Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History:
The Mississippi Legislature recently appropriated $8 million to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) for facility improvements at the Grand Village of Natchez Indians and Historic Jefferson College. This support, coupled with privately raised funds, will allow MDAH to create world-class destinations in Natchez comparable to the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
Funds will be used at the Grand Village of Natchez Indians to renovate and expand the visitor’s center, install new state-of-the-art exhibits, and upgrade the auditorium. A new pavilion will be built, offering a large and inviting space for school groups, summer camps, and community events.
“The story of the Natchez Indians is central to Mississippi history, and the 1970s-era museum facilities are in need of expansion to meet the growing number of visitors,” said MDAH director Katie Blount. “We are grateful to the Mississippi Legislature for the generous appropriation, which will allow us to improve the visitor experience and interpretation at the site.”
The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians is the last ceremonial mound center of the Natchez people in their ancestral homeland and considered the best historically documented mound site in North America. Popular programs and events draw tens of thousands of visitors to the site each year.
The department will work closely with the Muscogee Nation, the Tribal Nation most closely associated with the original Natchez people, and the Natchez community to develop new interpretation at the site.
“The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians is an incredibly important center not only to Mississippi but to the world,” said Devin Heath, executive director for Visit Natchez, the destination marketing organization for Natchez, Mississippi. “Little is known of the original inhabitants of this country and the ability to share the story of the Natchez Indians is vital. These funds provided by the Mississippi Legislature will allow MDAH and our community to more dynamically tell that story.”
Historic Jefferson College in nearby Washington is the birthplace of Mississippi and will one day be a gateway for visitors traveling to Natchez, sharing the powerful stories of westward expansion, the birthplace of statehood, and the rise and fall of the cotton kingdom built on slavery. MDAH has operated the school since 1977 and plans to revitalize the site, restoring the historic buildings, and developing a new museum campus exploring the rich and fascinating history of the Natchez area.
“Historic Jefferson College was the intellectual center of the Natchez region during the early nineteenth century,” said Blount. “We will establish the Natchez Center for American History at the site, interpreting the rich and fascinating history of the region and drawing visitors from across the nation and beyond.”
MDAH will establish a preservation field school at Historic Jefferson College, in partnership with the National Park Service, Historic Natchez Foundation, Mississippi State University, Tulane University, and other area schools. The field school will offer hands-on training in preservation skills such as window restoration, brick repointing, and more.
“These skills are in great demand, and students with this training will be well positioned to fill the need,” said Blount.
For more information email info@mdah.ms.gov.
