Museums

The Two Mississippi Museums will host a Juneteenth celebration with free admission, from June 19-21, sponsored by Ingalls Shipbuilding, the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi. 

The three-day celebration also includes Juneteenth Jubilee, a free, family-friendly event celebrating community and culture. The Jubilee is Friday, June 19, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The activities include specialized flash tours at 5 p.m. at the Museum of Mississippi History, and 6 p.m. at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. The focus will be on themes of emancipation and liberation in Mississippi.

Local food trucks will be on-site as visitors enjoy line-dancing workshops, games, crafts, and facepainting. There will be an adults-only lounge and a kids’ zone.  

The Jubilee celebration will feature spoken-word performances by JT the Poet and Sadie, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Live music will be performed throughout the event. There will also be a live art raffle, offering a painting by Tony Davenport or a wood-burned piece by Kira Cummings.

“Ingalls is proud to once again support the Two Mississippi Museums’ Juneteenth celebration,” said Lisa Bradley, Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporate Stewardship and Community Relations Manager. “This annual event brings families and communities together to learn more about Mississippi’s history. We are honored to help provide free admission and support the museums’ enduring legacy of education and innovation.”

Ingalls Shipbuilding has sponsored this event for five years.

“This annual event draws hundreds of people to the museums each year. It’s a chance to celebrate history and family,” said Two Mississippi Museums Director Michael Morris. “Ingalls has been a great corporate partner to the museums. Their sponsorship is the reason we’re able to offer free admission during this holiday weekend.”

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.

The Eudora Welty House & Garden (EWHG) will host its annual Storytime on the Side Porch each Thursday in June beginning June 4.

This summer’s theme is “Small Wonders, Big World.” Families will gather for picture book readings, hands-on activities, crafts and special guests.

The tradition of gathering on the side porch to share stories began with Eudora Welty herself. For years, EWHG has honored this tradition by using the space to foster community. 

Storytime on the Side Porch is a time-trusted program that brings fun and learning together in the heart of the Belhaven neighborhood.

EWHG education specialist Shalynn Turner leads this program.

“This summer, our Storytime series is all about celebrating the small wonders we can find all around us! Children and their caregivers can come out to the Welty side porch, and through reading, play, and arts and crafts, learn to find inspiration in the ordinary and get creative, just as Welty did,” Turner said. 

“This is a fun and engaging program for kids to enjoy during summer break!”

Each week will cover a new “small wonder”:

• June 4: Katie Tupy, Education Coordinator at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, will bring a few critters and discuss “Backyard Treasures.” 
• June 11: Local artist Christi Doucet will lead a hands-on paper bird craft and foster creativity with the topic, “Art All Around Us.” 
• June 18: Brian Lamb of Bubba’s Bees will share his knowledge of “Nature’s Tiny Helpers” by bringing an observation beehive, beekeeping gear and honey sticks. 
• June 25: Museum educator from the Two Mississippi Museums, Emma Ellard, will bring puppets and discuss how stories bring people together with “Stories We Share.” 

No registration is required for these free events. To find a full schedule for this summer’s Storytime on the Side Porch, visit EWHG’s website.

The Foundation for the Mid South will sponsor a free admission day at the Two Mississippi Museums on July 2 in honor of the birthday of civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers. Education staff from the Two Mississippi Museums—the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—will host flash tours at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day.

“Thanks to the Foundation for the Mid South, visitors can explore the Two Mississippi Museums free of charge and discover the stories about the activism of civil rights leaders like Medgar Evers, who fought to dismantle segregation and improve the lives of Black Mississippians,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums.

Medgar Evers became the first field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi. He advocated for nonviolent but direct action, helping to establish new local chapters and leading initiatives such as boycotts, voter registration drives, and protests aimed at desegregating public parks, schools, and beaches. Evers also investigated incidents of racial violence and injustice by interviewing eyewitnesses, gathering evidence, and briefing members of the press.

Despite threats, he continued his activism, linking Mississippi's civil rights struggle to the national movement. On June 12, 1963, he was assassinated by White supremacist Byron De La Beckwith. His legacy endures through numerous honors and institutions bearing his name.

“At the Foundation for the Mid South, we believe equity begins with access—to history, to truth, and to the tools that shape our future,” said Greg Johnson, president and CEO of the Foundation for the Mid South. “As we honor the legacy of Medgar Evers, we’re proud to support this free admission day at the Two Mississippi Museums, creating greater access to the stories that continue to educate and inspire.

“This is more than just a day at the museum. It’s a chance for individuals and families to reflect, learn, and engage with the transformative journey toward justice that Evers championed. His unwavering commitment to activism reminds us of the power each of us holds to effect change in our communities.”

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.

The Museum of Mississippi History opened in tandem with the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Dec. 9, 2017, in celebration of the state's bicentennial and is administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum explores the period from 1945 to 1976 when Mississippi was ground zero for the national Civil Rights Movement. The Museum of Mississippi History explores the entire sweep of Mississippi’s history from its earliest inhabitants to the present day.

A free, public screening of An Ordinary Hero: The True Story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland will be held Sunday, Aug. 11, at 2 p.m. in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums.

