Mississippi Historical Society

The Mississippi Historical Society held its annual meeting March 5-6 in Meridian to honor its 2026 award winners, including Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Dennis Mitchell, whose work has bridged public, academic, and school history.

Awards were also given for Book of the Year, Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year, and Teacher of the Year at the gathering that drew nearly 200 people to both the Riley Center and the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.

In a career spanning five decades, Mitchell has advanced the cause of history and historical understanding as an advocate, scholar, educator, editor, and mentor. Mitchell spearheaded the development of a new history curriculum for Mississippi’s public schools and the production of what remains one of the most widely adopted textbooks for Mississippi studies.

M. J. O’Brien is an author and researcher who served for 25 years as the chief communications and public relations officer for a national not-for-profit cooperative. He won the Book of the Year Award for “The Tougaloo Nine: The Jackson Library Sit-In at the Crossroads of Civil War and Civil Rights,” which chronicles the historic 1961 sit-in by nine Black Tougaloo College students at Jackson’s segregated library, leading to arrests and a violent police response during Mississippi’s Civil War centennial.

“Everlasting: Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers,” a documentary by Mississippi Public Broadcasting, won the Excellence in History Award. The Outstanding Local Historical Society Award was presented to Walthall County Historical Society. The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Catherine McGowin of Southeast Lauderdale High School.

Sean Scott, a professor at The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, received the Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year Award for “James Lynch and the Merging of Religious and Political Reconstruction in Mississippi.” 

Awards of Merit were presented to the Lanier High School National Alumni Association for organizing the celebration of the centennial of Lanier High School; to the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation for showcasing and preserving the legacy of Rodgers’ music career; to Juanita Green Hollinghead for writing “Beyond the Green Window: Consequences of the Piney Woods Murder of 1921” and preserving the history of Greene County; to Canton Tourism for preserving and promoting the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Canton through historical markers; to the Soulé Steam Museum in Meridian for preserving the history of steam engine factories and their contribution to the development of Mississippi’s lumber industry; to Rose Hill Storytellers for its annual cemetery tour and downtown history walk featuring storytellers in period costume; to Robert Luckett for the opening of the COFO Pocket Park at Jackson State University to highlight this center of civil rights activity in Mississippi; and to the Riley Foundation for renovating the Grand Opera House, Deen Building, and Rosenbaum Building to preserve the architectural history of downtown Meridian; to the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience for educating the public about the history of Mississippi’s artists, writers, musicians, and entertainers; to Meridian Community College for preserving Ivy-Scaggs Hall and restoring its mosaic mural; to Meridian Public School District for achieving Mississippi Landmark status for Meridian High School, Magnolia Middle School, and Crestwood Elementary School; to Meridian Rails Historical Society for opening the Meridian Railroad Museum and preserving and restoring artifacts from the railroad era.

Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, completed his term as president of the society and welcomed the new president, Keena Graham, superintendent for the Medgar and Myrlie Evers National Monument in Jackson. Tenured professor and director of the Margaret Walker Center and COFO Center at Jackson State University, Robby Luckett, was selected as vice-president. New board members are Owen Hyman, University of Mississippi; Thomas T.J. Mayfield, Vicksburg alderman; Patricia Rangel, The South Way Foundation; Brian Wilson, state treasury of Mississippi; Keith Wilson, D’Iberville Historical Society; and Jerid Woods, Baldwin and Company Books.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Membership is open to anyone. Benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member, visit www.mississippihistory.org. 

Photos attached. 

Roscoe Barnes III, Dennis Mitchell

Roscoe Barnes III, Joyce Dixon-Lawson, Taiwo Gaynor, Reena Evers-Everette, Pamela D.C. Junior 

The Mississippi Historical Society (MHS) is pleased to announce a call for individual papers and complete panels on Mississippi history topics for its annual meeting on March 6-7, 2025, in Jackson, Mississippi.

