On October 14, 1938, elght African American women
chartered the state's first graduate chapter of
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. here, at 723 Rose
Street. At the time, this area, located south of
what is now Jackson State University, was home . . . — — Map (db m244416) HM
Front
Rabbi Perry Nussbaum came to Beth Israel in 1954 and was an important voice for racial justice. Working with diverse ministers, he helped found the Committee of Concern, raising money for black churches burned by the Klan. In 1967, . . . — — Map (db m133848) HM
The Boys Baseball Association was founded
in 1956 at the YMCA on Farish Street in
Jackson by Curtis Coward, a local resident.
With no baseball fields available for
Black youth at the time, the first games
were played at Brinkley . . . — — Map (db m219754) HM
Est. 1897 as Christ's Holiness School; moved to this site in 1907. Chartered as Christ Missionary & Industrial College in 1908. Teaches religious, academic, and vocational curriculum for grades 1-12+. — — Map (db m115292) HM
Established in 1849 by Carl J. Von Seutter as the Carl J. Von Seutter Jewelry and Art Emporium, this business was once located in the Majestic Arcade Building on Capitol Street. In 1918, one of Von Seutter's employees, John C. Carter, purchased the . . . — — Map (db m51181) HM
~Front~ Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson, a native of Jackson, is known for her broad explorations of various forms of music, including the blues. Her recordings include versions of songs by Delta blues artists Robert . . . — — Map (db m72134) HM
This building was constructed in 1904 as the original fire station for the first paid City of Jackson Fire Department. With numerous additions, now removed, it served the city for almost seventy five years.
Abandoned for three years, listed on . . . — — Map (db m109406) HM
Length: 16-20 feet Height: 8 Feet Weight: 3.5 tons Diet: Herbivore Period:Late Cretaceous 75-70 million years ago Fascinating Fact: The Chasmosaurus could protect itself much like a rhinoceros--running at full speed . . . — — Map (db m211065) HM
Best known for her 1976 hit “Misty Blue” on Jackson's Malaco Records, Dorothy Moore remained prominent as a performer and recording artist for well over a half-century. Her career effectively started in 1958 when, at just twelve, she won the first . . . — — Map (db m219745) HM
Length: 25 feet Height: 12 Feet Weight: 4 tons Diet: Herbivore Period:Cretaceous Fascinating Fact: The Eotrachodon was a type of
"duck-billed" dinosaur. While it could run on its two
hind legs to flee predators, it . . . — — Map (db m211061) HM
The farm bell called hands from the
fields or dinner. It was never rung
at any other time except when help
was needed, someone was hurt or sick,
there was a fire or some emergency
required the workers to come immediately repeated ringing would . . . — — Map (db m232908) HM
Organized by five Jacksonians in 1837. Under the leadership of Rev. L.D. Halsey, a church building was constructed herein 1845-46 on land purchased from the state. Utilized for Christian worship until 1951. — — Map (db m107069) HM
This typical family farmstead was in operation from 1860 to 1960. The buildings were moved from Jefferson Davis Co. in 1981 and restored through the generosity of the family, friends and county supervisors. — — Map (db m69944) HM
To assist returning veterans of
WWII, the Mississippi Legislature
set aside 153 acres for low-cost
house sites. Then known as the
"Old Asylum Land," the parcels
were sold by lottery in September,
1948. Streets in the subdivision
bear . . . — — Map (db m115370) HM
Methodist Episcopal Church South.
First M.E. Church South erected A.D. 1838.
Present building erected A.D. 1913-1915.
