MDAH collects and preserves objects of all types that help us tell the great story of Mississippi. Our holdings include archival records, historic objects, and archaeological artifacts that span 15,000 years of Mississippi history.
Make a Donation
Think you might have an item of historical significance to donate? Learn more about donating to our collection here.
Archives Collections
Search our Catalog, the ultimate assemblage of Mississippi-related primary resources including government records, historic papers, documents, photographs, maps, and audiovisual media. Some of these materials are also available online in the Digital Archives. To learn more about visiting the state archives, visit our Research page.
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Collection Highlights
Eudora Welty Collection
The collections consists of manuscripts of Welty's works, incoming and outgoing correspondence, negatives and photographs, and memorabilia. Copyright ©Eudora Welty, LLC; Courtesy Eudora Welty Collection–MDAH
Medgar Wiley and Myrlie Beasley Evers Papers
This collection includes Evers and Beasley family papers, including papers of Medgar Evers as Mississippi field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and records relating to the case of the State of Mississippi v. Byron de la Beckwith.
William H. Turcotte Diary
William Turcotte of Jackson was a member of the United States Air Force in World War II, when he was captured in Germany and kept in Stalag - Luft III, a prisoner-of-war camp. This diary was kept by Turcotte while he was a P.O.W. from October 1943 to April 1945.
Archaeology Collection
The archaeology collection consists of prehistoric and historic artifacts recovered through systematic survey, excavation, and independent collecting. The collection is available by appointment for research and loan.
Historic Objects Collection
The Historic Objects Collection contains more than 20,000 historic items. These are three dimensional objects that tell the story of Mississippi. Historic objects are housed in our state of the art storage facility located in the Two Mississippi Museums and are available for research upon request.
What's New
2024.43.1 – Daily Citizen Newspaper
The Daily Citizen published by J. M. Swords in Vicksburg, Mississippi was the only newspaper that continued to be printed during the siege of the city in 1863. Swords resorted to the use of wallpaper for printing due to shortage of newsprint during the last stage of the 47-day siege. This issue was printed on wallpaper on June 18th, 1863.
2024.60.1abc – WWII Women’s Military Uniform
This World War II military uniform belonged to Grace Avery Lillard of McComb, Mississippi. Lillard enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) as an aviation cadet at Camp Shelby on January 16th, 1943. She served in Britain, France, and Germany during the war, doing cryptography, teletype, and clerical work with the Signal Corps. After the war she worked in the Motion Picture and Television Branch of the U.S. Information Service for 31 years and retired as the Field Coordinator Officer for East Asia and the Pacific in 1975.
2024.70.9 – Drinking Glass
This drinking glass came from South of the Border, a restaurant and club located south of Woodville, near the Mississippi-Louisiana border. During the time of statewide prohibition in Mississippi (1907 - 1966), people living in the Woodville area would travel south on Highway 61 and cross the state line to get alcohol in nearby Louisiana restaurants and clubs like South of the Border. The business closed in November 2023 after 76 years of operation.
Historic objects are housed in our storage facility located in the Two Mississippi Museums and are available for research upon request. MDAH also accepts donations of historic objects.