News

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) is accepting grant applications for preservation projects across the state. The 2023 Mississippi Legislature has provided funding for the Community Heritage Preservation Grant program (CHPG) and the Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Grant program (HSPG).

CHPG

The Community Heritage Preservation Grant program helps preserve, restore, rehabilitate, and interpret Mississippi courthouses and schools across the state. In communities that participate in the Certified Local Government (CLG) program, buildings other than courthouses and schools are also eligible, if they have been designated as Mississippi Landmarks.

There are currently over fifty Certified Local Government communities in Mississippi. State agencies, county or municipal governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status may submit applications. A cash match of at least twenty percent is required, and grants will be paid on a reimbursable basis upon successful completion of the project. To learn which communities have Certified Local Government designation click here.

HSPG

The Historic Site Preservation Grant program offers grants for the acquisition of sites related to Civil War battles, Native American archaeology, and civil rights history. Grants, which require a one-to-one match, can be used for land acquisition and property preservation costs. Colleges and universities, historical societies, state agencies, local governments, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply.

Guidelines and applications may be downloaded for both opportunities from the MDAH website under the Grant Programs section of the Preservation Planning and Development page. The deadline to submit completed applications is September 29, 2023, before 5 p.m.

The MDAH Board of Trustees will award the grants at its quarterly meeting in January 2024. For more information call 601-576-6940 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) has been awarded $187,059 by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to present two workshops on teaching civil rights history. 

This MDAH project was awarded as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of History and Culture Grant program, and it will mark the 60th anniversary of a pivotal event in American history, 1964’s Freedom Summer. MDAH will partner with National History Day to coordinate and lead the program. 

Seventy teachers from across the nation will have the opportunity to attend one of two weeklong workshops starting at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, and then traveling to specific locations in the state that were central to the historic events of Freedom Summer. 

“This grant is an incredible opportunity for us to show how this landmark event goes beyond Mississippi history; it's truly a national event,” said Al Wheat, MDAH director of education. “Bringing teachers from across the country to Mississippi to see our sites, analyze our primary sources, and visit locations where the history actually happened will make a positive impact not just on workshop attendees, but on their students." 

Teachers will learn about the civil rights events in 1964 that changed Mississippi and the nation. The workshops, which will run from July 8–12, 2024, and July 22–26, 2024, will consist of two different groups of K-12 teachers, with 35 per group, who will gather at the Two Mississippi Museums and the MDAH archives to interact with historians, Civil Rights Movement veterans, educators, and museum professionals. Teachers will collaborate to develop inquiry-based classroom activities and lessons about Freedom Summer using primary sources found in MDAH’s archives and experiential, site-based learning at the Two Mississippi Museums and key civil rights sites across Mississippi.  

The Landmarks of American History and Culture program supports a series of one-week residential, virtual, and combined format workshops across the nation that enhance and strengthen how K-12 educators, higher education faculty, and humanities professionals study sites, areas, or regions of historic and cultural significance and incorporate place-based teaching and learning in the humanities. 

National Endowment for the Humanities: Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov. 

Thanks to the continued support of FedEx, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History will offer three days of free admission in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in January 2024.

Over 3,600 people visited the museums during the 2023 FedEx-sponsored free weekend, with the annual MLK Night of Culture drawing a crowd of 400 people for a diverse, evening showcase of live entertainment.

“FedEx has long invested in community organizations, such as those honoring the legacy of the many heroes of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Jerome Heard, FedEx DEI communications specialist. “FedEx is proud to continue supporting the Two Mississippi Museums and their efforts to help visitors connect with Dr. King’s legacy.”

Dr. King’s involvement in Mississippi included visiting Greenwood in support of Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, testifying in support of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) during the 1964 Democratic National Convention, and continuing James Meredith’s March Against Fear from Memphis to Jackson, following the assassination attempt against Meredith in 1966.   

“We are grateful to FedEx for continuing their generous sponsorship of our Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums. “Welcoming the public into the museums as guests of FedEx is a magnificent way to honor this important holiday.”  