"Mississippi’s history is full of compelling stories," said MHS president Rebecca Tuuri, associate professor of history and associate dean of The University of Southern Mississippi's Honors College. "Our annual meeting provides a space for us to appreciate our diverse history. From teachers to public historians and archivists, our community benefits from all who have made our history so vibrant and accessible."

Founded in 1858, MHS embraces the contributions of scholars and laypersons interested in the study and dissemination of all aspects of Mississippi history. Undergraduate and graduate student participation is encouraged, in addition to scholarly work from professional historians in a variety of fields—archival, teaching, and public history. MHS values the ongoing work of educators across the state and welcomes proposals from elementary and secondary teachers on Mississippi history curriculum, community-engaged learning practices with local archives/libraries, or other partner-oriented learning opportunities. While all proposals are welcome, we are especially interested in topics and approaches that broaden our shared understanding of Mississippi’s culture, economy, political landscape, social history, and environmental history. MHS encourages interactive presentations that engage our participants’ interest and knowledge of the state’s history through a collaborative approach that solicits feedback.

Individual paper proposals should include a 250-word abstract of the topic, name and affiliation (institution of higher learning, school, business, government entity, museum, archive, etc.), and presenter’s contact information. Panel proposals should include a 500-word abstract that contains a brief description of each proposed topic and includes the names, affiliations, and contact information for each presenter. Proposals are due Friday, September 27, 2024. Please send directly to mhs@mdah.ms.gov. For more information visit the Mississippi Historical Society website at www.mississippihistory.org.

The Mississippi Historical Society held its annual meeting March 2-3 in Jackson to honor its 2023 award winners, including the best Mississippi History Book of 2022, the lifetime achievement award, teacher of the year, and awards of merit.

Leslie-Burl McLemore, a former member of the Jackson City Council and current alderman in Walls, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the civil rights movement and a founding member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964 that made history in Atlantic City, New Jersey. As the founding chair of the political science department at Jackson State University, he was a trailblazing academician. More recently, McLemore was involved in the location, funding, and interpretation of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and played a central role in creating the Mississippi Freedom Trail, a group of historical markers about civil rights history.

Evan Howard Ashford, assistant professor of history at State University of New York Oneonta, received the Book of the Year Award for Mississippi Zion: The Struggle for Liberation in Attala County, 1865–1915. The book examines how African Americans in a rural Mississippi county shaped economic and social issues after the Civil War.

Jere Nash won the Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year Award for “The Mississippi Legislature Changes the Flag,” which documented the remarkable, historic passage of a law in 2020 that led to the adoption of a new state flag for the state.

The Outstanding Local Historical Society Award was presented to the Historic Ocean Springs Association for its project installing more than thirty interpretive signs at landmark locations throughout the historic districts of Ocean Springs.

The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Alexandria Drake of JPS-Tougaloo Early College High School.

Awards of Merit were presented to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce for publishing a history of the agency from the first commissioner in 1906 through the present; city of Jackson and Visit Jackson for organizing the celebration of the bicentennial of the city’s founding; city of Madison for installing ten historical markers to mark significant sites in the city’s history; Jackson State University for its community-building project to honor the life and legacy of James “Jim” Hill, a Reconstruction politician who was the last 19th century African American to be elected to statewide office in Mississippi; LightHouse | Black Girl Projects for  its work to add the Unita Blackwell Property to the National Register of Historic Places; Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument for opening as the first national monument in the state of Mississippi; Mississippi Humanities Council for its Museum on Main Street program; Mississippi Museum of Art for its brilliant exhibit called A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration; and the Museum of African American History and Culture and the city of Natchez for designating twenty-seven African American historical sites with markers.

Tougaloo College professor Daphne Chamberlain completed her term as president of the Society and welcomed new president Will Bowlin of Northeast Mississippi Community College. Rebecca Tuuri of the University of Southern Mississippi was elected vice president. New board members are DeeDee Baldwin, Mississippi State University; Sylvia Gist, Migration Heritage Foundation; Jean Greene, Utica Institute Museum; Sharelle Grim, Mississippi Delta Community College; Brian Perry, Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce; and Rory Rafferty, Pass Christian Historical Society.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member visit www.mississippihistory.org.

