MDAH News

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has announced two promotions within its Archives and Records Services Division.

Julie Dees will succeed current ARS Director David Pilcher, who will retire December 31, after 40 years with MDAH. Ally Mellon, the division’s director of library services, will become the division’s first deputy director.

Dees, who had served as head of electronic archives, has been with MDAH since 1996, when she was hired in an IT support role. Dees has a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Millsaps College and a master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina.

Mellon joined MDAH in 2019. Previously, she worked for the Mississippi Library Commission. Mellon has a bachelor’s in English and journalism from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in library and information sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi.

“These promotions will help form a strong leadership team in ARS, which is vital to preserving Mississippi history,” said Katie Blount, director of MDAH. “They’ll succeed David Pilcher, who has dedicated four decades to preserving Mississippi’s archives and the stories they carry.”

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s annual holiday events – Christmas by Candlelight Tour and Possum Ridge Exhibit – return in early December. 

The Possum Ridge model train exhibit will open at the Two Mississippi Museums on Dec. 2. There is no charge to view the exhibit, which will close on Dec. 31. The  Christmas by Candlelight Tour will be held Friday, Dec. 5, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The tour festivities include crafts, live music, and treats at the Two Mississippi Museums, Old Capitol Museum, Mississippi State Capitol, and Mississippi Governor’s Mansion.  This year’s Christmas by Candlelight tour is presented in partnership with Capital City Lights, sponsored by Visit Jackson and Downtown Jackson Partners. Capital City Lights activities will be in Smith Park and at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center.

Holiday shoppers can stop by the museums’ Mississippi Museum Store, where a 10 percent discount will be available on merchandise, and explore Possum Ridge. The model trains and fictional town of Possum Ridge have been a holiday tradition delighting children and adults for more than 40 years. 

Possum Ridge depicts a typical Mississippi railroad town of the 1940s. In its first year, it consisted of a single block of an electrified Main Street with 10 buildings, including a bank, dry goods store, newspaper office, and restaurant.  Today, the trains circle a detailed town that includes a depot, church, bakery, barbershop, icehouse, sawmill, cotton gin, train yard, and much more. There are also houses located off Main Street, farmsteads, a small airport, and even a river baptism scene.

A Miss Goldy Chicken train car, representing the company that merged with what is now Wayne-Sanderson Farms, and an additional town scene are new to the exhibit this year. The exhibit will also feature a display case with historic railroad artifacts, a scavenger hunt, and a reading nook for children, featuring some bilingual books related to trains and railroads.

Free parking will be available at the Two Mississippi Museums parking garage, the Mississippi State Capitol parking lot, and along nearby streets, with shuttle buses running between all tour locations.

Christmas by Candlelight Tour activities:

Two Mississippi Museums
Visitors can begin their evening at the Two Mississippi Museums with live choral performances, holiday shopping, and the Possum Ridge model train exhibit.

• 5 p.m. McWillie Elementary School
• 5:45 p.m. Provine High School
• 6 p.m. Germantown High School Choir
• Holiday shopping at the Mississippi Museum Store
• Refreshments and sweet treats from Sugar Daze

Old Capitol Museum
The Old Capitol Museum will present festive lighting and hands-on holiday activities for families.

• Holiday crafts led by Eudora Welty House & Garden staff in the rotunda
• Cookies from Just Vanilla and cold milk

Governor’s Mansion
The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion will welcome guests with music, cookies, and classic holiday traditions.

• 4 p.m. Piano Studio students of Mrs. Carol Toothaker, Leakesville
• 6 p.m. Mississippi Youth Symphony in the East Garden
• Photos with Santa Claus
• Trackless train rides
• Hot cocoa and homemade cookies

State Capitol
The Mississippi State Capitol will host musical performances and offer visitors the chance to explore the building’s historic chambers and gift shop.