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

A ceremony was held at the Two Mississippi Museums on Friday, July 21, for the return of a stolen rifle used in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and their law enforcement partners exchanged custody of the 19th century rifle with staff of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). 

The rifle was initially donated to MDAH in 1903, along with a bullet-marred cartridge box and belt, by the daughter of Private Charles H. Gibbs of Raymond. More than 40 years ago, the rifle was stolen while on loan to Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis in Biloxi.  

Nan Prince, director of collections at MDAH, formally accepted custody of the rifle from the FBI. “MDAH is grateful to the FBI Art Crime Team, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and everyone who was involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case,” said Prince. “We are thrilled to have this important piece of Mississippi history back in the collection.”  

Gibbs carried the rifle while serving in the Raymond Fencibles of the 1st Regiment of the Mississippi Rifle volunteers, commanded by Captain R. N. Downing, under Jefferson Davis in the Mexican-American War. Gibbs fought at the Battle of Monterrey and the Battle of Buena Vista.  

Gibbs was injured on February 22, 1847, at the Battle of Buena Vista, survived his injuries and lived in Raymond with his wife, Ellen Elder Gibbs, until his untimely death by yellow fever in the 1850s. His name remains engraved on a plate on the stock of the rifle, along with inscribed dates of the battles he fought in Mexico. 

Various news articles of the era state that, following Gibbs’s discharge in 1847, the rifle was reissued to another, unknown member of the Raymond Fencibles. The rifle was later confiscated by the Union during the Civil War. The weapon disappeared for several decades until it was returned to Ellen Gibbs, after the discovery of her late husband's name marking the weapon. 

“The FBI’s Art Crime Program and members of the Art Crime Team are honored to return to the state of Mississippi the Charles Gibbs rifle that was stolen so many years ago,” said FBI special agent Randy Deaton of New Orleans. “The investigation that resulted in the recovery of this rifle along with other items, was conducted by the FBI Philadelphia Field Office and the Art Crime Team members stationed there.”

The recovered rifle will be placed alongside Gibbs’s cartridge box, also carried by him during his service in the Mexican-American War, on display in the Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson.  

In December 2021, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania indicted Michael Corbett of Newark, Delaware, for possession of stolen firearms and other items stolen from museums in the 1970s. In August 2022, Corbett pleaded guilty to the possession of stolen items transported interstate. In accordance with his plea agreement, he turned over the stolen Mississippi rifle to the FBI. 

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History was founded in 1902 to collect, preserve, and provide access to the archival resources of the state.

On Thursday, July 27, from 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m., Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) staff will provide an update for the community of Port Gibson regarding plans for re-opening the Windsor Ruins site, the historic site of the Daniell Plantation.  

MDAH staff will discuss the status of the column stabilization project underway at Windsor Ruins and engage meeting attendees in discussion about how to enhance interpretation and stories about Windsor Ruins. This valued public input will assist MDAH’s ongoing research and development for new signage at the site, marketing materials, and more. No registration is required to attend the meeting. 

“We invite people in the community to give us input on how MDAH should tell the stories that Windsor evokes—the wealth generated through cotton production, enslavement, the Civil War, and Reconstruction,” said Michael Morris, MDAH director of public engagement. “Among the new stories we will share are the results of genealogy research connecting enslaved people with descendants currently living in Claiborne County and across the country.” 

Windsor Plantation, one of the largest private residences in the state, was built for Smith Coffee Daniell II in 1861. It was constructed near the town of Bruinsburg, where Union soldiers crossed the Mississippi River to begin their quest to capture Vicksburg. It was destroyed by fire in 1890. 

More than a century of exposure to the elements has caused erosion to the 45-foot-tall masonry columns and fracturing of the cast iron capitals. In 2016, MDAH commissioned an architectural conservator to study the site.  

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History was founded in 1902 to collect, preserve, and provide access to the archival resources of the state.  

Community meeting information: 

Thursday, July 27, 2023 

Mississippi Cultural Crossroads 

507 Market Street 

Port Gibson, MS 39150 

5 p.m.–6:30 p.m. 

Jackson – The Nissan Foundation has named the Two Mississippi Museums as a 2023 grant recipient. The $50,000 grant will help fund field trips during the 2023-2024 school year, defraying costs for admission, travel, and on-site lunches for students. 

