on Thursday, February 11 at 6 p.m. To register for that event visit here.

Gates will be the guest of honor. Panelists will include Rev. Dr. Yolanda Pierce, professor and dean of Howard University Divinity School and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.

Major corporate support for THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG is provided by Johnson & Johnson. Major support is also provided by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., Ford Foundation, and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers.

For more information on MPB, visit mpbonline.org.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting provides relevant instructional and public affairs programming to Mississippians through its statewide television and radio network.  MPB enhances the work of educators, students, parents and learners of all ages by providing informative programming and educational resources.  MPB’s locally-produced programming focuses on the people, resources and attractions that reflect Mississippi’s unique culture and diverse heritage. Children’s television programs constitute a major portion of the daytime and weekend morning schedules.  MPB provides a valuable resource to Mississippians in disseminating information as part of the state’s emergency preparedness and response system.  Since 1970, MPB has won over 350 national, regional and statewide awards, including Emmy®, Edward R. Murrow and Parents’ Choice® Awards.

About WETA

WETA is the leading public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on television, radio and digital. WETA Washington, D.C., is the second largest producing-station of new content for public television in the United States, with productions and co-productions including PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK, THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG, LATINO AMERICANS and ASIAN AMERICANS; and documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns and scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. (Seasons 3-6), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE and RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO. The WETA studios and administrative offices are located in Arlington, Virginia. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org. On social media, visit www.facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.

About PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 126 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.

About McGee Media

McGee Media was founded by award-winning filmmaker Dyllan McGee to produce documentary content that is innovative, compelling, and immersive. Every story is born from a vision of a more fair and equitable world. Whether it is the sweeping history of the African-American experience, or the intimate personal stories of the hundreds of women who made up the feminist movement, McGee Media uses television, film, and digital media in radical new ways to inform and inspire. Recent projects include FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Seasons 3-6 (PBS), RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (PBS), AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (PBS), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE (PBS), MAKERS (Verizon Media), ONCE & FOR ALL (AOL), FIRST IN HUMAN (Discovery), and RANCHER, FARMER, FISHERMAN (Discovery).

About Inkwell Media

Inkwell Media was founded by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to produce sophisticated documentary films about the African and African-American experience for a broad audience. The six-part PBS documentary series THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (2013) earned the 2013 Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, a News and Documentary Emmy Award and a NAACP Image Award. Inkwell Films has co-produced FINDING YOUR ROOTS (Seasons 1-6), RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (2019), AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (2017), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE (2016), BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA (2011), FACES OF AMERICA (2010), LOOKING FOR LINCOLN (2009), AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 (2008), OPRAH’S ROOTS (2007) and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006).

The special exhibition I AM A MAN: Civil Rights Photographs in the American South, 1960–1970 will open Saturday, January 30, at the Two Mississippi Museums. The exhibition will feature a wide range of images that captured key events of the Civil Rights Movement across the South. The exhibit takes its name from a slogan featured on protest signs carried by sanitation workers on strike in Memphis.

First shown in Montpellier, France, at the Pavillon Populaire in 2018, the photographs in I AM A MAN document the hope and determination of the Civil Rights Movement in the face of oppression and violence. William R. Ferris—Joel R. Williamson Eminent Professor of History Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, former chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities, and founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi—curated the original exhibition.

The exhibition’s Mississippi focus will include photographs of James Meredith’s integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962, events surrounding the murder of Vernon Dahmer in 1966, and the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968.

“These photographs are vessels of truth–truth about the courage of protestors who faced unimaginable violence and brutality,” said Ferris.  “The photographs capture the quiet determination of elders and the angry commitment of the young, and they also remind us how far we have to go. Photographs taken in Mississippi underscore Governor William Winter’s remark that we are “halfway home, and a long way to go.”

The twelve photographers include Norman Dean, Doris Derby, Roland L. Freeman, Robert Langmuir, James “Spider” Martin, Calvert McCann, Winfred Moncrief, Jim Peppler, Bruce Roberts, Art Shay, Don Sturkey, and Ernest C. Withers.