Dedicated to the memory of
Bishop Charles B. Galloway — — Map (db m105561)
This edifice ~ a memorial to Bishop Charles Betts Galloway ~ houses descendants of Jackson's first Christian congregation, worshipping on this site since 1839. — — Map (db m105560) HM
History of the
GM&O Depot
Known at the date of its closing as the GM&O Depot, this passenger depot was constructed in 1927 by the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad (NOGN) and later served the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad (GM&N) as . . . — — Map (db m115146) HM
Built in 1927 by the New Orleans Great
Northern Railroad, this freight depot
served various railroads, including the
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, until 1972, when rail
operations ceased. The Merchants
Company, a wholesale grocer, leased the
building . . . — — Map (db m219750) HM
Originally constructed in 1936 by the WPA
and designed by the Jackson firm of Hull and
Drummond, the Hawkins Field Terminal was
enlarged in 1941 and expanded again in the
mid-1950s. Hawkins Field was created as the
Jackson Municipal Airport in . . . — — Map (db m178424) HM
Built 1846-47 by slave labor, of handmade brick. Original cost $7,505.58. John Oldham, Mayor - Will Gibbon, Arch. Used as hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers during War Between the States, this building was spared when the town, having . . . — — Map (db m49682) HM
Front
On March 27, 1961, nine African American Tougaloo
students quietly sat in at the Jackson Municipal Library,
which served only white patrons. Police ordered
them to Carver Library, the "colored" library, and
when they refused, . . . — — Map (db m109294) HM
Named in honor of Grand Master
Thomas W. Stringer, founder of Prince
Hall Masonry in Mississippi, who served
as Grand Master from 1867 to 1893.
Dedicated on May 30, 1955, with an
address given by civil rights activist
and future Supreme . . . — — Map (db m115332) HM
Front
Malaco Records, one of America’s foremost labels in the fields of southern soul, blues, and gospel, was founded at this site in 1967. Malaco’s studio was the first state-of-the-art recording facility in Mississippi. The label . . . — — Map (db m90193) HM
Front
Medgar and Myrlie Evers moved into this
home with their children - Darrell and Reena -
in 1955 after Medgar became Mississippi's first
NAACP Field Secretary. Son Van was born in
1960. Evers was an outspoken activist for . . . — — Map (db m115401) HM
This boxcar is one of 49 gift-filled rail cars that composed the Merci Train, also known as the French Gratitude Train, sent to the American people in 1949 by the citizens of France. The gift of the Merci Train was a spontaneous act of gratitude for . . . — — Map (db m96574) HM WM
Served 1839-1903 as the state capitol: restored 1959-1961 as the State Historical Museum, a division of the Miss. Department of Archives and History. — — Map (db m95483) HM
As the state capitol (1839-1903), this building was the site of the 1861 Secession Convention and 1868 and 1890 Constitutional Conventions. Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and Jefferson Davis spoke here. After housing state offices 1917-1959, the Old . . . — — Map (db m71069) HM
(South face)
Our Mothers
To the women of the Confederacy “Whose pious ministrations to our wounded soldiers soothed the last hours of those who died far from the objects of their tenderest love, whose domestic labors contributed . . . — — Map (db m16720) HM
On this site was the house of Andrew J. and Susie Davis Noel, built 1924. Active in the NAACP, the Noels hosted Freedom Riders here in 1960. In 1948, Gladys Noel Bates filed the first lawsuit in the state seeking equal pay for black public school . . . — — Map (db m51173) HM
Begun in 1833. Here Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and Jefferson Davis spoke. Was scene of 1861 Secession Convention, Black and Tan Convention of 1868, & 1890 Constitutional Convention. — — Map (db m71070) HM
To improve communication to the Old Southwest, the Natchez Trace was declared a post road in 1800. Afterwards, with Choctaw permission, improvements to this section of the Old Trace began. In 1805, the Choctaw allowed inns, known as stands, to be . . . — — Map (db m87361) HM
~ Front Side ~
Otis Spann and Little Johnnie Jones, two of the acknowledged masters of Chicago blues piano, were cousins who lived in Jackson in the 1930s and '40s. On the vibrant post-World War II Chicago scene they both played with blues . . . — — Map (db m81972) HM
Built and used between A.D 1000 and 1300, this platform mound and a nearby burial mound mark the ceremonial and political seat of a regional chiefdom of the Plaquemine culture. A thatched, clay-plastered ritual temple or chief's lodging stood atop . . . — — Map (db m77266) HM
The Pocahontas site consists of two mounds and an
associated village area. Mound A is a rectangular platform
mound currently 20 feet tall, built between AD 750 and
1500. Excavations located structural features on the mound
surface, as well . . . — — Map (db m121103) HM
Front
Scott Radio Service Company, located at 128 North Gallatin Street, just north of this site, was one of the first businesses in Mississippi to offer professional recording technology. The Jackson-based Trumpet record label used . . . — — Map (db m90196) HM
Jackson's only surviving "public square" from Peter Vandorn's original city plan of 1822. Named for James Smith, Scottish manufacturer, Confederate benefactor, and Jackson resident, 1834-1855, who donated funds for a fence around the park in 1884. . . . — — Map (db m105562) HM
The main source of meat for early families
was hogs almost the entire animal was
used. The most commonly cured or smoked
parts were hams shoulders, and middlin'
meat (bacon and salt pork).
