MDAH News

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.