• 5 p.m. Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra
• 6 p.m. Sessions Jazz Ensemble
• Capitol Gift Shop holiday shopping

Founded in 1902, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History collects, preserves, and provides access to the archival resources of the state. MDAH’s commitment to preservation continues today through the work of the department’s five divisions—Administration, Archives and Records Services, Historic Preservation, Programs and Communication, and Museum. The Museum Division currently oversees 11 sites and projects throughout the state.

For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

-XXX-

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) has announced $1.4 million in new funding to support the development of Margaret Ann Crigler Park in downtown Jackson, with $500,000 from the Phil Hardin Foundation, $500,000 from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) through its Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) program and two separate $200,000 gifts from anonymous donors. 

All gifts were given to the Foundation for Mississippi History and announced at a news conference on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

“Support from the Phil Hardin Foundation, the Mississippi Arts Commission and the private donors represent strong community buy-in on a project that will connect visitors to Mississippi’s history and culture,” Spence Flatgard, president of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees, said during a news conference across from the park site. “Their generosity brings us closer to making Crigler Park a vibrant space for reflection and learning in the Jackson community.”

Located adjacent to the Two Mississippi Museums, the completed park will feature native Mississippi foliage, a large open green space, an outdoor stage, and a play area designed especially for children. The park is a project of MDAH and will be part of the city’s Museum Trail.

Park construction is expected to begin early next year. The first phase will be completed in 2027.

“The Two Mississippi Museums are educational and cultural treasures for our state, and the Phil Hardin Foundation has been a proud supporter since their inception,” said Lloyd Gray, executive director of the Phil Hardin Foundation. “We are delighted to continue that partnership with this grant for the children’s area at Crigler Park, which will both complete the Two Mississippi Museums campus and allow for expanded learning opportunities for students from across Mississippi. We also view this as an investment in the revitalization of our capital city, which is crucial for Mississippi to reach its full potential.”

MAC awarded the Foundation for Mississippi History the BFA grant for the park’s construction. This follows a $225,000 BFA grant awarded last year, bringing the total MAC investment to $725,000.

“The arts enhance the quality of life and local economies,” said David Lewis, MAC executive director. “With the generous support from the Mississippi Legislature, we can activate our citizens’ innate creativity and invest in our communities.”

MAC is a state agency serving more than 2 million people through grants and special initiatives that enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote arts education, and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. The commission is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation for Mississippi, and other private sources.

The Phil Hardin Foundation’s goal “is to be a catalyst for educational opportunity and community improvement in Mississippi.”

From 2015 to 2024, the Hardin Foundation has paid out $32 million in grants to improve student achievement; make educational and enrichment opportunities more available and equitable; increase understanding of Mississippi arts, culture and history; and build community capacity.

The park project was launched with an initial $1 million gift from retired businessman Noble T. Crigler, made in memory of his late wife, Margaret Ann Crigler. The gift established the foundation for the project. The Mississippi Legislature has since provided $3 million in state support to advance its construction.

Learn more about the project at mdah.ms.gov/criglerpark.

The Foundation for Mississippi History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that conducts fundraising efforts to support and promote the projects and programs of MDAH, which operates the Museum of Mississippi History, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Eudora Welty House & Garden, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, Old Capitol Museum, Windsor Ruins, Historic Jefferson College, and Winterville Mounds.

For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

-XXX-

Nearly 350 students were welcomed Thursday, Nov. 13, to the Two Mississippi Museums, where they learned about Native American culture by watching dance performances, playing stickball and listening to storytellers from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Students from John Hopkins Elementary School, Smilow Prep, and Kirksey Middle School participated in Native American Heritage Day activities led by museum educators and Choctaw Indians. The national observance of Native American Heritage Day is Nov. 28.

Before their performances on Thursday in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium, the Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dancers explained how Choctaw tribes are located in places beyond Mississippi, including Louisiana and Chicago.

Elements of their dances carried meaning. For instance, the drum at the baseline of each dance was representative of the heartbeat found in each of the dancers. Students and teachers watched before joining in the dance.

