The Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division announced the creation the trail as a “major cultural initiative designed to commemorate the state’s Civil Rights heritage.” The first five markers were unveiled during the Freedom Riders 50th Reunion in May 2011, with 25 more sites already selected for markers.
See the list of markers at www.msbluestrail.org.
Beauvoir later became a home for Confederate veterans and widows and is now a museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Jefferson Davis and the southern soldier. Learn more at http://www.beauvoir.org/.
Founded in 1979, the museum moved from the Carnegie Public Library to the historic Clarksdale freight depot. It is the oldest music museum in Mississippi.
Learn more at http://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/.
The museum was renovated in 2006 and has expanded to include several other buildings, such as the Elvis Presley Birthplace and the church that he attended as a boy.
Learn more at http://www.elvispresleybirthplace.com/.
The Governor’s Mansion, first occupied in 1842, had deteriorated structurally to the point that it was declared unsafe for occupancy in 1971. The legislature allocated funds for the restoration and renovation which began in 1972 and restored many of the building’s original features, such as the staircase, sliding doors, and heart pine floors.
The restored building is now open to the public for tours. For more information call 601-359-6421.
While his work was not widely known during his lifetime, George Ohr (1857-1918) is now considered one of the United States’ finest artist-potters. The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi is dedicated to promoting his work and legacy.
The Ackerman native served as governor of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992. He was appointed United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and served until 1996.
The base was named in honor of Greenwood native Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., who was killed in action during World War I.
It was the first federal building in the country to be named in honor of an African American. Dr. A. H. McCoy was a prominent dentist, business man, and civil rights leader in Jackson. The building, completed in 1979, is located on part of the former site of his dentistry practice.
