History is being made every day in Mississippi. It’s been that way for more than 10,000 years—ever since the Natchez Trace was first carved out by the area’s earliest inhabitants. With Mississippi’s bicentennial anniversary now in the books, it’s easier than ever to explore the wonders of the past.

INDIAN MOUNDS

Thousands of years before the first Europeans and Africans arrived here, Native Americans were making their homes in Mississippi. Like many settlers who followed, they appreciated the warm climate, fertile soil and abundant wildlife. Today, evidence of these native communities is still visible throughout the state.

CAPITAL/RIVER

The 444-mile scenic highway now known as the NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY was once a trade route forged by Native Americans, and well-preserved mounds and other signs of these ancestors’ presence are still all around. Explore the Native American way of life in Natchez at the GRAND VILLAGE OF THE NATCHEZ INDIANS, home to three prehistoric mounds plus a reconstructed Natchez Indian home and a museum. Each spring, the village hosts the NATCHEZ POWWOW, a Southeastern Tourism Society Top 20 event, featuring traditional dance performances, food and crafts.

 

Grand Village of the Natchez Indians

Natchez

Winterville Mounds

Greenville

DELTA

Among the fascinating sites on the MISSISSIPPI MOUND TRAIL are the WINTERVILLE MOUNDS, a former Native American political and religious hub just north of present-day Greenville, which are open to the public along with an onsite museum filled with artifacts. The ARCOLA MOUNDS north of Hollandale were built during the Mississippi Period, between A.D. 1200 and 1600.

 

HILLS

Coming in 2020 to a 162-acre site along the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tupelo, the state-of-the-art CHICKASAW HERITAGE CENTER will tell the story of this well-known tribe’s centuries of existence in Mississippi.

CIVIL WAR

Mississippi’s location along the Mississippi River made it strategically important to both sides when the Civil War began in 1861. That year was less than half a century after Mississippi joined the United States, but as a part of the Confederacy, Mississippians took up arms as the Union Army arrived in April 1862.

Numerous key battles and turning points took place here. Explore the state’s many Civil War-related sites open to visitors by following the list below:

CORINTH

CORINTH CIVIL WAR INTERPRETIVE CENTER | 662.287.9273
Go where the Civil War began in Mississippi.

HISTORIC CORINTH WALKING & DRIVING TOUR | Corinth Area CVB | 662.287.8300
See the homes of the generals as Corinth changed hands in 1862 and again in 1864. Visit Civil War earthworks.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Battle of Shiloh: Apr. 6-7, 1862
• Siege of Corinth: Apr. 29-30, 1862
• Battle of Iuka: Sep. 19, 1862
• Battle of Corinth: Oct. 3-4, 1862

HOLLY SPRINGS

MARSHALL COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM | 662.252.3669
Visit the sites of the cavalry raid that brought Grant’s first attempt on Vicksburg to an inglorious end.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Van Dorn Raid & Grant’s Mississippi Central Railroad Campaign: Nov. 2-Dec. 20, 1862

BALDWYN & TUPELO

BRICE’S CROSSROADS NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD SITE | 662.680.4025
Walk the grounds of General Bedford Forrest’s astounding victory fought in the summer of 1864 and learn of the valor of the US African American troops.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Battle of Brice’s Crossroads: Jun. 10, 1864
• The Battle of Tupelo: Jul. 14-15, 1864

OKOLONA

OKOLONA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | 662.447.5913
Visit a cemetery where Confederate dead were interred after the bloody Battle of Shiloh. See where Forrest’s outnumbered cavalry corps routed Sooy Smith’s federals in a running gunfight.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Battle of Okolona: Feb. 22, 1864

STARKVILLE

ULYSSES S. GRANT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY | 662.325.4552
See the vast collection of Grant’s papers and memorabilia.

GREENWOOD

MUSEUM OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA | 662.453.0925
Gaze over the turbid waters of the Tallahatchie River, where Grant’s Union invasion armada was repulsed.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Yazoo Pass Expedition: Feb. 3-Apr. 10, 1863

COLUMBUS 

GENERAL STEPHEN D. LEE’S HOME | Visit Columbus | 662.329.1191
Stand under the magnolias “where flowers healed the nation” on Apr. 25, 1866, during the pre-cursor of Memorial Day.