Mulholland’s son, Loki, directed the film about his mother’s civil rights activism. Both are scheduled to attend the screening, which is part of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s monthly Sunday Screening series.

“Joan Trumpauer Mulholland’s experience during the Mississippi Movement is something we can all learn from and be inspired by,” said Michael Morris, director of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History. “Screening this film is an opportunity reflect on her contributions and share her story with new audiences."

​In 1961, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, then 19, had participated in more than three dozen protests and was incarcerated on death row at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman after joining the Freedom Rides. Upon her release, she enrolled at the historically Black Tougaloo College, becoming the first White woman to do so.

Mulholland served as the secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was a central figure of the Woolworth Sit-in in Jackson, Mississippi. By the time she was 23, she had participated in more than 50 sit-ins and demonstrations, including the March on Washington, the Meredith March Against Fear, and the Selma to Montgomery March.

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Arlington, Virginia. She worked at the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Justice Department and taught English as a second language.

In 2023, Mulholland was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tougaloo College. She is the recipient of the 2020 Simeon Booker Award for Courage, the 2019 International Civil Rights Museum Trailblazer Award, and the 2015 National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award.

Loki Mulholland is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, author and activist. He is the author of “She Stood for Freedom” and “Get Back to the Counter.” His films include “An Ordinary Hero: The True Story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland,” “Black, White & Us,” and “The Evers.”

The Two Mississippi Museums opened Dec. 9, 2017, in celebration of the state's bicentennial. Museum hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.– 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. The Two Mississippi Museums are located at 222 North St. in Jackson. For more information, visit the MDAH Facebook page or email info@mdah.ms.gov. 
 

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum has been recognized in Tripadvisor’s® Travelers’ Choice® Awards for 2024. The award honors businesses that consistently earn great reviews, placing them among the top 10 percent of listings around the world on Tripadvisor.

As the world’s largest travel guidance platform, Tripadvisor has unparalleled authority with travelers and diners. This award is based on genuine feedback from anyone in the community who has visited and left an authentic, firsthand review on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period, making it a valuable and trustworthy designation of great places to visit.

“We are honored to be included among travelers’ favorites this year,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums – the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History. “While we’re grateful to all our visitors, this recognition also reflects the commitment of our staff, donors, and members who support our work to tell Mississippi’s stories.”

“Congratulations to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on its recognition in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards for 2024,” said John Boris, chief growth officer at Tripadvisor. “Travelers’ Choice honors businesses that consistently demonstrate a commitment to hospitality excellence. This means you have made such a memorable impact on your visitors that many of them took the time to go online and leave a great review about their experience. We hope this recognition continues to drive business to you in 2024 and beyond.”

Check out all the reviews and discover more about the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum here.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opened in tandem with the Museum of Mississippi History on December 9, 2017, in celebration of the state's bicentennial. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum explores the period from 1945 to 1976, when Mississippi was ground zero for the Civil Rights Movement nationally. The Museum of Mississippi History explores the entire sweep of Mississippi’s territorial and state history and inhabitants of its land. 
The Mississippi State Legislature provides majority of the funding for the museums, with visitor fees and private donations supplementing the operation of the facilities. The Legislature also provided $90 million for construction; another 20 million was raised privately for exhibits and endowment.

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Atomic Alert!: Confronting ‘The Bomb’ in the New Atomic Age, a free traveling exhibition designed by Overland Traveling Exhibits, opens Sept. 7 at the Two Mississippi Museums and will be on display through Nov. 8. The exhibition explores the history of the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) established to prepare Americans for the perils of the new Atomic Age.

In August 1945, in the waning days of World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on cities in Japan. Four years later, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic weapon, and the Cold War began. Nuclear testing made its way to Mississippi through the detonation of two nuclear devices outside of Hattiesburg. The first test, Project Salmon, occurred in October 1964 and, roughly two years later, Project Sterling followed, which used a smaller bomb in the cavity left behind by the first blast.

“The Two Mississippi Museums are excited to share this free, special exhibit,” said Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums. “We welcome the public to explore and learn about Mississippi’s role in nuclear testing during the Atomic Age.”

The exhibition puts a special focus on the educational and volunteer programs of the FCDA, which encouraged the building of bomb shelters, the establishment of neighborhood wardens, and taught children to “duck and cover.” Atomic Alert! includes a striking artistic interpretation of the impact of a nuclear blast, featuring the silhouette of a bomb roughly the size and shape of the bombs dropped in World War II.

Visitors can immerse themselves in the era with Mississippi artifacts that tell the story of the state’s response to nuclear threat, including stocking civil defense hospital supplies. Other exhibit artifacts include a Geiger counter used to detect ionizing radiation on objects at ground level and a booklet that instructed families who did not have designated shelters on how to construct a shelter within their home.

Atomic Alert!: Confronting ‘The Bomb’ in the New Atomic Age programming includes two free History Is Lunch programs on Sept. 25 and Oct. 9 and two free gallery talks on Oct. 10 and Oct. 22.

Atomic Alert! was developed, designed, built, and toured by Overland Traveling Exhibits and independent Atomic Age scholar Michael Scheibach. Founding institutions for the exhibition include the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County in Moorhead, Minnesota.

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