MDAH News

A new performer will headline the upcoming History Happy Hour at the Two Mississippi Museums. 

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History previously announced that comedian Rita Brent would perform at the event. Now, she is unable to attend. Brent is traveling abroad and is experiencing flight complications.

In her place, award-winning blues musician Dexter Allen will take the stage. A Jackson-based artist, Allen ​blends the soulful roots of blues with ​electrifying showmanship, captivating ​audiences worldwide with his powerful ​guitar riffs and unforgettable ​performances.

This free event will also feature two specialized flash tours of the Mississippi Made exhibition, focusing on sports and music, at 5:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Mississippi Made is a special exhibit, sponsored by Wayne-Sanderson Farms, currently on display at the museums. 

Two Mississippi Museums members, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi employees, and Mississippi Museum Association Conference attendees will receive a complimentary drink. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

Preserving Mississippi’s historic places requires more than an appreciation for old buildings. It requires knowledge, planning and a clear understanding of the tools and processes available to protect the architectural heritage that helps define communities across the state.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History helps communities build that knowledge through a statewide program of affordable historic preservation training for local officials, preservationists and community members.

Each year, MDAH offers four regional training sessions in communities across Mississippi, bringing preservation expertise directly to the people working to protect historic resources in their own hometowns. The sessions cover topics including architectural history, design review and Certified Local Government (CLG) procedures, providing participants with practical information they can apply in their communities. The 2026 sessions ended in August in Ocean Springs. The 2027 sessions begin in August 2027.

In addition to the regional sessions, MDAH offers an intensive two-day Preservation Boot Camp in Jackson. The program provides participants with a deeper look at the tools and techniques used to identify, evaluate and protect historic resources. The next boot camp is tentatively set for mid-April 2027.

Together, the regional workshops and Preservation Boot Camp give Mississippians opportunities to strengthen their preservation knowledge without the expense and travel often associated with specialized professional training.

For communities participating in the CLG Program, the training can be especially valuable. A stronger understanding of architectural history, design review and preservation procedures helps local officials make informed decisions about the historic buildings and districts that contribute to their communities’ identity and character.

Andria Osborne, historical preservation inspections coordinator for the city of Laurel, has found the training particularly helpful in her work.

“These boot camps are helpful for community preservationists,” Osborne said. “I administer structural change request submissions in Laurel.”

“Preservation works best when knowledge is shared across the community,” said James Bridgforth, MDAH Certified Local Government coordinator. “Our conveniently located sessions are designed as both refreshers for seasoned historic preservation commissioners, as well as an introduction to preservation for local officials and commissioners taking their first steps into historic preservation.”

MDAH’s training opportunities are designed to serve a wide range of participants, from experienced preservation professionals and local government officials to community members who are beginning to explore the field of historic preservation.

By offering programs throughout the state and keeping costs minimal, MDAH is helping make preservation education accessible to communities of all sizes while creating opportunities for participants to connect with others working to preserve Mississippi’s heritage.

Understanding Historic Preservation Tax Incentives

MDAH’s preservation training also provides information about financial tools available to support the rehabilitation and reuse of historic properties.

Substantial federal and state tax incentives may be available for the rehabilitation of qualifying historic buildings in Mississippi. These programs encourage private-sector investment in historic properties, helping create jobs, support economic development and revitalize communities. Depending on the project, property owners may be eligible for both state and federal tax credits.

Barry McIlwain, president of the Pascagoula Historic Preservation Commission, said the annual workshops have given him a better understanding of the resources available to his community.

“One thing that I thought was particularly interesting that might be good for us as far as historic preservation is the tax credits,” McIlwain said. “And I understand that a whole lot better than I did before.”

“Historic tax credits demonstrate how preservation and economic development can work hand in hand,” said Clay Mapp, MDAH Mississippi Landmarks coordinator. “By encouraging investment in historic properties, these incentives help communities preserve their character while creating opportunities for new businesses, jobs and continued economic growth.”

Historic buildings and neighborhoods are tangible connections to the people, events and traditions that shaped Mississippi. Through its statewide training programs, MDAH is helping communities develop the knowledge and skills needed to care for those resources today and preserve them for future generations.

