News

The Mississippi Historical Society held its annual meeting February 22-23 in Oxford to honor its 2024 award winners, including the best Mississippi History Book, the lifetime achievement award, teacher of the year, and awards of merit.

Charles Reagan Wilson, professor emeritus of history and Southern studies at the University of Mississippi, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. chair of history and professor of Southern studies at the University of Mississippi, where he taught from 1981 to 2014. He worked extensively with graduate students and served as director of the Southern studies academic program from 1991 to 1998, and director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture from 1998 to 2007.

Grace Elizabeth Hale, commonwealth professor of American studies and history at the University of Virginia, received the Book of the Year Award for In the Pines: A Lynching, a Lie, a Reckoning. The book examines the role of Hale’s grandfather, a Mississippi sheriff, in the 1947 death of a black man accused of raping a white woman in the era of Jim Crow. It also tells a broader story of the history of the Piney Woods, Jefferson Davis County, and the town of Prentiss, and the Black and white citizens of the region.

William R. Sutton won the Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year Award for “The Friars Point Coup and Aftermath: Historical Memory and Personal Character in the Era of Redemption,” which examines racial violence during Reconstruction in a small Mississippi town.

The Outstanding Local Historical Society Award was presented to both the Ashland Benton County Historical Preservation Commission and the Benton County Historical and Genealogical Society for their work to plan, organize, and implement the 150th anniversary celebration of the Benton County Courthouse.

The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Caitlin Thomas of Lafayette Middle School.

Awards of Merit were presented to the B.L. Moor High School Alumni Education Association for preserving the history of a former African American school in Oktibbeha County; Bob Willis of Oklahoma for his sculpture of Hiram Rhodes Revels for Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church in Natchez; city of Long Beach for the restoration of the W.J. Quarles House, the home of one of the most prominent early settlers of Long Beach; Coulter Fussell, for preserving the early history of Water Valley; Coahoma Collective and StoryWorks for their work on a living history documentary play entitled “Beneath an Unknown Sky,” which highlights the importance of the Freedmen’s Bureau and Black leaders during Reconstruction; Paul Cartwright, Gene Horton, and Tricia Nelson for publication of the book, A Shared History: Copiah County 1823-2023, as part of the Copiah County Bicentennial Project; Friends of Valena C. Jones School for its oral history project interviewing former students and faculty of the school, preserving their memories of the Hancock County institution, and documenting their experiences during integration; Hancock County Historical Society for the production of the historical drama Mercy Train: Next Stop Bay St. Louis—an original one-act play about the history of Orphan Trains and the lives of five children from Bay St. Louis in the early 1900s; Historic Biloxi Schools Collection Oral History Project for collecting voices and histories of people who attended or worked in Biloxi Public Schools showing a history not found in textbooks; Jackson State University for the Gowdy Washington Addition Exhibition about one of the first African American communities in the city of Jackson; The LaPointe Krebs Foundation for the restoration of the state’s oldest documented standing building, the de la Pointe Krebs House in Pascagoula; Michael H. Logue for publishing Echoes from the Bluffs, a book about the Vicksburg Campaign; MoreStory Monuments Project for recognizing African American history at Mississippi University for Women; Rex Jones for creating two short films—Libation and Legislation: The Story of Mississippi’s Legislative Frat House and Steve Holland: Jesus Was a Democrat; and the University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group for projects and teaching about the history of slavery and enslaved people in Oxford and at the University of Mississippi.

Northeast Mississippi Community College instructor Will Bowlin completed his term as president of the society and welcomed the new president, Rebecca Tuuri, associate professor of history, University of Southern Mississippi. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, was elected vice president. New board members are Tony Bounds, Tougaloo College; Kasey Daugherty, The Max; Heather Denné, Jackson State University; Kristi DiClemente, Mississippi University for Women; Linda Fondren, Catfish Row Museum; and Malika Polk-Lee, BB King Museum.

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.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (MCRM) placed fourth in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards contest for Best History Museum in the United States. MCRM placed among 20 prestigious American museums, such as the Heinz History Center, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Cincinnati History Museum among others.    

USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards first nominated MCRM in the fall of 2023. The online contest ran January 15 through February 12, with contest rules allowing the public to vote online for one nominee per category, per day.     

“We are honored that the museum placed so high in the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Award Contest for Best History Museum,” said Michael Morris, director for the Two Mississippi Museums of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). “We are grateful for this national recognition of excellence.”  

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

The museum embraces complex stories and tells them with unflinching academic rigor, engaging visitors with the deeply witnessed truths of historic records, artifacts, and archival photographs and footage.

