Join us at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 22, for a Historic Jefferson College community meeting at the Natchez Convention Center. MDAH is working with the exhibit firm The Design Minds, Inc. to develop a comprehensive plan for the future of Historic Jefferson College. From exhibits about the history of the region to a preservation trade school and an event space, the possibilities are endless. We want your input on how Historic Jefferson College can better meet the community’s needs.
Based on information provided by the Mississippi Department of Health about the coronavirus pandemic, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History will close all sites beginning Friday, March 13. The Museum of Mississippi History, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Eudora Welty House and Garden, Mississippi Governor’s Mansion, Old Capitol Museum, and William F. Winter Archives and History Building, and Charlotte Capers Building in Jackson, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez, and Winterville Mounds near Greenville will all close until further notice.
All public events at MDAH sites through the end of May have been postponed, including the weekly History Is Lunch program and the Mississippi Freedom Seder event on April 2, at the Two Mississippi Museums. The New Stage Theater event at the Old Capitol Museum on March 31, and the Powwow at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians on March 28, have also been postponed.
For more information email info@mdah.ms.gov or call 601-576-6822.
On Thursday, October 25, Historic Jefferson College will host its seventh annual Ghost Tales around the Campfire and Halloween Duck Hunt. The free event, aimed at children twelve and younger, consists of not-too-scary stories being told around a bonfire followed by a dash to find some of the hundreds of themed rubber ducks nestled around the site.
“This year we’ll hide about 1,800 rubber ducks—some decorated as zombies, some as vampires, some with two heads, and others with designs ranging from doctors and ball players to cowboys and construction workers,” said Historic Jefferson College director Robin Person. “Kids get to keep all ducks they find, and we always make sure every child goes home with at least one.”
The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with storytellers Becky Anderson, Liz and Tim Blalock, and Kay McNeil leading the 30-45 minute Ghost Tales followed by the Halloween Duck Hunt as night falls. Attendees should bring a blanket or chair for the Ghost Tales and a bag and flashlight for the Duck Hunt. No reservations are needed.
For more information call 601-442-2901, info@historicjeffersoncollege.com. Historic Jefferson College is located just off Highway 61 four miles north of Natchez at 16 Old North Street.
Jefferson College was established in 1802 as the first institution of higher learning chartered in the Mississippi Territory. In 1817 it became the birthplace of Mississippi statehood when the first constitutional convention was held there. The eighty-acre site features a museum and original buildings such as the circa-1819 East Wing, circa-1835 President’s House, and circa-1839 West Wing. The T.J. Foster Memorial Nature Trail interprets the area’s natural history.