FROM MDAH RELEASES — Thousands of people from across the state and nation will travel to Jackson to celebrate Mississippi’s bicentennial at the grand opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Saturday, December 9. A program featuring live music and remarks by project partners, elected officials, and local and national civil rights figures will begin at 11 a.m. on the Entergy Plaza, with a ribbon-cutting and tours of the museums to follow. Speakers include Governor Phil Bryant, civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, former governors Haley Barbour and William Winter, and former NAACP chair Myrlie Evers.

“We are so excited that the day is nearly here when we can share these world-class museums with the public,” said MDAH director Katie Blount. “All Mississippians can be proud of these two museums, and their statewide impact—both educational and economic—will be immediate and lasting.”

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FROM MDAH RELEASES — The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson has made a $750,000 contribution to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s Two Mississippi Museums project. The gift, made possible by a bequest from John F. and Lucy Shackelford, will sponsor the permanent exhibit gallery at the Museum of Mississippi History.

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FROM MDAH RELEASES — Thieves have vandalized the nearly two-hundred-year-old Shaifer House in Claiborne County, making off with four wooden support beams and damaging interior flooring and walls. The theft was discovered on April 1, and the actions most likely occurred earlier that week.

Staff from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which administers the site, have made an initial stabilization to prevent further damage to the house. Because permanent repairs have not yet been made, the site has been closed to the public. MDAH is working with public officials and private citizens to increase security at the Shaifer House. Continue reading

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