This smoke house was built before 1862,
by Jesse . . . — — Map (db m232909) HM
Jackson's Jewish congregation was organized in 1861. While not the first congregation in Mississippi, Beth Israel was the first to build a temple. In 1867-1868 a wood frame structure was built on this site. Used as both a school and a house of . . . — — Map (db m134332) HM
Two of Jackson’s historic hotels once stood at this site. The Eagle Hotel, originally a tavern, was built in 1823. Andrew Jackson was a guest here in 1840. Alexander McClung, editor and Mexican War hero, committed suicide at the hotel in 1855. The . . . — — Map (db m51178) HM
In the early 1900s. misconduct such as fighting, drunkenness, and disturbing the peace landed you in the red brick jail house, known as the Calaboose, in West Station (now West), Mississippi. It cost $14.20 in fine money to get out. The jail was . . . — — Map (db m179456) HM
The Mississippi Liberty Bell made an historic journey during our nation’s Bicentennial year, 1975-1976. On loan to the Southern Baptist Convention and mounted on a truck furnished by the Ford Motor Company, the bell traveled approximately 50,000 . . . — — Map (db m126137) HM
In 1938, the Mississippi Geological Survey in cooperation with the W.P.A.
undertook a geological survey in ten counties. Assistant state geologist
Fredric F. Mellen supervised several county surveys in search of good
ceramic clays. Mellen . . . — — Map (db m185390) HM
Length: 30 feet Height: 10 Feet Weight: 6-8 tons Diet: Herbivore Period:Late Cretaceous - 90-66 million years ago Fascinating Fact: Triceratops means "three-horned-face" in Greek. The triceratops' head is one . . . — — Map (db m211066) HM
In 1964 a group of Jackson citizens and the
United Church of Christ challenged Lamar Life
Insurance Company's application for renewal of
their WLBT license, charging racial discrimination.
In 1971 the Federal Communications Commission
granted a . . . — — Map (db m178458) HM
(front)
Woolworth's variety store was the scene of a pivotal event in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement on May 28, 1963. When three black Tougaloo College students sat down at the white lunch counter seeking service, the nonviolent . . . — — Map (db m105565) HM
The Belhaven neighborhood developed north
of the city as Jackson's first suburb.
Composed of more than 1,300 historic
structures dating from as early as 1904,
Belhaven is Mississippi's largest
historic district. The neighborhood
includes . . . — — Map (db m115394) HM
The Belhaven neighborhood developed north of the city as Jackson's first suburb. Composed of more than 1,300 historic structures dating from as early as 1904, Belhaven is Mississippi's largest historic district. The neighborhood includes a wide . . . — — Map (db m119596) HM
Belhaven College for Young Ladies was founded in 1883 at the estate of Senator Jones S. Hamilton and named for his Scottish home, “Bel Haven," translated "Beautiful Home." Fire destroyed the College in 1894 and again in 1910 before it was . . . — — Map (db m133851) HM
Built ca. 1853 for James H. Boyd, Mayor of Jackson, 1842, 1844, 1850, and 1858. One of the few homes to survive the Civil War, the Greek Revival house is listed on National Register of Historic Places. — — Map (db m115286) HM
Front
On June 26, 1966, James Meredith's "March Against Fear" — led by Stokely Carmichael. Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd McKissick, and others after Meredith was shot and wounded — ended its three-week trek from Memphis . . . — — Map (db m89745) HM
During the Civil War siege of Jackson, on
July 11, 1863, Union soldiers in the 2nd
Michigan Infantry staged an impromptu
assault on the city's fortifications.