Visitors learn the stories of Mississippians like Medgar Evers, James Meredith, Fannie Lou Hamer, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, and Vernon Dahmer and stories of those who traveled many miles to walk beside them in the journey toward equality.

The Two Mississippi Museums—the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—opened in December 2017. The Mississippi Legislature funded construction of the $100 million complex along with generous support from private donors.  

Flags From Mississippi: Emblems Through Time opens March 9 at the Two Mississippi Museums in the FedEx Exhibition Hall. Rarely shown state, national, and military flags from the collection of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) will be on display through November 8. Admission to this exhibit is free. 

“The Two Mississippi Museums are excited to share this free, special flag exhibition curated by MDAH staff,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums. “We invite the public to explore and examine how flags illustrate the various ways inhabitants of Mississippi have chosen to symbolize threads of culture and belief throughout time.” 

The exhibit features 20 flags made from a variety of fabrics, such as wool and silk. Some were sewn by hand. Highlights include an original Magnolia flag, adopted in 1861 as the first official flag of Mississippi, that has been saved by conservators after it became severely fragmented. 

The show also includes military flags and battle flags captured during the Civil War. Visitors will see the First National Flag of the Confederacy, commonly known as the Stars and Bars, which was seized by Samuel Loring Percival Ayers of the USS Pensacola at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. Another highlight is a reproduction of the 5th Heavy Artillery Regimental flag of the United States Colored Troops, an African American regiment formed in Vicksburg that fought in the Battle of Milliken’s Bend. 

A flag officially adopted by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in 1994 displays symbols expressing resilience, progress achieved in the face of adversity, and Choctaw political ties spanning the last 500 years with Mississippi, the United States, Spain, and France. 

Flags From Mississippi: Emblems Through Time exhibit programming includes free gallery talks on March 14, June 14, and August 22, and a lecture at the History Is Lunch program on August 21.  

For more information, go to https://2mm.mdah.ms.gov/visit/hours-admission or call 601-576-6850. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Two Mississippi Museums in December 2017, former Governor William F. Winter declared, “These two museums were built for all of us, but most especially they were built for our children and our grandchildren and future generations.” His dream was that every Mississippi student would visit these museums at least once.  

To honor Governor Winter's legacy, the Two Mississippi Museums will be free to the public on Wednesday, February 21. This day of free admission is made possible by Jones Walker LLP., which acquired Watkins, Ludlam, Winter and Stennis where Governor Winter worked for over 50 years. 

“We are proud to honor the legacy of Governor and First Lady Winter by providing access to such an enlightening institution - the Two Mississippi Museums,” said Bill Hines, managing partner of Jones Walker LLP. “We hope those who visit realize how passionate they were not only for the history of Mississippi, but also for providing opportunity to its future generations.” 

Winter was known for his strong support for public education in Mississippi. He helped to raise endowment funds to bring Mississippi’s school children to the Two Mississippi Museums.

The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum stand at the intersection of Winter’s greatest passions—history, education, and racial justice—and he was the leading force behind the public/private partnership through which they were built.    

“We are grateful to the Winter family and to Jones Walker for this special tribute to Governor and Mrs. Winter at the Two Mississippi Museums,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “What a great way to celebrate his legacy by allowing visitors to explore and learn about our state’s history in the place he worked so hard to help create.”

Winter served on the MDAH Board of Trustees for more than 50 years and was president for nearly that long. He died December 18, 2020, at the age of 97. Elise Winter, his wife of 70 years who was a community activist and author, died just six months after her husband on July 17, 2021.   

The William and Elise Winter Education Endowment was established by the Foundation for Mississippi History to memorialize Mississippi’s former governor and first lady and their commitment to education and preservation. Funds are used to defray costs such as admission, travel, and on-site lunches for students.  

For more information about free Wednesday, February 21, at the Two Mississippi Museums, email info@mdah.ms.gov, or call 601-576-6850. 

To learn more about school field trips to the Two Mississippi Museums or to make a field trip reservation visit https://2mm.mdah.ms.gov/learn/field-trips.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) is pleased to announce Joy-Ann Reid as the 2024 Medgar Wiley Evers Lecture Series speaker. The program will be held on Tuesday, February 13, at 6 p.m. in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Weapons and large bags are prohibited. Attendees will undergo a quick security screening.

Reid, a New York Times bestselling author, political commentator, and host of MSNBC’s The ReidOut, will discuss her latest book Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America with event moderator Ebony Lumumba, chair of the English department at Jackson State University. A book signing will be hosted by Lemuria Books before the program at 5 p.m. in the auditorium. 

Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America traces the lives and legacy of civil rights icons Medgar and Myrlie Evers, situating Medgar Evers's assassination as a catalyzing moment in American history. 

