MDAH has been actively collecting and preserving Mississippi history since 1902. Our holdings include archival records, historic objects, and archaeological artifacts that span 15,000 years of Mississippi history.
Archives Collections
The Archives Collection includes government records, historic papers, documents, photographs, maps, and audiovisual media and is searchable using our Online Catalog. Some of these materials, which were digitized or are born digital, are also available online in the Digital Archives. To learn more about visiting the state archives, visit our Research page.
Digital Archives Online Catalog Donate
Collection Highlights
Eudora Welty Collection
The collections consists of manuscripts of Welty's works, incoming and outgoing correspondence, negatives and photographs, and memorabilia.
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 collection contains more than 20,000 historic objects. These are three dimensional objects that tell the story of Mississippi.
What's New
2019.25.3 – Serving Dish made ca. 1970
Serving Dish made ca. 1970 by a craftsman at Freedom Crafts Ceramics which was part of the Freedom Village in Washington County. Started with help from the Delta Ministry in the late 1960s, Freedom Village became a refuge for agricultural workers in the Delta who were unemployed due to agricultural mechanization and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
2018.61.14 - Girl's Gym Uniform ca. 1942
Girl's Gym Uniform ca. 1942 from Wood Junior College in Mathiston. Opening as Woodland Seminary under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886, Wood College operated until 2003.
2019.48.1 – Cowboy Boots
Cowboy Boots - Known for wearing these signature cowboy boots featuring the state seal, Phil Bryant served two terms as Governor of Mississippi from 2012-2019. Prior to being elected governor, Bryant served as lieutenant governor, state auditor, and state representative.
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.