Mississippi History Timeline

These mounds, originally numbering as many as 23, were built by a prehistoric Native American people who lived here from around 1000 to 1450 AD. Archaeological evidence shows that, except for highest ranking officials, most of the people lived away from the mounds. The mounds were used for sacred ceremonies and are protected today by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. A museum tells the story of the site and displays artifacts.

Location: On Mississippi Highway 1, six miles north of the intersection of Highways 82 and 1 in Greenville. Grounds open daily from dawn to dusk. Museum open from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday—Saturday and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Free admission. Call: 662-334-4684.

mdah.state.ms.us/hprop/winterville.html

The Grand Village was the political and religious capital of the Natchez Indians in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Maintained by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the site today includes a plaza with remnants of three ceremonial mounds, a reconstructed Natchez Indian house, and a museum with artifacts from the site. Public education events and activities include annual Natchez Indian Powwows.

Location: In Natchez. Turn east off U.S. Highway 61/Sergeant S. Prentiss Drive onto Jefferson Davis Boulevard, just south of the Natchez Regional Medical Center. Proceed a half mile to the entrance gate on the right. Open Monday—Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free admission. Call 601-446-6502.

nps.gov/history/nr/travel/mounds/gra.htm

or mdah.state.ms.us/hprop/gvni.html

Many aspects of Mississippi’s early times can be explored along the Natchez Trace Parkway, including Native American prehistory, European exploration, Choctaw and Chickasaw treaties and forced removal, frontier trade and settlement, antebellum life, and Civil War history. Extending from Natchez to Nashville, the parkway is a scenic drive and a U. S. Registered Historic District, with parts of the original trail still accessible.

Location: All points of interest noted on National Park Service map, designated by milepost numbers, with Milepost 0 at Natchez and Milepost 444 at Nashville. The Visitor Center is located halfway between at Tupelo, Mississippi, Milepost 266, and is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call: 1-800-305-7417.

nps.gov/natr/

Dating to 1780, Mount Locust Inn was a stand, a stopping place on the Natchez Trace for travelers on the overland route between Natchez and Nashville. The land around Mount Locust was later developed into a cotton plantation. Today it s operated by the National Park Service, the inn restored to its 1820 appearance. Historical interpretation includes life on the Natchez Trace as well as the life of African American enslaved laborers. Walking trails lead to sites throughout the grounds.

Directions: Located at milepost 15.5 on the Natchez Trace north of Natchez. Open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from February through November. Admission is free.

exploresouthernhistory.com

The Choctaw Museum of the Southern Indian displays exhibits that help preserve the history of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, whose Cultural Affairs Program offers activities to strengthen cultural knowledge among Choctaw people as well as the general public. Dance groups, musicians, craftspeople, and others also share traditional skills and arts through the annual Choctaw Indian Fair in July.

Location: 101 Industrial Road, Choctaw, MS 39350, Intersection of Industrial Road and Bia-0222. Call: 601-650-1685. choctaw.org

The second largest slave market in the United States in the 19th century was located in Natchez, Mississippi, The plight of the enslaved people who suffered here is commemorated at Forks of the Road with historical markers and shackles encased in concrete noting the site. After slaves were freed in Natchez in 1863, hundreds of emancipated slaves gathered at the market site.

Location: Intersection of Liberty Road and St. Catherine Street (D’Evereux Drive) in Natchez. Call: 601-442-7049.

natchezontheriver.com/places/forks-road/

Mississippi’s most historic building, the Old Capitol opened in 1839, housing all three branches of state government. Damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the building has been extensively restored to its 19th century glory and reopened as a museum. Films, displays, and interactive multimedia exhibits interpret the history of the building itself and the historic events that took place there.

Location: State at Capitol Streets in Jackson. Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday—Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call 601-576-6920

http://mdah.state.ms.us/museum/oldcap/index.php

The first institution of higher education in Mississippi, Historic Jefferson College, opened in 1811 as a preparatory school and became a college in 1817. Closed during the Civil War, it reopened as a prep school in 1866, remaining open until 1964. Now restored and operated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the site includes several buildings, exhibits, and a nature trail.

Location: Visitors approaching Natchez, Mississippi, on Highway 61 will pass through the town of Washington. Signs will give directions to the entrance. Open Monday—Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.

mdah.state.ms.us/hprop/hjc.html

The second largest slave market in the United States in the 19th century was located in Natchez, Mississippi, The plight of the enslaved people who suffered here is commemorated at Forks of the Road with historical markers and shackles encased in concrete noting the site. After slaves were freed in Natchez in 1863, hundreds of emancipated slaves gathered at the market site.