“MDAH is excited to welcome journalist and author Joy-Ann Reid to Mississippi to deliver the 2024 Medgar Wiley Evers Lecture,” said Katie Blount, director of MDAH. “This will be the first lecture in the series to focus on the historic accomplishments of Medgar and Myrlie Evers.” 

The Medgar Wiley Evers Lecture Series was established in 2003 to honor the legacy of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, one year after Myrlie Evers made an extraordinary gift to the people of Mississippi when she presented the Medgar and Myrlie Evers papers to MDAH.  

One of the most significant collections in the department’s care, the Evers Collection has been an invaluable resource as MDAH has worked to develop exhibits for the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.  

Previous Evers lecturers include Lonnie Bunch, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Eddie Glaude Jr., Manning Marable, Robert P. Moses, and Isabel Wilkerson. The series is supported by W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute.   

-XXX- 

The Two Mississippi Museums will host the rescheduled 2024 MLK Night of Culture to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 17, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. Free admission to the Two Mississippi Museums on February 17 and the Night of Culture event is made possible through support from FedEx. 

Hosted by local Jackson artist 5th Child, this year's Night of Culture theme honors the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer.

Artists performing original pieces centered on freedom, voting rights, and education include:

Emcee - 5th Child (artist/producer)

Musician - Tyler Greer

African Drumming - Alkebulan

Spoken Word - Vortex, JT The Poet, Brittany Wilson

Vocalist - Kyesha Clark, Ally Durr 

Dance - Mississippi Elite Dance and Cheer

Visual Art - Al Thomas, Kira Cummings, and Kevin Brown

Overflow space, if necessary, will be open in the Trustmark Community Room and Spiro Pete Cora Classroom. Guests can access the free visitor parking garage from Jefferson Street between Amite and Mississippi streets.

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

In honor of the National Day of Racial Healing, the Two Mississippi Museums—Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History—will have free admission on Thursday, February 1. Free admission is made possible by the Foundation for the Mid South.  

The National Day of Racial Healing is hosted annually by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) and was created with and builds on the work and learnings of the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) community partners. Fundamental to this day is a clear understanding that racial healing is at the core of racial equity. The Foundation for the Mid South is a partner of WKKF. 

“The new Mississippi cohort of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation is essential to the movement towards a more inclusive and equitable society,” said Meshelle Rawls, principal investigator at the Foundation for the Mid South. “By empowering our communities to lead these conversations, we’re doubling down on healing and unity at a crucial point in time." 

The Foundation for the Mid South works in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, bringing together public and private sectors to focus resources on increasing social and economic opportunity in the region.

 “We are grateful to the Foundation for the Mid South for sponsoring free admission to the museums,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums. “This is a phenomenal opportunity to kickstart Black History Month by sharing the rich history of Black Mississippians and a movement that contributed to improving our state and nation.”   

The Two Mississippi Museums are open Tuesday–Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are closed on Monday. Free parking can be found alongside North Street or in the Two Mississippi Museums Visitor Garage on Jefferson Street. 

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

Spence Flatgard of Ridgeland was re-elected as president of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Board of Trustees during its regular meeting in Jackson on January 19, 2024.

The board also elected Nancy Carpenter of Columbus as vice president and Mark Keenum of Starkville to a second six-year term.  

Lucius “Luke” Lampton of Magnolia, who was completing an unexpired term, has been elected to his first full six-year term.

Members of the MDAH board serve six-year terms and must be confirmed by the state senate. Other members are Carter Burns of Natchez, TJ Taylor of Madison, Reginald Buckley of Jackson, and Betsey Hamilton of New Albany.

MDAH is the second-oldest state department of archives and history in the United States. The department collects, preserves, and provides access to the archival resources of the state, administers various museums and historic sites, and oversees statewide programs for historic preservation, state and local government records management, and publications.

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

The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) approved $3.4 million in grants through the Community Heritage Preservation Grant (CHPG) program to seventeen preservation and restoration projects in Mississippi at its regular meeting on January 19. 

The CHPG program is authorized and funded by the Mississippi Legislature and has provided more than $61 million to preservation projects across the state since its inception in 2001. Schools, courthouses, and other Mississippi Landmark properties in Certified Local Government communities are eligible for the program to help pay the costs incurred in preserving, restoring, rehabilitating, repairing, or interpreting such historic properties identified by certified local governments or owned by the state of Mississippi.  