JACKSON

THE OAKS HOUSE MUSEUM | 601.353.9339
Learn about the lives of Jackson’s 19th century civilians.

OLD CAPITOL MUSEUM | 601.576.6920
Experience the chambers where Mississippi’s lawmakers voted for secession from the Union in 1861.

RAYMOND

RAYMOND MILITARY PARK | 601.857.8041
See the 25 cannons that boomed over a Civil War battlefield. Ponder the past in the historic cemetery and town.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Battle of Raymond: May 12, 1863

VICKSBURG

VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK | 601.636.0583
Marvel at the battlefield vistas and the monuments.

VICKSBURG CVB | 601.636.9421
Visit antebellum homes, museums and pick up a free Vicksburg commemorative art book.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Siege of Vicksburg: May 19-Jul. 4, 1863

PORT GIBSON & GRAND GULF

GRAND GULF MILITARY PARK | 601.437.5911
Visit the river battle and museum, fortifications and antebellum structures.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Battle of Port Gibson: May 1, 1863
• Battle of Grand Gulf: Apr. 29, 1863

PORT GIBSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | 601.437.4351
See the awe-inspiring Ruins of Windsor Plantation, along with antebellum churches and homes.

MERIDIAN

MERREHOPE HOME | 601.483.8439
See the home that survived Sherman’s wrath.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Meridian Expedition: Feb. 3-20, 1864

NATCHEZ

NATCHEZ CVB | 800.647.6724
Experience the mansions and the splendor of the Old South.

BILOXI

BEAUVOIR – THE JEFFERSON DAVIS HOME & PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY | 228.388.4400
Visit the Confederate president’s last home.

HISTORIC EVENTS
• Fort Massachusetts

SHIP ISLAND EXCURSIONS | 228.864.1014
Relax and take a daylong cruise to a Gulf barrier island fort.

MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS

CAPITAL/RIVER

The bicentennial anniversary of Mississippi’s 1817 statehood culminated in the opening of two must-see museums in downtown Jackson. Collectively referred to as the “2 MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS,” the MUSEUM OF MISSISSIPPI HISTORY and the MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM are linked by a single cathedral-like common area that symbolizes how the state’s past is so closely linked to its citizens’ struggle for racial equality. High-tech exhibits share space with rare artifacts; the Museum of Mississippi History houses an 1818 20-star American flag and an original Bowie knife, while the Civil Rights Museum displays items closely linked to activists Medgar Evers and Vernon Dahmer while explaining how their movement impacted both this state and the world.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Jackson

Mississippi Armed Forces Museum

Camp Shelby

COASTAL

What began as a small collection of war artifacts has become the 36,000-square-foot MISSISSIPPI ARMED FORCES MUSEUM, located at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center just south of Hattiesburg. Exhibit spaces feature re-created trenches and jungles and explore 200 years of conflicts. A recent expansion added new galleries to honor decorated veterans and Medal of Honor recipients and host rotating exhibits. Nearby, the AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM in Hattiesburg is housed in the only surviving USO Club built exclusively for African American soldiers. Artifacts include one of the most complete sets of authentic Spanish-American War medals, while displays tell the story of pioneers including Hattiesburg’s own Jesse L. Brown, the first black pilot in the US Navy.

CIVIL RIGHTS

The crusade for equality in America grew from a tiny spark to a powerful beacon of light in Mississippi, where many civil rights leaders lived and many important events took place.

The MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM (see above) is an ideal place to begin a journey into the victories and heartbreaks of this part of the state’s past. In addition to the places below, you’ll find dozens of other significant civil rights sites on the MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM TRAIL.

DELTA

The Delta community of Money saw one of the most galvanizing moments in the movement—the lynching of EMMETT TILL. A Mississippi Freedom Trail marker notes the spot where the 14-year-old was accused of offending a white shopkeeper.

See the home of one of the region’s earliest civil rights leaders at the AMZIE MOORE HOUSE MUSEUM in Cleveland, which recognizes Moore’s efforts to increase voter registration and encourage student activism.

In Ruleville, a memorial garden and 8-foottall statue honor activist FANNIE LOU HAMER, a leader in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party who spoke at the 1964 Democratic Convention about her struggles to vote.