Location: Intersection of Liberty Road and St. Catherine Street (D’Evereux Drive) in Natchez. Call: 601-442-7049.

natchezontheriver.com/places/forks-road/

Vicksburg’s most historic structure and a National Historic Landmark, the Court House was built in 1858. It had important roles during the Civil War and since. Restored, operated, and maintained by the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society, the museum contains numerous artifact exhibits and an extensive library.

Location: 1008 Cherry Street Vicksburg, MS 39183. Open Monday—Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Open until 5:00 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time. Call: 601-636-0741. A small admission fee is charged.

oldcourthouse.org

Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest won a major victory for the Confederacy at this site in 1864. Monuments and interpretive panels were erected by the National Park Service. Living history programs and reenactments are often held here. A nearby visitors center is operated by the City of Baldwyn. Exhibits include artifacts, displays, and a model of the battlefield.

Location: Battlefield site is 15 miles north of Tupelo. Exit off U.S. Highway 45 onto Route 370 in Baldwyn. Proceed six miles west of Baldwyn. Open daily sunrise to sunset. For site, call: 800-305-7417. nps.gov/brcr/

Visitors and Interpretive Center is located five miles from the site. Exit U. S. 45 at Route 370 and turning east. Open Tuesday—Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For Visitors and Interpretive Center, call 662-365-3969. A small fee is charged for museum visit.

The last home of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, Beauvoir was completed in 1852. Davis acquired the property in 1877 as a quiet place to write his memoirs. It has been a memorial to Davis and the Confederate soldier since 1903, owned and operated by the Mississippi Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Beauvoir is currently being renovated due to extensive damage during Hurricane Katrina.

Location: 2244 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS 39531 Call: 228-388-4400

beauvoir.org

Tougaloo College, chartered by the state of Mississippi in 1871, began offering college courses in 1897. This private, historically black liberal arts institution has a long history of social commitment and played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights Movement. Woodworth Chapel, built around 1901 and restored from 1998-2002, was the center of much of that activity.

Location: 500 W. County Line Road, Tougaloo (Jackson), MS 39213. Call 601-977-7700.

tougaloo.edu

Part of the Goldring-Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, the Museum of Southern Jewish Experience at Utica is a key resource in the Institute’s mission of collecting and preserving information and documents related to Jewish life in the South. The Museum contains Judaica from synagogues no longer in existence, other artifacts, exhibits, and audiovisuals.

Location: 4863 Morrison Road, Utica, MS 39175. For hours, admission information, and directions, call 601-362-6357 or email information@isjl.org. isjl.org

Manufactured by Gustav Dentzel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the carousel was built for the St. Louis World Exposition and later sold to the City of Meridian, arriving in 1909. It was placed in Highland Park in a carousel building, the only remaining Dentzel-designed carousel building. The park, carousel, and building are National Historic Landmarks and have been carefully restored.

Location: From I-20/59, take 22nd Avenue exit; turn left on 8th Street; follow signs to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Highland Park. For hours and ticket information, call 601-485-1904 or 601-485-1802.

meridianms.org/pr_carousel.htm

Built in 1875, the Victorian home that was the birthplace of playwright Tennessee Williams was moved to its present location in 1995. Williams lived in the home, then the rectory for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, for three years. Restored to its 1911 state, the home exhibits about Williams and also serves as a state welcome center.

Location: Corner of Main and Third Street South, Columbus, MS 39703 Open Monday—Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. Call: 601-328-0222. For more information on this and other literary sites in Mississippi:

southernliterarytrail.org

The museum is located in the former Smith Robertson School, the first public school for African Americans in Jackson, which was opened in 1894. Dedicated to increasing public understanding about the historical experience and cultural expressions of people of African American descent, the museum is run by the City of Jackson.

Location: 528 Bloom Street Jackson, MS 39202-4005. Open Monday—Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Small admission fee, groups welcomed. Call 601-960-1457.

Jacksonms.gov/visitors/museums/smithrobertson

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art is dedicated to the work and legacy of potter George Ohr and emancipated craftsman Pleasant Reed. Its buildings were designed by architect Frank Gehry.

Location: 386 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS 39530. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call: 228-374-5547.

https://www.georgeohr.org

The Amory Regional Museum is housed in the Gilmore Sanitarium, built in 1916, a Mississippi Historical Landmark. Exhibits include artifacts dating to 10,000 B.C., works of contemporary artists, and many displays about the history of Amory and the area. In 1977, the museum acquired the passenger coach, Frisco’s “Pasadena Hills” No. 1251, which houses railroad memorabilia.