The Mississippi Historical Society is pleased to announce a call for individual papers and complete panels on topics related to the study of Mississippi history for presentation at its annual meeting March 2-3, 2023, in Jackson, Mississippi.

“Mississippi’s history is full of compelling stories,” said Mississippi Historical Society (MHS) president Daphne Chamberlain. "Our annual meeting provides a space for us to appreciate the diverse contributors to our history and its preservation. From teachers to public historians and archivists, our community benefits from the various investments that have made our history so vibrant and accessible."

Founded in 1858, MHS proudly embraces the contributions of scholars and laypersons interested in the study and dissemination of all aspects of Mississippi history. Undergraduate and graduate student participation is encouraged, in addition to scholarly work from professional historians in a variety of practices—archival, teaching faculty, and public historians. MHS values the ongoing work of educators across the state and would welcome proposals from elementary and secondary teachers offering unique deliveries of Mississippi history curriculum, community-engaged learning practices with local archives/libraries, or other partner-oriented learning opportunities. While all proposals are welcome, we are especially interested in topics and approaches that broaden our shared understanding of Mississippi’s culture, economy, political landscape, and social history. MHS encourages interactive presentations that engage our participants’ interest and knowledge of Mississippi’s history through a collaborative approach that solicits feedback.

Individual paper proposals should include a 250-word abstract of the topic, name and affiliation (institution of higher learning, school, business, government entity, museum, archive, etc.), and presenter’s contact information. Panel proposals should include a 500-word abstract that contains a brief description of each proposed topic and includes the names, affiliations, and contact information for each presenter. Proposals are due Friday, October 7, 2022. Please send directly to mhs@mdah.ms.gov. For more information visit the Mississippi Historical Society website at www.mississippihistory.org.

The Mississippi Historical Society held its annual meeting March 10-11 in Hattiesburg to honor its 2022 award winners, including the best Mississippi History Book of 2021, the lifetime achievement award, teacher of the year, and awards of merit.

Ellie J. Dahmer, widow of Vernon Dahmer, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for preserving the memory and accomplishments of Vernon Dahmer and promoting civil rights education.

Christian Pinnen, associate professor of history at Mississippi College, received the Book of the Year Award for Complexion of Empire in Natchez: Race and Slavery in the Mississippi Borderlands. According to the selection committee, “Pinnen weaves together legal history, race, and gender to show how the interplay of Native Americans, people of African descent, and European and American settlers created the changing landscape of slavery in early Mississippi.”

Stuart Levin won the Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year Award for “Beeson Academy/Hattiesburg Prep: A History in Context,” which recounted the formation of a segregation academy in the 1960s.

The Outstanding Local Historical Society Award was presented to the Dancing Rabbit Genealogy and Historical Society for its preservation work in Carthage.

The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Steven R. White of Pearl High School.

Awards of Merit were presented to Deborah Delgado for being the founder and director of the Historic Mobile Street Renaissance Festival, which for seventeen years has raised awareness about the historical importance of Mobile Street as a hub for civil rights activism in Hattiesburg; Glenda Funchess for leading the effort to erect four historical markers civil rights markers in Hattiesburg: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Vernon Dahmer home, Rev. W.D. Ridgeway, and Peay v. Cox federal court case; Edwina Carpenter for modernizing the interpretation at the Mississippi’s Final Stands Interpretive Center at Brices Crossroads in Baldwyn; Russell Guerin for writing Early Hancock County, A Few of Her People and Some of Their Stories; Else N. Martin for restoration and preservation of the Granly Danish-American colony in Jackson County; Friends of Raymond for providing funding to secure almost 44 acres at Raymond to preserve land at the site of the