 “We are grateful to the Nissan Foundation for their continued support of our field trip program,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “School children are our most important audience. The foundation’s generosity has helped thousands of students experience this state-of-the-art museum complex.” 

The Nissan Foundation is awarding a total of $1.2 million in grants to 39 nonprofit organizations for its 2023 grant cycle. The nonprofit recipients are in Atlanta, Central Mississippi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Middle Tennessee, New York City, Southeast Michigan, Southern California—all locations where Nissan has an operational presence. Learn more about all the 2023 Nissan Foundation grantees at www.NissanFoundation.com. 

“It’s an honor to award the Two Mississippi Museums a grant for the work they are doing to promote, share and sustain cultural awareness and understanding in communities throughout our world,” said Chandra Vasser president of the Nissan Foundation and Nissan’s first chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. 

The Nissan Foundation was created in 1992 as a thoughtful response to the three weeks of violent civil unrest that occurred near Nissan North America’s then U.S. sales and marketing operations in Southern California following the Rodney King trial verdict. Nissan established a $5 million endowment to promote cultural diversity within southern Los Angeles neighborhoods. 

Museum hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—Two Mississippi Museums—are located at 222 North Street in Jackson. For more information visit the MDAH Facebook page or email info@mdah.ms.gov.  To reserve or learn more about field trips at the Two Mississippi Museums, contact Stephanie King at sking@mdah.ms.gov. 

In celebration of Emmett Till’s birthday, the Two Mississippi Museums—the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—will host a day of free admission featuring guided tours at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25. This free day is made possible through sponsorship from Higher Purpose Co.

Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was visiting family in the Mississippi Delta from his home in Chicago in 1955 when he was tortured and murdered by white supremacists. The event propelled the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum shares Till’s story in the context of the greater story of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

“We are grateful to Higher Purpose Co. for their support of our day of free admission at the Two Mississippi Museums in honor of Emmett Till’s birthday,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). “The organization’s generosity will help many Mississippians experience the state’s largest classroom.”

Higher Purpose Co.’s mission is to build community wealth with Black residents in Mississippi by supporting the ownership of financial, cultural, and political power. 

“Mississippi continues to play a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement across this country. Higher Purpose Co. is excited to deepen our partnership with the Two Mississippi Museums and expand our support to cultural institutions committed to authentic storytelling,” said Dr. Tim Lampkin, founder and chief executive officer of Higher Purpose Co.  

The Two Mississippi Museums opened December 9, 2017, in honor of the state’s bicentennial. The museums take visitors through the sweep of Mississippi history and the state’s role as ground zero in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Two Mississippi Museums are located at 222 North Street in Jackson. The hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information call, 610-576-6580, visit the MDAH Facebook page, or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

Michael Morris will serve as the new director of the Two Mississippi Museums—the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. He steps into the role after Pamela D.C. Junior, who retired in June. The museums are administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) and have attracted more than 500,000 visitors since opening in downtown Jackson in December 2017.

“I am thrilled to know Michael will continue the work we have begun,” Junior said. “He is well-known and respected in both the public history community and the civil rights community.”

“Since joining MDAH, Michael has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to preserving and promoting our state's rich cultural heritage,” said Cindy Gardner, division director, MDAH Museum Division. “I have no doubt that the Two Mississippi Museums will continue to thrive under Michael’s capable leadership.”

Morris, a Jackson native, earned his bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degree in political science from Jackson State University, where he worked at the Margaret Walker Center and Fannie Lou Hamer Institute on Citizenship and Democracy. He earned his supervisory management certificate from the Mississippi State Personnel Board and is currently completing its Certified Public Manager Program. Morris also completed the Stennis Institute’s State Executive Development Institute program at Mississippi State University.

He began his career at MDAH in the public relations office in 2016, and most recently served as director of public engagement. He was responsible for co-leading the MDAH strategic planning process, coordinating community meetings, leading department research projects, planning major events, and supporting the department director and deputy director during legislative sessions.