The CLG Program

The CLG Program is a federal-state-local partnership established through amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The program allows local governments that have established historic preservation programs meeting federal and state standards to participate directly in the national historic preservation program and related processes.

The CLG Program promotes historic preservation at the grassroots level and helps communities address local preservation needs through training, technical assistance and grant opportunities.

Since 2019, MDAH has awarded more than $250,000 to preservation projects in CLG communities across Mississippi.

MDAH allocates funds to individual CLGs through a competitive application process. Communities that remain in compliance with federal regulations may be eligible for annual matching grants to support preservation planning projects that are important to their communities.

Grant funding may support a variety of preservation activities, including the restoration of historic buildings; historical, architectural and archaeological surveys; preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; educational programs; and staff support for new historic preservation commissions.

For more information about MDAH’s Historic Preservation programs, visit https://www.mdah.ms.gov/historic-preservation.

Founded in 1902, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History collects, preserves and provides access to the archival resources of the state. The agency empowers people and places by telling Mississippi’s many stories. For more information, visit www.mdah.ms.gov or email MDAHInfo@mdah.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, in partnership with Jackson Public Schools, will provide educational tours for JPS students at the Two Mississippi Museums, Eudora Welty House & Garden, and the archival collection housed at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building as part of the district’s new federally funded GEAR UP initiative.

Through the seven-year partnership, students will have opportunities to explore Mississippi history and culture while connecting classroom learning to their own lives, communities, and future educational and career goals.

“We are excited to partner with Jackson Public Schools through the GEAR UP grant and to connect students with the rich history and cultural resources available through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History,” said Kari Baker, MDAH director of programs and education. “This partnership gives MDAH an important opportunity to engage directly with Jackson students, introduce them to Mississippi’s many stories, and demonstrate how history connects to their own lives and futures.”

Jackson Public Schools has begun implementing a seven-year GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) initiative supported by a $10.6 million federal grant. The program is designed to help participating students explore careers, prepare for college, and develop plans for life after high school.

The initiative was formally announced during a press conference featuring JPS Superintendent Errick L. Greene and representatives from several GEAR UP partners, including MDAH, Jackson State University, and Hinds Community College.

“It’s very exciting to have all these partnerships supporting this initiative,” Greene said. “It is my hope that we can empower these students to go after their goals.”

The GEAR UP initiative will follow participating students from middle school through high school graduation and into their first year of postsecondary education. Students will receive sustained support through academic preparation, career exploration, college exposure, mentoring, and family engagement.

The federal GEAR UP program provides six- or seven-year grants to states and partnerships working to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The program emphasizes early intervention, academic preparation, and guidance on higher education opportunities and financing.

MDAH’s participation in the initiative will introduce Jackson students to the state’s history through educational experiences at the Two Mississippi Museums, which include the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

Author Tracy Carr recently moderated a lively panel discussion exploring the life, work and unmistakable voice of celebrated Mississippi author Ellen Gilchrist called “Holding Court with the Queen: Conversations with Ellen Gilchrist” during History is Lunch at the Two Mississippi Museums.

The discussion featured Carr, author of Conversations with Ellen Gilchrist, alongside China Grove Journal editors Dr. Scott Anderson and Dr. Lucius “Luke” Lampton, and Holly Lange, founder of the Mississippi Book Festival. During the discussion, Gilchrist was described as “the last Southern writer.”

Born in Vicksburg, Gilchrist drew heavily from her own experiences as she developed the characters and stories that would define her literary career. Her life was anything but conventional, and was an important part of her writing.

Gilchrist attended Vanderbilt University before transferring to the University of Alabama and later Auburn University. She eventually left college after eloping with Marshall Walker. The couple had two children before divorcing. Gilchrist later married a judge, divorced, remarried Walker and had another child before their second divorce.

Following that second divorce, Gilchrist returned to Jackson, where her parents lived, and enrolled at Millsaps College. There, she took a class taught by beloved Mississippi author Eudora Welty.

The timing was remarkable. Welty taught at Millsaps for only one semester, and it happened to be the same semester Gilchrist enrolled.