Advancing south through what is today
eastern Belhaven, they overran a campsite . . . — — Map (db m115337) HM
This denomination, which has over 160 member churches in the U.S., was founded ca. 1896 in Jackson by the Rev. Charles Price Jones, preacher, evangelist, and prolific writer of religious songs. — — Map (db m105598) HM
Over 450 Confederate soldiers who died in and around Jackson during the Civil War are buried here. Their names are known but not the exact site of each grave, as some were reburied here from graves where they fell. As Jackson awaited the final . . . — — Map (db m105596) HM
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the French Legion of Honor, Eudora Welty typically drew upon her native state for the settings of her fiction. Mississippi's hill country, its Natchez Trace and Delta, Welty's . . . — — Map (db m133916) HM
Eudora Welty (1909-2001), one of the most acclaimed writers of the twentieth century, lived in this house for seventy six years. This house was built by Welty's parents, Christian and Chestina Welty, in 1925. Eudora Welty wrote all of her major . . . — — Map (db m91895) HM
Eudora Welty House
has been designated a
National
Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance
in commemorating the history of the
United States of America
2004
National Park Service
United . . . — — Map (db m130168) HM
Built ca. 1908 as a private residence for
Cyrus C. Warren, vice president of the
Warren-Godwin Lumber Company, this
Colonial Revival mansion was designed
by the Chicago architectural firm of
Spencer & Powers. Known as the Warren-
Gunter . . . — — Map (db m115367) HM
Fortification Street is situated along a section
line from the 1820 Choctaw Cession that became
Jackson's northern city limit by act of
Mississippi's General Assembly in 1821. The area
was surveyed by U.S. General Thomas Hinds and
Judge Peter . . . — — Map (db m178435) HM
In 1850, Captain William M. Gillespie
(1823-1893) moved to Jackson and
purchased forty acres on the “Canton
Dirt Road” (modern-day North State
Street) for $840. Gillespie's country
estate was bounded by present-day
Arlington Street, Hazel . . . — — Map (db m178430) HM
Greenwood Cemetery is the oldest landmark in Jackson. Authorized by the Mississippi Legislature on January 1, 1823, it was later expanded from six to twenty-two acres and given its present name. Among those buried here are numerous governors, public . . . — — Map (db m51179) HM
A land grant from the federal government to the state of Mississippi, November 28, 1821, established this cemetery, which is Jackson’s oldest landmark. The General Assembly ordered a commission composed of the Governor, Secretary, Auditor and . . . — — Map (db m131003) HM
The Jitney Jungle grocery store chain was
founded in 1919 by the McCarty and Holman
families. In 1933, Jitney No. 14 held its
grand opening in this Tudor Revival
building designed by Emmett Hull. The
building, called "The English Village," . . . — — Map (db m115335) HM
A gift of R.V. Powers in 1917 enabled the Mississippi Children's Home Society, est. 1912, to build on this site "The Kate McWillie Powers Memorial", a home for children in the care of the Society. In 1997, the Society dedicated this campus as a . . . — — Map (db m115284) HM