A discussion of the I AM A MAN exhibit featuring Ferris and Two Mississippi Museums director Pamela D.C. Junior will be held virtually at 11 a.m. on January 30. The program will stream live from the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Facebook page. The I AM A MAN exhibit will run through August 21, 2021.

Safety precautions at the museums include requiring all visitors to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines. Masks are available on-site. All public spaces have been sanitized, and thorough cleaning will continue every day. Hand sanitizing stations are provided and staff are on-site to ensure that social distancing guidelines are maintained. A limited number of visitors are allowed inside the museums at one time.

Visitors are encouraged to purchase their tickets online at tickets.mdah.ms.gov. The maximum number of people per group is twenty. Regular museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. The museums are open free of charge on Sundays from noon–4 p.m.

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

At a regular meeting on January 22, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History awarded nearly $3 million on behalf of the Community Heritage Preservation Grant program to eighteen preservation and restoration projects from across the state. The Community Heritage Preservation Grant program, authorized and funded by the Mississippi Legislature, helps preserve and restore historic courthouses and schools in Certified Local Government communities and other historic properties.

"The Legislature has saved hundreds of significant Mississippi properties through this program," said MDAH director Katie Blount. "The Department of Archives and History is grateful for the Legislature's support and pleased to be able to help preserve these local treasures."

The grant awards are as follows:

House on Ellicott’s Hill, Natchez, Adams County—$210,400
For restoration of the front gallery of the building.

Natchez City Hall, Natchez, Adams County—$157,056
For replacement of the roof.

Corinth Coliseum Theater, Corinth, Alcorn County—$236,234
For replacement of the roof and ADA upgrades.

Chickasaw County Courthouse, Houston, Chickasaw County—$226,677
For repairs to the roof and other interior repairs.

G.L. Hawkins Elementary, Hattiesburg, Forrest County—$35,200
For roof repairs.

Franklin County Courthouse, Meadville, Franklin County—$144,388
For window and masonry restoration, and reroofing of the jail.

Wechsler School, Meridian, Lauderdale County—$277,154
For interior and exterior rehabilitation.

(Old) Monticello Elementary, Monticello, Lawrence County—$40,000
For structural repairs and asbestos report and abatement.

Stephen D. Lee House, Columbus, Lowndes County—$25,600
For front porch roof replacement.

Tennessee Williams House, Columbus, Lowndes County—$35,000
For rebuilding of the front porch.

Old Madison County Jail, Canton, Madison County—$250,250
For rear wall repair and roofing.

Marion County Courthouse, Columbia, Marion County—$225,940
For window restoration.

Isaac Chapel (Rosenwald School), Byhalia, Marshall County—$268,744
For interior and exterior restoration.

Noxubee County Library, Macon, Noxubee County—$200,044
For clay tile roof replacement and exterior restoration.

Pontotoc County Courthouse, Pontotoc, Pontotoc County—$239,753
For window and masonry restoration.

Quitman County Courthouse, Marks, Quitman County—$184,792
For exterior and interior rehabilitation.

(Old) Vicksburg Library, Vicksburg, Warren County—$103,370
For electrical upgrades, window and door restoration, and boiler removal.

Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, Vicksburg, Warren County—$89,056
For repair to the auditorium’s south wall.

Grant awards are paid on a reimbursable basis upon the successful completion of the entire project or at the time of the completion of pre-established phases of the project. Prior to application, all buildings must have been designated Mississippi Landmarks. Only county or municipal governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations granted Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service may submit applications.

To become a Certified Local Government, a community must adopt a preservation ordinance establishing a preservation commission in accordance with federal and state guidelines. Once the commission has been established, application for CLG status may be made to the National Park Service through the Department of Archives and History. MDAH works closely with local government officials and citizens to help them create and manage a workable local historic preservation program. To learn more about the CLG program, contact Meredith Massey in the Historic Preservation Division of MDAH, at 601-576-6538.

FedEx Corporation is supporting free admission to the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 18. The museums will also open free of charge Sunday, January 17.