“That was kismet,” Carr said.

Gilchrist later married again and moved to New Orleans, continuing a life marked by relationships, travel, and experiences that would ultimately find their way into her fiction.

During the program, Carr shared a short clip from the television program “Post Script,” featuring Gilchrist speaking about her early attraction to reading and describing it as a “lonely thing.”

“For those who have never heard her talk before, that was a treat,” Carr said. “Not just the content, but the style. She's thinking about something, she switches to this, and she's telling a story, and it's all over the place. You can imagine how fun this was to transcribe.”

Lange recalled similar experiences during her conversations with Gilchrist through the Mississippi Book Festival’s author sessions.

“You'll see where she literally looks off to the left and kind of drifts off in thought unrelated to anything that we were talking about in the room,” Lange said.

That distinctive conversational style is captured in Carr’s book, which features 18 interviews spanning 40 years and examines Gilchrist’s life and work through the headstrong, honest and often outrageous Southern female characters for which she became known.

Carr said the interviews were drawn from a wide range of sources, including television and radio appearances, print interviews, conference proceedings and book festival recordings.

Anderson and Lampton also shared memories of their longtime relationship with Gilchrist, which began during and continued after the publication of her stories in the China Grove Journal.

“She was just a lovely person,” Anderson said, recalling the affection Gilchrist developed for him and Lampton.

One of the stories shared during the discussion highlighted Gilchrist’s connection to Welty. In one of her autobiographical essays, Gilchrist recalled meeting Welty outside the Carnegie Library while accompanied by her three red-headed children.

Gilchrist introduced the children to Welty, describing herself as tired and exasperated by the demands of motherhood. Welty responded with a question that would stay with Gilchrist: “You have three children. Why do you need to write?”

Lampton, who serves as vice president of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, said Gilchrist possessed a remarkable combination of brilliance and levity.

“She could do anything with a great force of intellect and also a great sense of humor,” Lampton said.

He also recalled Gilchrist’s response when panelists asked whether she agreed with comparisons made between her and other prominent Southern writers.

“She liked that comparison, but she said, ‘You know, I'm really a poet,’” Lampton said.

That observation, he said, offers an important key to understanding Gilchrist’s body of work.

“I think her entire writing career, if you look at what she's about, she said that what she figured out—to be successful as a poet—was she needed to hide the poems in her fiction,” Lampton said. “And so a lot of what she's doing in her fiction is hiding her poems.”

History Is Lunch is a weekly lecture series of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History that explores different aspects of the state's past. The hour-long programs are held in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum building in Jackson.

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

Nissan Neighbors has awarded a $40,000 grant to the Foundation for Mississippi History to support student field trips to the Two Mississippi Museums—the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

The grant will help offset costs during the 2026-2027 school year for visits to the museums related to admission, transportation, and on-site lunches, expanding access for thousands of students from Title I schools across the state. The Foundation for Mississippi History conducts fundraising efforts to help support and promote the projects and programs of Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which administers the Two Mississippi Museums.

“We are grateful to Nissan for its continued investment in our educational programs and the students we serve,” said MDAH Director Barry White. “Their support makes it possible to create engaging, hands-on learning experiences that bring history to life and give students the opportunity to connect with Mississippi’s past in meaningful ways.”

The grant renews a longstanding partnership between Nissan and the Two Mississippi Museums. Nissan contributed $500,000 to support the museums' opening and, through ongoing support from the Nissan Foundation, has helped expand educational access and learning opportunities for visitors and students throughout the years.

The support from Nissan Neighbors, with facilitation from the Nissan Foundation, ensures more young Mississippians can engage with the state’s rich and complex history at no cost to students, families, or schools.

“Now in its 34th year, Nissan Foundation remains steadfastly committed to enriching communities in collaboration with nonprofit organizations in areas Nissan calls home,” said Ali Tonn, senior manager of Philanthropy at Nissan North America and executive director of the Nissan Foundation.

Since its founding in 1992, the Nissan Foundation has contributed nearly $18 million to nonprofit organizations across the country. Its mission is to foster sustainable communities in areas where Nissan operates.