Location: 801 Third Street South, Amory, MS 38821. Open Tuesday—Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Call 662-256-2761.

http://amoryms.us/museum.html

The museum celebrates the lives and works of brothers Walter Inglis Anderson, one of the 20th century’s most gifted painters; Peter Anderson, master potter and founder of Shearwater Pottery; and James McConnell Anderson, noted painter and ceramicist. The museum is adjacent to the Ocean Springs Community Center, where Walter Anderson’s largest mural is located.

Location: 510 Washington Avenue Ocean Springs, MS 39564-4632. Open Monday—Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is charged; group rates available. Call 228-872-3164.

walterandersonmuseum.org

The military history museum for the state of Mississippi, the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum includes exhibits on Mississippi’s role, both its veterans and its training facilities, in defense of the United States from the War of 1812 to the present. State-of-the-art exhibits tell personal stories of military heroes and heroines. The museum also honors the sacrifice of service men and women.

Location: Camp Shelby, Building 850, 12 miles south of Hattiesburg, MS 39407. Open Tuesday—Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., including all patriotic holidays. Admission is free. Call 601-558-2757.

armedforcesmuseum.us/Pages/index.aspx

One of America’s most intact literary house museums and a National Historic Site, the Eudora Welty House was the home of the acclaimed author from 1925 until her death in 2001. The exterior and interior are restored to 1986, when she made the decision to leave her home to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which administers it. The garden is restored to the period 1925-45.

Location: 1119 Pinehurst Street Jackson, MS 39202. Check in for tours at the Education and Visitors Center at 1109 Pinehurst next door, where orientation video and exhibits are located. Open Wednesday—Friday with tours at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Small admission fee but free when the 13th of the month falls on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Reservations required. To schedule a tour, call 601-353-7762 or email weltytours@mdah.state.ms.us.

eudorawelty.org
eudoraweltyhouse.com/

mdah.state.ms.us/timeline/index.php?section=people&pid=44

Elvis Presley’s father, Vernon, built this small home in 1934. Here Elvis and his twin brother, who died in childbirth, were born in 1935. The Presleys were forced to move because of hard times. They left Tupelo for Memphis in 1948. The house’s basic structure is intact, and it is located on its original site. Furnishings are period reproductions. A museum and memorial chapel are nearby.

Location: 306 Elvis Presley Drive Tupelo, MS 38801. Open Monday—Saturday May through September 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; October through April, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Call 662-841-1245.

elvispresleybirthplace.com

The Evers family home, the site of the assassination of Medgar Evers in 1963, is now a museum, operated by Tougaloo College. It contains period furnishings, exhibits, and Evers family photographs. The home was used in the film “Ghosts of Mississippi,” which tells the story of the 1994 retrial and conviction of Evers’s killer, Byron de la Beckwith.

Location: 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive Jackson, MS 39213. Visit by appointment. Call: 601-977-7839 or 601-977-7710 or email mwatson@tougaloo.edu. To see a virtual tour of the home produced by Mississippi Public Broadcasting, visit everstribute.org/tour_lr.php

mdah.state.ms.us/timeline/index.php?section=people&pid=43

The StennisSphere, the John C. Stennis Space Center’s visitors center, offers exhibits that provide such experiences as testing a space shuttle engine, landing the space shuttle, and boarding the International Space Station in over 14,000 square feet of displays. Outside exhibits display rocket engines actually used in America’s space program.

Location: Tours depart from the Launch Pad at the Hancock County Welcome Center west of Bay St. Louis, MS, on I-10 at Exit 2. Visitors 18 and older must have a valid photo ID in their possession. International visitors must have a valid passport. Open Wednesday—Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission is free. Call 800-237-1821 or 228-688-2370.

ssc.nasa.gov/public/visitors/

The museum explores blues legend B. B. King’s life and career with exhibits featuring personal memorabilia and extensive multi-media, audio, and film. Visitors can also play instruments in an interactive studio and make their own music. The historic cotton gin where King worked as a youth has been restored, providing adjacent temporary exhibit and meeting space.

Location: 400 Second Street at the corner of Sunflower Avenue Indianola, MS 39751. Open Tuesday—Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:000 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is charged. Call 662-887-9539 or email info@bbkingmuseum.org.

bbkingmuseum.org