Save the Date - Mississippi Makers Fest 2024

William F. Winter Building

Welcome to The Mississippi Department of Archives & History

By preserving Mississippi's diverse historic resources and sharing them with people around the world, MDAH inspires discovery of stories that connect our lives and shape our future.

Flags from Mississippi - Emblems Through Time Now Open

Sunday Screening - May 19, 2024 - Rosenwald

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Save the Date - Mississippi Makers Fest 2024

Sunday Screening - May 19, 2024 - Rosenwald

Flags from Mississippi - Emblems Through Time Now Open

William F. Winter Building

Welcome to The Mississippi Department of Archives & History

By preserving Mississippi's diverse historic resources and sharing them with people around the world, MDAH inspires discovery of stories that connect our lives and shape our future.

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Empowering people through Mississippi’s many stories.

That’s our vision at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. We are here to help you explore and discover your Mississippi stories.

You can use this website, and our reading rooms in downtown Jackson, to:

  • Research historical records, archival collections and special publications
  • Discover historical sites and museums to visit all around the state
  • Check out upcoming events, including our History is Lunch series
  • Preserve Mississippi’s historic buildings and archaeological sites
  • Download field trip guides, lesson plans, and teaching units
  • View regulations for managing state and local government records
  • Find out how to volunteer, donate, and more
News & Events

Find the latest news, upcoming programs, and special exhibitions at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

News & Events

Research

Discover your story. Search the ultimate primary resource of Mississippi’s historical documents, photos, videos, and more.

You can use our online collections, and the extensive resources at our reading rooms in downtown Jackson, to build your family tree, create an engaging presentation, or simply explore your Mississippi history.

Get Started

Explore

Real stories, real places. Set out on a hands-on history adventure and discover the people and places that shaped your Mississippi.

MDAH welcomes curious visitors of all ages to more than a dozen museums, historic sites and cultural attractions throughout the state.

Go Places

Preserve

Tell your story for generations to come. Mississippi is rich in architectural and archaeological history.

See How

Teachers and Students

Stories are for sharing. Help your students explore their Mississippi history from K-12 to college.

Discover ready-to-use field trip guides, professional development opportunities, a host of classroom resources and information on Mississippi History Day, our history-themed student competition.

Education

Religion Initiative

Learn about the role of religion in Mississippi history and culture. Made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, MDAH offers programs through its religion initiative that range from free group tours of the Two Mississippi Museums to research fellowships in the archives.

Learn More

Volunteer

Be part of history. Volunteer with MDAH and help us preserve and connect Mississippi’s rich historic resources with people around the world.

Volunteer

News & Articles

4/19/2024
At its April 19 quarterly meeting, the Mississippi Department of Archives History (MDAH) Board of Trustees approved a demolition permit for the Eudora Welty Library building in Jackson. The permit approval followed a period of public comment during which two comments were received supporting the demolition and three against.  This building was built in 1946 as a Sears department store. In the late 1980s, it became the downtown public library and was named for Mississippi author Eudora Welty. By 2023, the building was in serious disrepair, the City declared that it would no longer maintain it, and the Jackson/Hinds Library Board voted to move the library to a different location.  
4/19/2024
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has awarded grants totaling more than $97,000 to eight preservation projects in seven Certified Local Government (CLG) communities across the state.   The scope of work for awarded projects ranges from professional assessments, as with the evaluation of three National Register-listed buildings for future use by the City of New Albany, to more advanced phases of rehabilitation, as with the Lundy House project in Lexington.   
4/16/2024
The Eudora Welty: Other Places photography exhibit is now open at the Eudora Welty House & Garden (EWHG) Visitor Center. The special exhibit is free to visit and will be on display for two years. Focusing on Welty’s photography, the exhibit explores the way travel forms connections with people from beyond their homes. It also interprets twenty photographs Welty took in New York and New Orleans throughout the 1930s. Artifacts related to Welty's photography, including three of Welty’s cameras, a selection of archived letters, and souvenirs related to her travels will also be on display.
4/15/2024
Summer King, a graduate student at the University of Mississippi, has been selected as the inaugural fellow for the Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellowship. King will use archival holdings at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) to research the spread of Pentecostalism to interracial congregations during Jim Crow segregation.
4/8/2024

Keon Burns, a dual doctoral candidate in history and Africana studies at Pennsylvania State University, has been named the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Research Fellow for 2024.

4/3/2024
The Eudora Welty House & Garden (EWH&G) will hold a free, celebratory weekend honoring the late author and photographer Eudora Welty’s 115th birthday with free tours and activities on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13.

Events

Free Sundays at the Two Mississippi Museums
April 21, 2024, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Admission to the Two Mississippi Museums is free every Sunday. 

History Is Lunch: Rex Jones, “Steve Holland: A Career in the Legislature”
April 24, 2024, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

At noon on Wednesday, April 24, Rex Jones will present “St

Free Sundays at the Two Mississippi Museums
April 28, 2024, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Admission to the Two Mississippi Museums is free every Sunday.