“We are grateful to FedEx Corporation for their continued support of our annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. "Their generosity allows us to invite the public to safely celebrate Dr. King's life at the museums and through virtual programming."

The museums will open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Safety precautions at museums include requiring all visitors to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines.

At 6 p.m. on Monday, January 18, the annual MLK Night of Culture program will livestream on the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Facebook page. Writer and poet C. Leigh McInnis will headline the event, which includes live painting, music, and spoken word performances by local artists. This year’s theme is “I Am a Man,” a declaration of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strikers. King joined activists Rev. James Lawson, T.O. Jones, and others in support of the sanitation strike.

A new special exhibition, I AM A MAN: Civil Rights Photographs in the American South, 1960–1970, will open at the museums Saturday, January 30, 2021. It will feature a wide range of photographs capturing key events of the Civil Rights Movement across the South, including James Meredith’s integration of the University of Mississippi, the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Martin Luther King’s funeral, and the Poor People’s Campaign.

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19, the New Stage Theatre production The Debate for Democracy, a conversation between Martin Luther King Jr. organizer Ella Baker, and activist Fannie Lou Hamer, will livestream on the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Facebook page.

Dr. King’s involvement in Mississippi includes attending the funeral of NAACP state field secretary Medgar Evers in 1963, visiting Greenwood in support of Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, and testifying in support of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) during the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

For more information, call 601-576-6800 or visit twomississippimuseums.com.

On Monday, January 11, Governor Tate Reeves signed the bill ratifying the newly adopted state flag at the Two Mississippi Museums. Afterwards, Governor Reeves joined Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn to lead a flag-raising ceremony on the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol. 

Legislators retired the 1894 flag last summer and created the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag to select a new banner to represent the state. The commission solicited ideas from the public, held open meetings at the Two Mississippi Museums, and conducted polls before selecting a design to place on the ballot for voters. Mississippians voted overwhelmingly to approve the flag on November 3, 2020. 

The bill creating the commission also instructed lawmakers to enact the proposed flag into law if voters approved the design. The first action of the state legislature during the 2021 session was passage of House Bill No. 1, which enacts the new design into law. 

To mark the occasion, Lieutenant Governor Hosemann said, “From our world-famous authors to the unmatched beauty of our natural resources, Mississippi has always been a place with limitless potential. In ratifying the peoples vote and in raising this new banner, we are signaling to the rest of the world we are ready to realize this potential, we are open for business, and we are living up to our welcoming reputation of hospitality. Today, we take a great step toward making Mississippi an even better place for our children and grandchildren, and for this I could not be any more proud.” 

Philip Gunn, Speaker of the House, shared this: “As I talked to people who voted for changing the flag, one question motivated them: ‘Will I be able to look my children and grandchildren in the eyes and be proud of my vote?’ Mississippians answered them loud and clear, once and for all. With an astounding majority we as a state were united in showing the world that we choose to stand on the right side of history. This new flag boldly declares our trust in God, as a state. As we enter into a new year, a new session, may God bless our efforts, and may God bless the state of Mississippi as we set sail under this new flag.” 

Learn more about the process of creating the new state flag here. For more information email info@mdah.ms.gov.

A book about the tragic 1970 shooting deaths of James Earl Green and Phillip Gibbs at Jackson State University has won the Mississippi Historical Society’s award for the best Mississippi history book of 2020. Nancy Bristow will be awarded the Book of the Year Award for her book Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College published by the Oxford University Press.

“Long treated as an appendage to the tragedy at Kent State, the May 1970 JSU student protests and subsequent killings of Green and Gibbs have deserved a thorough, book-length study that places these events within their proper local and national context,” said Chuck Westmoreland, Delta State University history professor and chair of the book prize committee. “Placing the Jackson State University shootings in a proper national and local context, Bristow is able to highlight the role of local politics and law enforcement in the perpetration of the murders.”

Westmoreland continued, “Furthermore, as Mississippi and the nation continue to wrestle with the damaging legacies of racism and violence, it is fitting that Steeped in the Blood of Racism has won this honor.”

