Groups of 10 or more are invited to attend the Museums for free
Advertiser Spotlight
Submitted by Mississippi Department of Archives and History
The Two Mississippi Museums, the interconnected Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, stand as twin institutions dedicated to chronicling the complex and intertwined histories of Mississippi and its people. Within these museums, the treatment of religion is reflected, both its pivotal role in shaping the state’s cultural landscape and its intersection with broader social and political movements.
The Museums invite visitors to engage with the complexities of faith, identity, and social change in Mississippi’s history. Both museums in this Smithsonian-affiliated complex, which opened to national acclaim in December 2017 under the purview of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH), feature re-creations of church buildings that show short films about the state’s history:
Museum of Mississippi History
See a replica of Mount Helm Baptist Church, which was built in 1868 for African Americans who, prior to the Civil War, had worshipped in the basement of First Baptist Jackson. Mt. Helm is the oldest Black church in Jackson and has been available to worshippers for nearly two hundred years. A theater in the Museum’s church exhibit contains pews for visitors to sit on while viewing a highlight reel of Mississippi history from Reconstruction through the 1927 Mississippi River Flood.
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
You can also watch a moving film about Freedom Summer 1964 while sitting in the pews of a rural church structure inside the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. While this exhibit space is not constructed to model a specific church, the structure represents the role that many Black churches played as community centers and schools during the Freedom Summer Project, and as a result were targets of white supremacist violence and destruction, particularly by firebombing. Despite the assumption that churches should be a safe space, over sixty Black churches were bombed in 1964, and church members were forced to gather outside in fields. The film shown inside this church exhibit—voiced by Oprah Winfrey—tells the story of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and features visual and sound effects of bombings and fire.
Religious narratives within these museums are not confined to Christianity alone. They encompass a diverse array of spiritual practices and beliefs, reflecting Mississippi’s multicultural heritage and the contributions of Jewish, Muslim, and other religious communities.
Church groups or other religiously affiliated organizations of 10 or more can now visit the Two Mississippi Museums for free. The Museums also provide these same groups an opportunity use the event space at a discounted rate, including a large auditorium in between the two museums that could be ideal for a church banquet, pastor’s conference, or other event.
The Two Mississippi Museums offer much more than just a recounting of historical events. Visiting them is a profound experience that will resonate deeply with religious groups from various backgrounds.
For information on how to schedule a free visit to the Two Mississippi Museums for your church group, call 601-576-6902 or visit twommgrouptours@mdah.ms.gov. For information on discounted event rentals for faith-based organizations, call 601-576-3810 or email eventrentals@mdah.ms.gov. Made possible by a grant through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.