 

Fannie Lou Hamer

Ruleville

Greyhound Bus Station

Jackson

CAPITAL/RIVER

Follow the path of the Freedom Riders by visiting the site of the former GREYHOUND BUS STATION in Jackson where a group of civil rights activists were arrested in 1961. On the campus of Jackson State University in Jackson, the historic building that once held the offices of the Council of Federated Organizations—a hub for civil rights groups during the 1960s—is now the COFO CIVIL RIGHTS EDUCATION CENTER, hosting visitors from around the world.

 

COASTAL

Feel the power of a leader passionate for change at ST. PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH in Laurel, the site of one of the last speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. just two weeks before his assassination in 1968.

HILLS

On the same day he spoke in Laurel, King also motivated churchgoers at MT. ZION MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH in Batesville, encouraging participation in a rally a few weeks later in the nation’s capital. The IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT MUSEUM in Holly Springs pays homage to this crusader for justice who traveled the world to raise awareness of oppression of African Americans and women long before what is thought of as the official civil rights movement. Wells-Barnett’s work eventually helped pave the way for JAMES MEREDITH to become the first African American student at the University of Mississippi in Oxford in 1962. A statue of Meredith now stands on the campus.

HISTORIC HOMES AND SACRED PLACES

There’s much more to Mississippi’s historic homes and sacred spaces than architectural grandeur and artistry. These landmarks highlight the little details that make everyday life here unique.

DELTA

Constructed in 1857, the 9,000-square-foot BELMONT PLANTATION in Greenville stands as the last antebellum mansion along the river in the Delta region. The elegantly restored home is open for tours, special events and overnight visits.

Beltmont Plantation

Greenwood

Longwood

Natchez

CAPITAL/RIVER

The riverfront cities of VICKSBURG and NATCHEZ are filled with historic homes offering tours year-round. One of Natchez’s most noteworthy is the unfinished octagonal mansion known as LONGWOOD, where construction began in 1860 but stopped a year later when war broke out, never to be resumed.

Two downtown Natchez homes reveal what life was like for free African Americans before the Civil War. The 1840-built WILLIAM JOHNSON HOUSE is now a museum owned by the National Park Service, while just over a block away, the 1852-built SMITH-BONTURA-EVANS HOUSE is a rare regional example of a residential commercial complex. The MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR’S MANSION in Jackson was first occupied in 1842, making it the second-oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the country. The early-1820s GREENWOOD CEMETERY in Jackson is home to monuments marking the final resting places of governors, generals and locals from all walks of life. Port Gibson is home to multiple interesting landmarks, from the golden hand that points to heaven atop FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH to WINDSOR RUINS, a haunting collection of columns that are all that remains after an antebellum mansion burned in 1890.

COASTAL

BEAUVOIR, the 1852-built home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Biloxi, now holds his presidential library as well as a Civil War museum.

 

PINES

A planter and physician was the first owner of THE MAGNOLIAS in Aberdeen. The Greek Revival-style home now offers tours and special events.

HILLS

HILL CREST CEMETERY in Holly Springs was established in the early 1800s. With its graves for multiple Confederate generals, it is known as “Little Arlington of the South.”

PILGRIMAGES

Throughout the year you’ll find grand tours of historic homes and landmarks. These pilgrimages are a perfect way to explore history while enjoying festivities filled with Southern hospitality.

CAPITAL/RIVER

The twice-yearly NATCHEZ PILGRIMAGE offers pilgrimage tours with an abundance of antebellum mansions—led by hostesses in period costumes—along with special activities including theatrical and musical performances.

Natchez Pilgrimage

Columbus Spring Pilgrimage

PINES

This spring marks the 79th annual COLUMBUS SPRING PILGRIMAGE, an event that builds on its many home tours with extras including carriage rides, art shows, antique sales and garden parties. The ABERDEEN SOUTHERN HERITAGE PILGRIMAGE is a springtime romp through historic mansions and cemeteries in a city that was once one of the busiest ports in the state and still holds an abundance of 19th-century architectural gems.

HILLS

For more than 80 years, Holly Springs has held its TOUR OF HISTORIC HOMES each spring, showcasing centuries-old churches, cemeteries, museums and well-preserved homes with costumed characters and local musicians.

 

COASTAL

The MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST SPRING PILGRIMAGE bills itself as the South’s only complimentary home and garden pilgrimage. Guests are invited to step inside new and restored homes in multiple coastal towns and to attend a flower show and other garden-focused events.

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