Bristow is chair of the History Department at the University of Puget Sound. She teaches twentieth-century American history, with an emphasis on race, gender, and social change.

“This project has meant a great deal to me, because it is a story that is not mine, but which I believe so deeply others need to know,” said Bristow. “I consider this an honor earned by those who kept this story alive for decades and decades.”

The Book of the Year Award goes to the best book on a subject related to Mississippi history or biography published during the previous year. The prize carries a $700 cash award.

Bristow will accept the award and deliver a lecture during the 2021 Mississippi Historical Society Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually on Friday, March 5. Register online for the free conference. Copies of Bristow’s book can be purchased from the Mississippi Museum Store.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi History. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member, call 601-576-6856.

William F. Winter led the MDAH Board of Trustees for nearly fifty years, making an unmistakable impact on the department and the state.

Winter’s greatest legacy at MDAH was the opening of the Two Mississippi Museums in 2017. Winter helped convince state leaders of the need to build the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, and he was instrumental in securing public and private funds for the project. MDAH director Katie Blount said, “These museums stand at the intersection of William Winter’s greatest passions—history, education, and racial justice. Generations of young people will come here to experience the stories that have shaped our state and nation.”

As Winter said during the opening ceremony, “These museums will challenge all of us to have a better understanding of where we have come from, and then inspire us to work harder to find our common ideals and goals. We will find that we have much more in common than what might appear to divide us.”

William Winter joined the MDAH board in 1957, was elected president in 1969, and served in that role until 2007. During that time, he oversaw the opening of the Eudora Welty House, the restoration of the Old Capitol, and the construction of a state-of-the-art archives building that the state legislature named for him. 

Reuben V. Anderson, president of the MDAH Board of Trustees, recalled, “With his encouragement, MDAH strengthened its focus on African American history in Mississippi, acquiring significant collections of papers, mounting award-winning exhibits, and offering grants for the preservation of sites associated with African American history. Most notably, his close friendship with Myrlie Evers led to her decision to donate the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Collection to MDAH in 2002.”

According to the official obituary, memorial contributions can be made to the Foundation for Mississippi History. Gov. Winter was the leading force behind the opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. His goal was for every Mississippi student to visit these museums at least once. Over the last years of his life, Winter helped raise funds to endow field trips to both museums for schools with limited resources. With his help the Foundation for Mississippi History has raised half of the $4 million endowment to make this possible. Contributions in Winter’s memory can be made to the William Winter Education Fund, FMH, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205.

A memorial service will be held once the dangers from COVID-19 abate and it is safe to gather for a service. Condolences to the Winter family may be mailed to P.O. Box 427, Jackson, MS 39205.

The Visitor Center and Museum at Winterville Mounds will remain closed for future renovation and interpretation of its exhibits. The historic grounds will remain open to the public and will continue to be monitored by MDAH personnel. A new on-site brochure is in development to provide visitors with information and direction around the site.

MDAH will develop a new comprehensive interpretation plan for Winterville Mounds with support from the Native American Tribes. Future developments for the site will feature upgraded museum exhibits, public programming, an orientation film for visitors, and outdoor signage and trails.

With the help of the Greenville Garden Club and Winterville Mounds Association, recent improvements to the site have included historic preservation of the grounds, landscaping work on the mounds, refurbished pavilion areas with new picnic tables and grills for families, a new pedestrian overpass, and new outdoor signage. Mound A remains barricaded as MDAH continues to work with the Tribes, local engineers, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair sloughing due to heavy rains.

Winterville Mounds is a prehistoric ceremonial center built by a Native American civilization that thrived from about A.D. 1000 to 1450. Its most prominent feature is the 55-foot-tall Temple Mound, the tallest mound between Natchez and Cahokia, Ill.

A National Historic Landmark, Winterville Mounds is administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Located at 2415 1 North, Greenville, the 42-acre park is open daily from dawn to dusk. Free of charge. For more information, email info@mdah.ms.gov.