MDAH News

At its regular meeting on January 20, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) awarded more than $3 million on behalf of the Community Heritage Preservation Grant program to nineteen 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 across Mississippi, as well as other types of historic properties located in Certified Local Government communities.

"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:

Natchez Institute, Natchez, Adams County-­$300,000

Window restoration

Y&MV Depot (Natchez Depot), Natchez, Adams County—$143,750

Interior repairs and finishes; HVAC, plumbing and electrical upgrades

Sherman Line Rosenwald School, Gillsburg, Amite County—$40,000

Roof replacement and foundation repairs

Vaiden High School, Vaiden, Carroll County—$62,184

Roof repairs and historic structures report

Bennett Auditorium, Hattiesburg, Forrest County—$235,015

Interior repairs and window restoration

Forrest County Agricultural High School, Brooklyn, Forrest County—$73,367

Interior floor repairs

Hinds County Armory, Jackson, Hinds County—$324,368

Window restoration

Kemper County Courthouse, DeKalb, Kemper County—$218,001

Roof repairs and repainting

Lafayette County Courthouse, Oxford, Lafayette County—$213,562

Window restoration

Dentzel Carousel and Carousel House, Meridian, Lauderdale County—$239,840

Roof replacement; structural, exterior and window repairs

Merrehope, Meridian, Lauderdale County—$306,385

Roof replacement

Canton Rosenwald School, Canton, Madison County—$183,798

Rood repairs and structural stabilization

Trolio Hotel, Canton, Madison County—$184,000

Roof repairs

Byhalia High School, Byhalia, Marshall County—$200,039

Roof repairs

Carnegie Auditorium, Holly Springs, Marshall Count—$196,367

Structural and masonry repairs

M&O Railroad Depot, Aberdeen, Monroe County—$98,353

Interior and door repairs; and electrical upgrades

Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation-Academy Building, Vicksburg, Warren County—$136,180

Roof replacement

 Eupora School Complex-Administration Building, Eupora, Webster County—$78,235

Roof, interior and exterior repairs

Yazoo County Courthouse, Yazoo City, Yazoo County—$214,124

Interior and exterior repair; mechanical and electrical upgrades

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 twenty percent is required. 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 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 CLG program, contact Meredith Massey in the Historic Preservation Division of MDAH at 601-576-6538.

 

Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a $2.5 million grant to the Foundation for Mississippi History to help the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) support and promote programs, activities, and projects focused on the understanding and interpretation of the role of religion in Mississippi history and culture. 

Lilly Endowment made the grant through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, a nationwide effort to help museums and other cultural institutions improve the public understanding of religion. 

Through the grant, the Two Mississippi Museums will begin offering free group tours this summer to faith-affiliated communities in Mississippi—groups who attend churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, house churches, and more. 

“We are grateful to Lilly Endowment for this major support,” said Katie Blount, MDAH director. “The foundation’s generosity will help more Mississippians experience these museums. Building an endowment to underwrite field trips for Mississippi students was paramount to our initial vision. With the recent passage of the five-year anniversary of the Two Museums, Lilly Endowment helps to build on that momentum and expand our educational outreach.”   

The Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum treat comprehensively the history of religion—from the spiritual beliefs of Native Americans to the conflicting religious convictions of slaveholders and enslaved people, to the leadership of people of faith during the Civil Rights Movement. 

Support from Lilly Endowment will enable MDAH to broaden its audiences and engage them in new and exciting ways. For example, MDAH will invest in capital improvements at Historic Jefferson College near Natchez and at the Huddleston Memorial Chapel at Natchez College, a historically Black college open from 1884 to 1989. In addition, the grant will make MDAH's archival collections related to religion more accessible to the public. 

“Museums and cultural institutions are trusted organizations and play an important role in teaching the American public about the world around them,” said Christopher Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These organizations will use the grants to help visitors understand and appreciate the significant impact religion has had and continues to have on society in the United States and around the globe. Our hope is that these efforts will promote greater knowledge about and respect for people of diverse religious traditions.” 

MDAH is one of sixteen organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the latest round of the initiative. The Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative began in 2019 with an initial group of eighteen grants. The group includes fine arts museums, historical societies and history museums, libraries, historic sites, museums dedicated to serving children and families and museums dedicated to particular geographic locations and cultures. 

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. 

 For more info call 601-576-6934, or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History will offer three days of free admission thanks to the support of FedEx. The museums will be free to the public in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Saturday, January 14, through Monday, January 16. 

 The Two Mississippi Museums will host MLK Night of Culture at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 16, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. This year’s theme, inspired by the Black Empowerment gallery in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, celebrates the unity and determination of Black Mississippians demanding their civil rights from 1965 to the mid-1970s, urged on by successes such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The evening will feature performances exploring how African Americans persevered through the turmoil of racial violence, and publicly demanded their rights as American citizens through boycotts, marches, and protests organized across Mississippi.   

 “FedEx is honored to celebrate the legacy and values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through our continued support of the Two Mississippi Museums,” said Rose Flenorl, manager of Global Citizenship at FedEx Services. "We are proud to help visitors connect with Dr. King’s legacy, and leave inspired to drive positive changes of their own.” 

 “We are grateful to FedEx for their continued support of our Martin Luther King Jr. celebration,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. “Welcoming the public into the museums as guests of FedEx is a wonderful way to honor this important holiday.” 

 The Two Mississippi Museums will also host a food drive throughout the free weekend to benefit Stewpot Community Services located in Jackson. 

 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 following the assassination attempt against Meredith in 1966.  

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