Robert Estes Kennington was one of
Jackson's wealthiest merchants in the
early 1900s. In 1912, he chose this hill
north of the city to build "Kenwood," a
grand brick mansion on extensive grounds
including a tennis court, lake, formal . . . — — Map (db m115336) HM
This Georgian Revival home was designed by architect Bem Price and built by Isaac C. Garber in 1913, for Mary D. (Terrell) and Thad B. Lampton, prominent businessman and banker who served as the state treasurer under Governor Longino. The estate . . . — — Map (db m133854) HM
Built in 1857 by Charles Henry Manship,
the Manship House is an excellent example
of a Gothic Revival “cottage villa" inspired
by A.J. Downing's The Architecture of
Country Houses. Manship (1812-1895) was
the mayor of Jackson during the Civil . . . — — Map (db m178427) HM
Chartered Feb. 21, 1890 by Miss. Methodists. Named for & largely endowed by Maj. R.W. Millsaps. Bishop C.B. Galloway first president of Board; Bishop W.B. Murrah first president of college. — — Map (db m51205) HM
In Memory
of
Seven Early Governors
of the State of Mississippi
Buried in
Greenwood Cemetery
George Poindexter
January 5, 1820 to January 7, 1822
Abraham Marshall Scott
January 9, 1832 to June 12, 1833
Charles Lynch . . . — — Map (db m131002) HM
Exploring this Belhaven creek in the
1850s, state geologist Eugene Hilgard
identified a fossil-rich stratum at the
base of the Yazoo Clay, known today
as the Moody's Branch Formation, and
the first evidence of volcanic doming at
Jackson. . . . — — Map (db m178432) HM
On January 8, 1868, Thomas E. and Mary Helm, prominent members of First Presbyterian Church, donated this plot of land to African-Americans who had worshipped in the basement of First Baptist Church from 1835 to 1867. Mount Helm was built here in . . . — — Map (db m105597) HM
Front
The Queen of Hearts, a primary venue for down-home blues in Jackson, opened at this location in the 1970s. During the following decades, owner-operator Chellie B. Lewis presented the blues bands of King Edward, Sam Myers, Big Bad . . . — — Map (db m90194) HM
This building was once Belhaven's own full service gas station and general store, nicknamed by residents the "Shady Nook." It was originally built as a one-room structure ca. 1928 and then expanded in 1936 by architect A. Hays Town using . . . — — Map (db m133852) HM
Front
In 1928, Jackson developer Lucius L. Mayes converted six acres of rugged terrain into a residential development of fully furnished, up-to-date homes with similar color schemes but in a variety of architectural styles. A grand . . . — — Map (db m133850) HM
During the Siege of Jackson, July 10-17, 1863, Confederate Gen. William W. Loring's division held defensive positions extending east of the Canton Road to the Pearl River. A number of artillery batteries were posted on this line, the most prominent . . . — — Map (db m107070) HM
In the Late Cretaceous Period, shallow seas covered central Mississippi. About 75 million years ago, a volcano erupted through the seafloor creating an island surrounded by a reef. Today, these structures are located 2,900 feet beneath the city. . . . — — Map (db m133847) HM
Born in Jackson in 1934, Willie Morris was an
acclaimed novelist, essayist, and editor noted
for his portrayal of Mississippi and the South.