“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: 

• Angelety House, Natchez, Adams County — ­$142,161 

Exterior, doors, windows, roof and  gutter repairs  

• Carroll County Courthouse, Carrollton, Carroll County — $243,291 

Interior and exterior restoration; windows, doors, and cupola repairs  

• Masonic Building and Courthouse, Okolona, Chickasaw County — $171,977 

Door and window restoration  

• Okolona Elementary School, Okolona, Chickasaw County — $170,775 

Window restoration, interior and lighting repairs 

• Harriette Person Memorial Library, Port Gibson, Claiborne County — $274,931 

Roof and decking repairs   

• GM&O Railroad Depot, Quitman, Clarke County — $65,010 

Door and window restoration, interior and  exterior repairs   

• Hattiesburg City Hall, Hattiesburg, Forrest County — $99,200 

Interior repairs, HVAC, and security upgrades   

• Hinds County Courthouse, Jackson, Hinds County — $410,715 

Roof repairs  

• Jefferson Davis County Courthouse, Prentiss, Jefferson Davis County — $182,118 

Roof repairs   

• Spain House, Tupelo, Lee County — $110,936 

Interior restoration and repainting  

• Greenwood Fire Station #1, Greenwood, Leflore County — $237,450 

Masonry repointing, HVAC, and electrical upgrades   

• Tennessee Williams House, Columbus, Lowndes County — $158,423 

Front porch repairs and repainting  

• Old Salem School, Macon, Noxubee County — $159,538 

Structural stabilization, masonry repointing, and general repairs 

• Quitman County Courthouse, Marks, Quitman County — $188,008 

Exterior repairs and window restoration 

• Sharkey County Courthouse, Rolling Fork, Sharkey County — $368,000 

Courtroom restoration  

• Drew Rosenwald School, Drew, Sunflower County — $253,760 

Roof, masonry, door and window repairs, and electrical upgrades  

• Senatobia High School, Senatobia, Tate County — $260,000

Window restoration, classroom, east, and west hallway repairs  

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. A cash match of at least 20 percent is required. Only county governments, municipal governments, school districts, universities, community colleges, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations that have obtained Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the United States Internal Revenue Service may submit applications. 

To become a Certified Local Government (CLG), 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 Mississippi 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 CHPG program, contact 601-576-6850 or email chpg@mdah.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Board of Trustees awarded $753,150 in Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Grant (MHSPG) funding to American Battlefield Trust and Gulf Coast Housing Partnership for preservation projects during a regular meeting of the board on January 19. 

American Battlefield Trust was awarded grant funding for preservation work at 15 tracts of land inside Civil War battlefields that include: 

Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield, Warren County, $359,650;  

There are 12 tracts of land inside the Chickasaw Bayou battlefield: DeFrance Tract, M. Sanderford Tract, D. Sanderford Tract, Uzzle Tract, Hill Tract, Hedrick Tract, J. Nevels Tract, Kitchens Tract, M. Uzzle Tract, Barnes Tract, Pace Tract, and Whiting Tract. 

Chickasaw Bayou is heavily threatened by development and has an extremely low percentage of preserved land within its core area. The majority of the land has been built over and will be subject to day-of restoration, ultimately being stewarded by the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign. 

Iuka Battlefield, Tishomingo County, $42,500;  

The Lomenick tract is within the Iuka battlefield. The property is unimproved and sits within the Iuka city limits.  

Champion Hill Battlefield, Hinds County, $207,500;  

Preservation work will begin when the Ratliff tract is transferred to the National Park Service.  

Corinth Battlefield, Alcorn County, $11,435;  

The Emmons tract is within the Corinth battlefield. It is entirely unimproved and is likely to be developed in the next five years if not preserved. The property is just outside the borders of the Corinth Unit of Shiloh National Military Park. 

Gulf Coast Housing Partnership was awarded $125,000 in grant funding for preservation work at Leonard Court in the city of Jackson of Hinds County. The historic location on North Mill Street comprises 60 houses and one corner store. The area lies within the Farish Street National Register Historic District. The district was an important center of culture, Black economic empowerment, as well an incubator for community organizing during the Civil Rights Movement.  

The Mississippi Legislature created the MHSPG program in 2021 to fund acquisition of sites related to Civil War battles, Native American archaeology, and civil rights history. These funds will allow endangered and significant properties to be preserved.  

“This program builds upon our role in preservation by assisting our partners with the acquisition of significant historic properties,”  said Barry White, MDAH historic preservation director.  “These grants elevate Mississippi’s capability to preserve the historic integrity of these properties, tell their broader stories, and attract new visitors.” 

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 will be taken into consideration in scoring applications. In addition, the property must have been previously recognized as significant. It must be individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, listed in the 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. 

For more information about the MHSPG program, contact 601-576-6850 or email hsmith@mdah.ms.gov.