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Mississippi Historical SocietyHistorical Society Seeking Nominations Historical SketchThe Mississippi Historical Society was organized in Jackson on November 9, 1858, under the scholarly leadership of B. L. C. Wailes, but survived less than two years. Reorganization efforts, beginning in 1890, bore fruit eight years later at the University of Mississippi when the Society issued fourteen volumes of the Mississippi Historical Society Publications under the editorship of Franklin L. Riley, professor of history at the University. In 1902 the Society led in the creation of the Department of Archives and History, and the executive committee of the Society's board of directors became the first board of trustees of the Department. Dunbar Rowland, the Department's first director, edited the Centenary Series of the Publications in five additional volumes between 1917 and 1925. Annual meetings ceased in 1912.
A reorganizational meeting of the Mississippi Historical Society was held at the War Memorial Building in 1952 with Charlotte Capers, acting director of the Department of Archives and History, in the chair. James W. Silver was elected chair of an interim executive committee to plan the next annual meeting. This meeting was held in Jackson March 13-14, 1953. Frank Everett was elected president of the Society, and William D. McCain, director of the Department of Archives and History, was elected secretary-treasurer. Since that time, the director of the Department has been ex-officio secretary-treasurer of the Society. In 1964 the Mississippi Historical Society brought back into print J.F.H. Claiborne's Mississippi as a Province, Territory, and State, long a collector's item. Since the publication of that classic, the Society has taken an active role in producing significant books on the history of the state; in fact, the Society has produced at least one major book in each decade. In 1973 the Society, in cooperation with the Department of Archives and History, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and the University and College Press, published the first comprehensive history of Mississippi in fifty years, a two-volume set entitled A History of Mississippi, edited by R. A. McLemore. In 1987 the Society, guided by the Department's Publications Committee, sponsored the first popular illustrated history of this state, Mississippi: An Illustrated History, written by Edward Akin and published by Windsor Publishing Company. In 1992 the Society announced the establishment of a major book series spanning the history of Mississippi. Fifteen books, each covering an important subject or era, will be published over a twenty-year period. The books will be written for a broad audience of scholars, teachers, students, and interested general readers. The Mississippi Historical Society has provided programs and produced books, maps, brochures, and other materials aimed towards the education of the general public. Annual meetings provide distinguished speakers, tours of historic sites, and special events. The Mississippi Historical Society provides annual grants to support programs of the Junior Historical Society, which has chapters in schools across the state. Annual dues of $25 provide members with the quarterly Journal of Mississippi History, the monthly Mississippi History Newsletter, and other timely information on historical activities throughout the state. Membership BenefitsBecome a member of the Mississippi Historical Society and receive
Dues
*For all foreign subscriptions, add $10. How to JoinDownload the Membership Form: To become a member of the Mississippi Historical Society, mail the completed form with your payment to Mississippi Historical Society All membership inquiries may be directed to the address above, or sent by email to mhs@mdah.state.ms.us. MHS News |
The Journal of Mississippi History was begun under the editorship of William D. McCain, Rowland's successor as director of the Department, in 1939, and has been published jointly by the Department and the Society since that date.| Site Map | Contact Us |