Trey Cotton, a social studies teacher from Kirksey Middle School, said he recently taught his students about the three major Native American tribes in Mississippi.

“Teaching them about stickball and then being able to come out here in real life to have them participate just solidifies the lessons so much more to them and the importance it has in Mississippi heritage and Native American culture,” Cotton said. “I think it just directly links them to the studies that we’ve been going over. This was a really good day.” 

Simon Isaac, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, told the students about a style of stickball that originated in Mississippi, explaining that stickball was “essentially a replacement for war.”

Isaac said some Northern tribes carry a staff with a bend at the top.

“What that represents is the turning away of war because what we believe as Native Americans is that it is against the laws of nature to take another life,” Isaac said. “(Stickball) gave us a chance to fight for our rights, but to do it in a more civil manner.” 

Drew Gardner, director of programs at the Two Mississippi Museums, emphasized the importance of the day’s event.

“We get a chance to partner with our Native communities,” Gardner said. “The Mississippi Band of Choctaws is the only federally recognized tribe in Mississippi, and we are so proud to demonstrate and show the legacy of the tribe and share that with students across the state.”

Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a $2.5 million grant to the Foundation for Mississippi History to support and promote Mississippi Department of Archives and History programs, activities, and projects focused on the role of religion in Mississippi history and culture. 

The grant was made through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, a nationwide effort to help museums and other cultural institutions improve the public understanding of religion. This is Lilly Endowment’s second grant to the foundation. The $2.5 million grant awarded in December 2022 launched MDAH’s work to expand religious initiatives.

The MDAH Religion Initiative has three goals: attract more visitors to the Two Mississippi Museums, make archival holdings related to religion more accessible to the public, and make improvements to historic sites related to religion.

As part of the initiative, archivists process and digitize significant manuscript collections related to religion, making the materials more available to scholars, historians, and the public.

“Support from Lilly Endowment has been transformative,” said Katie Blount, MDAH director. “The Lilly Endowment funding has helped us elevate our work at MDAH and expanded our audience through outreach to church groups and deep dives into archival resources related to religion.” 

With the previous grant, the Two Mississippi Museums have been able to incorporate new religious narratives and launch visitor outreach initiatives tailored to faith-based groups. The grant has also funded the annual Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellowship, which is awarded to a graduate student with an interest in conducting primary source research in MDAH’s wealth of archival materials concerning religious history in Mississippi.

In the next phase, those initiatives will continue, and work will expand to the Vicksburg Civil War Visitor Center, which is slated to open in 2028. The grant funding will cover costs associated with telling the story of the role of religion in the Civil War. Funding also will support admission, event rentals, and tours for religious groups.

MDAH also will use Lilly Endowment funds to make a $750,000 grant to the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi (GMBSC) to help support the restoration of the chapel building at Natchez College.

“Members of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi are thrilled that Lilly Endowment recognizes the collaborative work of the Foundation for Mississippi History, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Baptist Convention in preserving the places and presenting the stories of Mississippi’s religious communities,” said the Rev. Reginald Buckley, president of GMBSC.

“How faith impacts culture is sometimes easily noticed but mostly nuanced. This award will allow us to complete the restoration of the historic Huddleston Chapel at Natchez College but will also bring light to a religious tradition that built institutions of learning and hope in the face of tremendous odds,” Buckley said.

About MDAH

MDAH is the second-oldest state department of archives and history in the United States. The department collects, preserves, and provides access to the archival resources of the state, administers various museums and historic sites, and oversees statewide programs for historic preservation, state and local government records management, and publications.

About Lilly Endowment Inc. 

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it also funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United State and around the globe.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) recently welcomed Andrea Scott of Ackerman as the 2025 Family Genealogy Fellow. 

The Family Genealogy Fellowship supports researchers in locating information about their Mississippi-based families using MDAH’s resources. The five-day fellowship includes funding for travel and hotel accommodation.

Scott, who works in a hospital business office, said she’s been researching her family history for years.