Although his boyhood home was Yazoo City,
Morris frequently visited his grandparents,
Mamie and Percy . . . — — Map (db m219753) HM
Originally built by Our Redeemer Lutheran
Evangelical Church, this Colonial Revival-
style chapel was constructed in 1932
and was the first church located in one of
Jackson's earliest subdivisions. In the
1960s, a new church was built adjacent . . . — — Map (db m178423) HM
(front)
On May 28, 1961, a Greyhound bus with nine Freedom Riders aboard arrived here, the third group of Riders into Jackson. The first two came on Trailways buses May 24. That summer 329 people were arrested in Jackson for integrating . . . — — Map (db m82000) HM
(side 1)
Henry Columbus (H.C.) Speir (1895-1972) played a crucial role in the recording of dozens of blues, country and gospel artists in the 1920s and 30s. In his position as owner of Speir Phonograph Company, founded here at 225 N. . . . — — Map (db m148590) HM
Formed in 1835, the congregation of Mt. Helm is the oldest black religious body in the city. The church bears the name of the Helm family who donated this land on which the church originally stood. — — Map (db m115363) HM
Built in 1894 as Jackson's first public school for black students. Commonly known as the "Mother School," it was named for Smith Robertson, a respected community leader, and Jackson's first black city alderman. Among the school's graduates is author . . . — — Map (db m94959) HM
The Alamo Theatre opened at this location in 1949. Prior to that the Alamo occupied two other spots in the area. The theatre showed movies, hosted music competitions, and presented blues and jazz concerts by artists such as Nat “King” . . . — — Map (db m51197) HM
Trumpet Records was the first record company in Mississippi to achieve national stature through its distribution, sales, radio airplay and promotion. Willard and Lillian McMurry launched the label from their retail store, the Record Mart, here at . . . — — Map (db m51196) HM
The Mississippi Federation of Women’s Clubs, organized in 1898 in Kosciusko, moved into this headquarters building in 1936. Designed by architect Robert Naef and built by the Works Projects Administration, the structure is of the Georgian-Revival . . . — — Map (db m72679) HM
Following the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, Union forces under William T. Sherman pursued Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army to Jackson and laid siege to the city. North of Jackson, Parke's IX Corps moved astride the Canton Road and . . . — — Map (db m71101) HM WM
This church, organized in 1883, began as a Sunday School mission to blacks under the episcopate of Bishop Hugh M. Thompson. The first instructor was a Mr. Williams, an African American. The Rev. Richard T. Middleton became the first priest in 1904. . . . — — Map (db m51176) HM
During the era of segregation, traveling African Americans had few options for lodging. In Jackson, many black musicians stayed at the Summers Hotel, established in 1944 by W.J. Summers. In 1966 Summers opened a club in the hotel basement that he . . . — — Map (db m71513) HM
"There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of
slaves; nothing that reminds us of the ones who made the journey and of those who did not make it. There is no . . . — — Map (db m178607) HM
Front
Bobby Rush, a Louisiana native who lived for decades in Chicago, earned the title “king of the chitlin circuit” after relocating to Jackson in the early 1980s. Rush's distinctive “folk funk” style, featured . . . — — Map (db m109296) HM
Front
From this building, COFO (Council of Federated
Organizations) coordinated efforts of SNCC,
NAACP, CORE, SCLC, and other activist groups
from early 1963 through early 1965. Clarksdale's
Aaron Henry was COFO president. Bob . . . — — Map (db m115397) HM
Founded in 1961, COFO combined the Civil
Rights efforts of the Congress of Racial
Equality. NAACP, Southern Christian
Leadership Conference, Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee, and local groups
under one umbrella. COFO's grassroots . . . — — Map (db m115333) HM
~Front~
One of the earliest blues musicians from Mississippi to make recordings, Ishmon Bracey (1899-1970) is buried in the nearby Willow Park Cemetery. In the 1920s and '30s Bracey was a leading bluesman in the Jackson area and . . . — — Map (db m71512) HM
Tragedy struck Jackson State College on May 15, 1970, when Jackson police and Mississippi Highway Patrol officers suppressed student unrest with intense gunfire. Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green were killed and many injured when bullets . . . — — Map (db m178451) HM
Tragedy struck Jackson State College on May 15,
1970, when Jackson police and Mississippi
Highway Patrol officers suppressed student unrest
with intense gunfire. Phillip Lafayette Gibbs
and James Earl Green were killed and many
injured when . . . — — Map (db m109209) HM
Born July 7, 1915, in Birmingham, Alabama, Margaret Abigail Walker
grew up in a sophisticated Black family in New Orleans. After
attending Northwestern University, she joined the WPA in Depression-
era Chicago, where she met some of the day's . . . — — Map (db m178376) HM
The Gowdy community was first settled prior to 1903. Named for Mr. W.B. Gowdy, former president of the Delta Cotton Oil and Fertilizer Plant. This African American community was awarded its own U.S. postal stop in 1915. The Gowdy community is . . . — — Map (db m71366) HM