Battle of Raymond in 1863; Institute of Southern Jewish Life for their virtual vacation program featuring Mississippi sites; the Historical Society of Gulfport for the digitization of the Ralph Bean Architectural Collection as the Gulfport Museum of History’s initial entry in the Mississippi Digital Library; the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County for their excellent virtual programming featuring history during the pandemic; the African American Military History Museum for recognizing and celebrating the service and sacrifice of African Americans in the military; the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum for serving as the military history museum for the state of Mississippi; Visit Hattiesburg for creating the Freedom Summer Driving Tour; and The Admissions Project, an online project on how private academies and public schools dealt with integration through firsthand accounts of students.

Millsaps professor Stephanie Rolph completed her term as president of the Society and welcomed new president Daphne Chamberlain of Tougaloo College. Will Bowlin of Northeast Mississippi Community College was elected vice president. New board members are Roscoe Barnes, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez; Barbara Boschert of Coahoma Community College; Keena Graham, Superintendent of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument; Anne Marshall, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University; Perry Sansing, special assistant to the chancellor for governmental affairs; and TJ Taylor, executive director of the Mississippi Cable Television Association (MCTA).

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member visit www.mississippihistory.org.

Christian Pinnen’s Complexion of Empire in Natchez, Race and Slavery in the Mississippi Borderlands, published by the University of Georgia Press, has won the Mississippi Historical Society’s award for the best Mississippi history book published in 2021. 

April Holm, associate professor of history at the University of Mississippi, chaired the selection panel. She quoted one panel member who stated, “This book is focused on Mississippi history, is deeply researched and original, and was engaging to read. It is filled with individual stories as well as thoughtful analysis, and engages with Mississippi history in a truly global context. Pinnen weaves together legal history, race, and gender to show how the interplay of Native Americans, people of African descent, and European and American settlers created the changing landscape of slavery in early Mississippi."

Pinnen is an associate professor of history at Mississippi College and teaches U.S. history, history of the Old South, Latin American survey, the American Revolution, and American slavery. He is also the co-author with Charles Weeks of Colonial Mississippi: A Borrowed Land.

The Mississippi Historical Society’s Book of the Year Award goes to the best book on a subject related to Mississippi history or biography. The prize carries a $700 cash award.

Pinnen will accept the award and deliver a lecture during the Mississippi Historical Society’s annual meeting in Hattiesburg on March 10-11, 2022.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member, call 601-576-6936.

The Mississippi Historical Society is pleased to announce a call for individual papers and complete panels on topics related to the study of Mississippi history for presentation at its annual meeting March 10–11, 2022, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

“Mississippi’s history is full of compelling stories,” said Mississippi Historical Society (MHS) president Stephanie Rolph. "Our annual meeting provides a space for us to appreciate the diverse contributors to our history and its preservation. From teachers to public historians and archivists, our community benefits from the various investments that have made our history so vibrant and accessible."

Founded in 1858, MHS proudly embraces the contributions of scholars and laypersons interested in the study and dissemination of all aspects of Mississippi history. Undergraduate and graduate student participation is encouraged, in addition to scholarly work from professional historians in a variety of practices—archival, teaching faculty, and public historians. MHS values the ongoing work of educators across the state and would welcome proposals from elementary and secondary teachers offering unique deliveries of Mississippi history curriculum, community-engaged learning practices with local archives/libraries, or other partner-oriented learning opportunities. While all proposals are welcome, we are especially interested in topics and approaches that broaden our shared understanding of Mississippi’s culture, economy, political landscape, and social history. MHS encourages interactive presentations that engage our participants’ interest and knowledge of Mississippi’s history through a collaborative approach that solicits feedback.

Individual paper proposals should include a 250-word abstract of the topic, name and affiliation (institution of higher learning, school, business, government entity, museum, archive, etc.), and presenter’s contact information. Panel proposals should include a 500-word abstract that contains a brief description of each proposed topic and includes the names, affiliations, and contact information for each presenter. Proposals are due Friday, September 17, 2021. Please send directly to mhs@mdah.ms.gov. For more information visit the Mississippi Historical Society website at www.mississippihistory.org.