“I love genealogy … and this just gave me the chance to do nonstop research,” she said, referring to the fellowship.

Scott said the fellowship has been an opportunity to find the missing link in one of her great grandparents’ family lines. All sides of her family have been in Mississippi since at least the mid-1800s, though some relatives lived in the state even earlier. 

MDAH has a wealth of resources and unique collections relating to families in Mississippi.  As part of her research, Scott pulled files, family trees, books, and microfilms. She said that she wanted to take full advantage of MDAH’s resources. 

What were some of her discoveries?

“I was able to pull the minutes from my mom’s home church in Calhoun County. Just looking through there, I was actually able to find the baptismal record of my great grandfather, which was really cool to find,” Scott said.

To learn more about the genealogy fellowship and genealogy workshops at MDAH, please visit https://www.mdah.ms.gov/genealogy/genealogy-fellowship.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) is the recipient of two 2025 Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) Awards.

During the SEMC awards luncheon held Oct. 22 in Montgomery, Alabama, MDAH was recognized with the following:

• Gold Award in the technology competition: Virtual Media: Project Under $1,000 for the Freedom Summer Shorts Campaign.
• Second Place in the poster category for the Two Mississippi Museums 2025 Makers Fest Poster.

“Our teams’ digital storytelling brings Mississippi stories alive and to a wider audience,” said Katie Blount, director of MDAH. “We’re grateful SEMC recognized our work.”

The MDAH Freedom Summer Shorts Campaign was an entry in the SEMC Technology Competition that recognizes effective design, accessibility, creativity, and pride in work and recognition of institutional identity. The campaign was a series of short videos visualizing 10 topics within the scope of Freedom Summer, which took place during 1964. 

As technology continues to gain importance throughout the museum field, expectations and standards were exceptionally high for this year’s applicants. The SEMC Technology Competition received a record number of applications from a wide variety of museums across the southeast.

Recipients of the awards were judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in the fields of digital media and technology.

The poster was a submission in the SEMC Publications Competition that rewards excellence in design in southeastern museum publications. The Two Mississippi Museums are among the sites administered by MDAH. Mississippi Makers Fest is an annual, daylong event celebrating the state’s music and art. 

Award winners will be listed in the fall 2025 edition of “INSIDE SEMC,” a digital publication of the Southeastern Museums Conference.  

About the Southeastern Museums Conference:

According to their website, the Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC), a nonprofit membership organization, “is an association of museums, museum staff, independent professionals and corporate partners. We focus on the Southeastern United State including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.”

-XXX-

(Photos attached: Rodney Thompson and Mikailah Jefferson; Tori Rice.)

The 2025 Veterans Day Ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, on the Entergy Plaza in front of the Two Mississippi Museums. The annual event honors the service and sacrifice of veterans and active-duty military personnel.

The ceremony will include an invocation by Chaplain Col. Cregg Puckett, Mississippi National Guard state chaplain; the Pledge of Allegiance led by Regina Boyles, first vice regent of the Rebecca Cravat Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; and a welcome from Spence Flatgard, president of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees.

Maj. Gen. Bobby M. Ginn Jr., adjutant general of Mississippi, will recognize fallen heroes. The memorial wreath will be laid by Gold Star family Jenny and Eddie Smith, family of the late Staff Sgt. Jason A. Rogers. A memorial volley will be performed by Joint Force Headquarters, Mississippi National Guard, with musical performances by the 41st Army Band.

The program will conclude with a benediction from Master Sgt. (Ret.) Deborah Fielder, department adjutant for the Mississippi Department of the American Legion.

To honor all who have served, the Two Mississippi Museums will offer free admission Nov. 7 to veterans, active service members, and one family member. Free parking is available in the museums’ visitor parking garage, located behind the museums on Jefferson Street.

For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

-XXX-

Sixty students from across Mississippi gathered Tuesday, October 14, at the Old Capitol Museum for the state’s first Smithsonian National Youth Summit, an event exploring how education and history influence civic life.

