Author: Diane Williams
-
Tomato Museum
As you are driving south on I-55, approximately thirty miles south of Jackson, Mississippi, nearing the Crystal Springs Exit 72, a sign on the side of the highway boasts of having a tomato museum in town. Your curiosity may stir as you wonder how the city of Crystal Springs got its name, and you may…
-
Isaac Chapel Rosenwald Historical Museum and Educational Center
The Isaac Chapel Rosenwald Historical Museum and Educational Center began in July 2022 because of a group of restoration committee members. In attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were city officials and a few state representatives, along with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. They were there because the community cared about preserving the old…
-
The Room
If you traveled one block west of what is known as Five Points in Jackson, Mississippi, you would have seen a building that once served as an industrial uniform operation with “swinging doors that never closed.” When the facility was in operation, approximately 126 women worked around the clock on any given day. The operation…
-
Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum
The town of Cleveland was once known as Coleman’s Station, located halfway between Memphis, Tennessee and Vicksburg, Mississippi. The new name was a homage to President Grover Cleveland. It is said that he was one of the first train passengers to travel through Cleveland. The steam engines traveling through in the early days transported timber…
-
The Two Mississippi Museums
“The Two Mississippi Museums preserve the painful stories and truths of our ancestors and are a testament to the deep resolve we have to heal our communities.” The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opened in 2017. They are identified as the Two Mississippi Museums. The two buildings are joined and…
-
Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Museum
Leland is “The Birthplace of the Frog” and the childhood home of Jim Henson. Henson lived in Leland as a youngster, but his adult years were spent beyond Mississippi’s borders. He is the genius behind Kermit the Frog and the Muppets. Kermit was named after the to-be-mayor’s son, a childhood friend of Jim Henson. Kermit…
-
The American Contract Bridge League Museum
and Bridge Hall of Fame There is a museum in Mississippi that is known around the world for its bridge-related artifacts. The first thing that generally comes to mind when considering bridge(s) is to relate it to a structure that connects one pathway with another and is used for travel and transport. One might be…
-
Casey Jones Railroad Museum
There are two Casey Jones Railroad Museum in Mississippi. One is located in the town of Vaughan, founded in 1830, with a population of less than 1,300. It began as a stopover for stagecoaches and trade. The town is named after Major Henry Vaughan, one of the largest landowners in the area. Major Vaughan was…
-
The Aaron Cotton Company
The Aaron Cotton Company Museum is located in the state’s northwest corner, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Coahoma County. Clarksdale is home to Coahoma Community College. The school sits north near the Mississippi River. The town was founded in 1848 and incorporated in 1882. At one time, it served as a vibrant agricultural center where slaves worked…
-
B.B. King Museum
The B.B. King Museum website reflects the museum’s mantra: “Inspire Hope, Creativity, and Greatness.” The organization has something that few cultural institutions around the state have and that is their team of youth ambassadors thereby encouraging an entirely new generation of blues aficionados. It is not often that a museum named after a famous musician…