The Mississippi Historical Society presented the best Mississippi history book of 2020, its lifetime achievement award, teacher of the year, and other awards in recognition at its virtual annual meeting on Friday, March 5.

Alferdteen Harrison received the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of her extensive scholarly research and preservation of Mississippi history. Harrison served as president of the Mississippi Historical Society in 1991. She is the former director of the Margaret Walker Alexander Center at Jackson State University and a co-founder of the Smith Robertson Museum in downtown Jackson. She is currently leading an effort to save the Scott-Ford House in Jackson’s Farish Street Historic District.

Nancy Bristow, chair of the History Department at the University of Puget Sound, received the Book of the Year Award for best Mississippi history book of 2020.

Robert Luckett, historian and director of the Margaret Walker Alexander Center at Jackson State University, received the Journal of Mississippi History Article of the Year Award for “James P. Coleman (1956-1960) and Mississippi Poppycock.” The article was published in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of the Journal of Mississippi History.

The Outstanding Local Historical Society Award was presented to the Woodville Civic Club for its work in the preservation of historic Woodville, one of Mississippi’s oldest settlements.

The Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Theresa Moore of Sacred Heart Catholic School in Hattiesburg. Moore, a fifth and sixth grade history teacher, has served at Sacred Heart since 1995 and has more than thirty-six years of teaching experience.

Awards of Merit were presented to the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag for its work in the development and design of the new state flag; Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign for its work in the preservation, education, monument restoration, and advocacy of the Vicksburg Military National Park; the City of Tupelo in celebration of its 150th anniversary; the Columbus Municipal School District for its work in commemorating the histories of Union Academy and Franklin Academy; the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for its donations of the C.C. “Tex” Hamill Down South Magazine Collection and the Dixie Press Collection to MDAH; and the Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, and Northeast Mississippi Community College for its collaborative work on a phone application for the Corinth Contraband Camp Project.

2020–2021 president of MHS Marshall Bennett passed the gavel to incoming president Stephanie Rolph of Jackson.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member visit www.mississippihistory.org.

A book about the tragic 1970 shooting deaths of James Earl Green and Phillip Gibbs at Jackson State University has won the Mississippi Historical Society’s award for the best Mississippi history book of 2020. Nancy Bristow will be awarded the Book of the Year Award for her book Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College published by the Oxford University Press.

“Long treated as an appendage to the tragedy at Kent State, the May 1970 JSU student protests and subsequent killings of Green and Gibbs have deserved a thorough, book-length study that places these events within their proper local and national context,” said Chuck Westmoreland, Delta State University history professor and chair of the book prize committee. “Placing the Jackson State University shootings in a proper national and local context, Bristow is able to highlight the role of local politics and law enforcement in the perpetration of the murders.”

Westmoreland continued, “Furthermore, as Mississippi and the nation continue to wrestle with the damaging legacies of racism and violence, it is fitting that Steeped in the Blood of Racism has won this honor.”

Bristow is chair of the History Department at the University of Puget Sound. She teaches twentieth-century American history, with an emphasis on race, gender, and social change.

“This project has meant a great deal to me, because it is a story that is not mine, but which I believe so deeply others need to know,” said Bristow. “I consider this an honor earned by those who kept this story alive for decades and decades.”

The Book of the Year Award goes to the best book on a subject related to Mississippi history or biography published during the previous year. The prize carries a $700 cash award.

Bristow will accept the award and deliver a lecture during the 2021 Mississippi Historical Society Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually on Friday, March 5. Register online for the free conference. Copies of Bristow’s book can be purchased from the Mississippi Museum Store.

The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi History. Membership is open to anyone; benefits include receiving the Journal of Mississippi History, the Mississippi History Newsletter, and discounts at the Mississippi Museum Store. For information on becoming a member, call 601-576-6856.