Morris is active in the community. He was a member of the commission tasked with commemorating the city of Jackson’s bicentennial in 2022, has written markers for the Mississippi Freedom Trail, and has moderated panels for the Mississippi Book Festival. Morris was the Mississippi archivist for the Our Story, Our Terms civil rights project at Duke University.

“I feel incredibly honored to take on this role, following in the footsteps of Pam Junior, who did an exceptional job,” said Morris. “These museums are a tremendous asset for the state and the city of Jackson. I am excited to take on this new responsibility and look forward to building on the success there.”

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is the second-oldest state department of archives and history in the United States. The department’s mission is to inspire the discovery of stories that connect our lives and shape our future by preserving Mississippi’s diverse historic resources and sharing them with people around the world. The department is headquartered in the William F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jackson. For more information call 601-576-6850.

Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People's Campaign opens Saturday, July 1, in the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Exhibition Hall of the Two Mississippi Museums, a Smithsonian Affiliate. This Smithsonian traveling exhibit explores a pivotal grassroots movement of the civil rights era: the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968.

Based on the original exhibition created by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, this exhibit explores the six-week protest community in Washington D.C. that called the nation’s attention to the effects of poverty on millions of Americans. Visitors will experience photographs, artifacts, documentaries, ambient audio, and graphics in addition to an interactive video with interviews of campaign participants, a 3D-printed model of Resurrection City, and a map of the nationwide caravan routes.

The multiethnic movement drew people from across the nation, including African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, Asian Americans and poor whites from Appalachia and rural communities. With newly found photographs and video content, the exhibit encourages visitors to discover this little-known chapter of the civil rights era.

“We look forward to having this unique Smithsonian exhibit at the Two Mississippi Museums,” said Katie Blount, director of Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). “It will provide an interesting perspective on the history of poverty and economic inequality in America.”

Although the United States emerged as a global model of wealth and democracy in the 1960s, an estimated 25 million Americans still lived in poverty. While President Lyndon B. Johnson had declared a “War on Poverty” in 1964, social inequalities and unequal access to opportunities left many Americans struggling.

In response, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  and Ralph David Abernathy, organized the Poor People’s Campaign to confront poverty as a national human rights issue. A multi-ethnic movement, the six-week, live-in demonstration in Washington, D.C., called Resurrection City, attracted protesters from across the country to this first large-scale, nationally organized protest after the assassination of King. 

The exhibition title is a reference to the Solidarity Day Rally, which was held on June 19, 1968. The rally at the Lincoln Memorial featured speeches by organizers and influencers as a continuation of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People's Campaign is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It is supported by the CVS Health Foundation, a private foundation created by CVS Health to help people live healthier lives. 

In honor of Juneteenth, HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division is sponsoring free admission to the Two Mississippi Museums from Saturday, June 17, through Monday, June 19. Visitors can explore themes of emancipation and liberation in Mississippi.

“We are grateful to Ingalls Shipbuilding for making it possible for so many Mississippians to visit the Two Mississippi Museums and celebrate emancipation in the United States,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Saturday, June 17, Juneteenth-themed tours through the Two Mississippi Museums are available at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, a Juneteenth-themed tour is available at 2 p.m.

During Juneteenth Jubilee on Monday, June 19, visitors can enjoy free Juneteenth-themed tours at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and register for an on-site, behind-the-scenes historic object collections tour happening at 2:30 p.m.

This free, family-friendly day continues 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with extended museums hours, craft-making activities for children, card games, live music from Jerry Jenkins, DJ Lil Walt, Jermaine Van Buren Jr., Montage, and Mastadon, and on-site food trucks Smokin 7, Oops All Vegan and Fertile Ground Brewery.

Visitors may also enjoy Juneteenth family gallery activities at the This Is Home: Medgar Evers, Mississippi, and the Movement exhibit, on display now through June 30, in the FedEx Exhibition Hall.

Signed into law on June 17, 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, or Juneteenth, is a federal holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States at the end of the Civil War.

Celebration of Juneteenth began on June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with some 2,000 troops, and decreed the Emancipation Proclamation freed all enslaved people, officially enforcing emancipation in the Confederate-controlled state.

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