Held in the museum’s historic House Chamber, the program brought together students from the Jackson Public Schools–Tougaloo Early College High School, Richland High School, Pelahatchie High School, North Pike High School, and Brandon High School for a day of discussion, reflection, and learning. Participants examined landmark moments in American education, including Brown v. Board of Education, Alexander v. Holmes, and the student movements that advanced equal access to learning.

The day included two panel discussions. The first, led by Kari Baker, director of education at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and Drew Gardner, museum programming manager at MDAH, explored the history of education in Mississippi up to desegregation, with additional context provided by Brother Rogers of the Old Capitol Museum. The second panel focused on current trends and legislation in education and featured State Senator David Blount; Stephen Brown, director of the Briarwood Performing Arts Center; and Terrius Harris, director of Indigenous Partnerships and Inclusive Economy for the American Sustainable Business Network.

For Lauryn Smith, a student in the JPS–Tougaloo Early College High School program, the conversation on Freedom Summer left a lasting impression.

“Education and voting go hand in hand,” Smith said. “The more informed you are, the more informed your vote will be.”

Coordinated by Kari Baker, director of education at MDAH, the summit encouraged students to think critically about the connections between history, education, and the future.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi State University have signed an agreement that establishes a framework to create a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development at Historic Jefferson College near Natchez.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MDAH Director Katie Blount, and MDAH Board of Trustees President Spence Flatgard signed the memorandum of understanding on Friday, Oct. 17, forming a partnership that leverages HJC’s unique historical resources and MSU’s academic expertise to benefit students, faculty, and local communities.

Through the MOU, the 19th century college will be the site of year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities.

"Today, we are embarking on an innovative educational and economic development model that will benefit both students and communities,” Blount said. “MDAH is building on the legacy of Jefferson College to open new educational pathways for students across the state. 

“As a key partner, MSU brings the expertise we need to develop a first-rate curriculum that prepares students for careers in historic preservation trades. We look forward to working with MSU and other partners to bring students back to Mississippi’s first institution of higher learning.” 

“As the state’s leading research university and land-grant institution, Mississippi State is called to serve the entire state, and we are honored to work together with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for this innovative partnership at Historic Jefferson College,” Keenum said. “Students will develop real-world skills working with faculty, employers, and professionals in a unique hands-on environment, and we will be able to help our state address a critical shortage of skilled labor in construction and historic preservation.”

The official agreement comes after years of collaboration. In June 2024, MDAH held a pilot preservation field school for students from MSU’s Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation program. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility and the potential success of continued field schools at the site. 

Entergy Mississippi was an early supporter of the work at HJC, providing a $250,000 grant in 2023. MDAH also has secured state and federal funding for the project.

The MOU agreement formalizes a workforce development initiative in the trades, with emphasis on preservation trades and construction technology. MSU will serve as a lead academic partner, working in collaboration with other institutions as appropriate to expand statewide impact.

Students will receive hands-on training in historic preservation and archaeology. The training will support engagement from other disciplines, including architecture, building arts, and history. The work at HJC will also establish a collaborative model for preservation trades workforce development to help address Mississippi's labor shortages, which is aligned with national workforce demand projections.

This unique opportunity will expose students to the cultural and geographic diversity of Mississippi through immersive, field-based experiences in the southwestern region of the state, using a local-global learning approach to examine how local preservation, labor, and heritage issues are influenced by, and contribute to, broader global contexts. 

The project will move forward as MDAH continues rehabilitation of the buildings on the campus where Mississippi’s first constitution was signed Aug. 15, 1817.

“In partnering with MSU, we are helping extend unique opportunities and provide hands-on learning for students while advancing our agency’s mission to preserve and enrich Mississippi’s cultural resources,” MDAH Historic Preservation Division Director Barry White said. “Historic Jefferson College holds a special place in the history of education in Mississippi, dating back to 1802.”