For more than two decades, Nissan has assembled vehicles in Canton, Mississippi. The plant employs more than 4,000 people and produces the Nissan Altima and Frontier.

The Two Mississippi Museums are located at 222 North Street in Jackson and are open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To learn more about field trip opportunities or to make a reservation, contact Crystal James, group tours coordinator, at cjames@mdah.ms.gov.

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

Andrew Young – a veteran civil rights activist who served as a Georgia congressman, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a former mayor of Atlanta – will deliver the Medgar Wiley Evers Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums.

Young will reflect on his life in public service and his longstanding ties to Mississippi in a conversation with Ebony Lumumba, a Foundation for Mississippi History board member and the department chair and associate professor of English at Jackson State University. The event, which is free and open to the public, will also feature a special performance by singer and dramatist Ayanna Gregory, daughter of the late comic and civil rights icon Dick Gregory.

“We’re honored to welcome Ambassador Young back to Mississippi,” Two Mississippi Museums Director Michael Morris said. “We’re looking forward to hearing him reminisce on his time here with Evers and other figures of the movement.”

In 1961, Young was named director of the Citizenship School Program housed at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta, when Martin Luther King Jr. was president. He first met Medgar Evers through his work with the SCLC. 

His involvement in the Civil Rights Movement included being a key strategist in campaigns that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In Mississippi, Young participated in James Meredith’s March Against Fear in 1966. That same year, he accompanied Black students as they entered previously segregated schools in Grenada, Mississippi, alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

In 1968, Young helped launch the Poor People’s Campaign, a national movement focused on economic justice and the needs of Americans living in poverty.

Young was elected to Congress in 1972, the first African American from the Deep South since Reconstruction. In 1977, he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations by President Jimmy Carter. He was elected Atlanta’s mayor in 1981 and re-elected in 1985.

“It is a rare opportunity to hear directly from a civil rights veteran who played such a significant role in ensuring all Americans have access to their constitutional rights,” Morris said.

Young has received honorary degrees from more than 100 universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad and has received various awards, including an Emmy Lifetime Achievement award in 2011 and the Dan Sweat Award in 2017. His portrait also became part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

The Medgar Wiley Evers Lecture Series was established in 2003 to honor the legacy of Evers, a civil rights activist who was the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi. His widow Myrlie Evers presented the Medgar and Myrlie Evers papers to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2002. 

Previous Evers lecturers include Joy Reid, Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Lonnie Bunch, Henry Louis Gates, Robert P. Moses, and Manning Marable.

The event is sponsored by MDAH, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute.

In 2014, the Kellogg Foundation awarded $2.3 million to MDAH to support programming at the Two Mississippi Museums and fund a partnership between MDAH and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute.

The Two Mississippi Museums—the interconnected Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—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 nation’s Civil Rights Movement.

The special session recently called by Governor Tate Reeves was historic: It ended with passage of the first legislation in the Old Capitol in more than 120 years.

The Mississippi Chancery Youth Court Act of 2026 was passed in the Old Capitol House Chamber on July 17. This bill appears to be the first legislation passed at the Old Capitol since 1903. Archival records make no mention of legislation passed in the Old Capitol once the new state Capitol opened.

Governor Reeves called for a special session regarding the status of youth courts in the state. Construction at the current state Capitol prevented the session from being held in its House chamber.

Administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Old Capitol now serves as a free museum. The site is open to visitors Wednesday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Old Capitol Museum is Mississippi’s most historic building. It was the site of some of the state’s most significant political actions, such as the passage of the 1839 Married Women’s Property Act, Mississippi’s secession from the Union in 1861, and the crafting of the 1868 and 1890 state constitutions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Genealogy is a lifelong journey,” she said.

Ready to begin your genealogy search? Start here.

During a recent History Is Lunch presentation, author April Holm put forth that theological conflicts between the North and the South that preceded the Civil War, existed long after the war's end and reunion, shaping major evangelical denominations and influencing the relationship between the federal government and churches.

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

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

Watch the presentation on the MDAH YouTube Channel.

Learn more about the MDAH Religion Initiative.

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

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

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

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

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

Newell said Boston’s family always supported him.

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

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

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

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

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