Historic Sites In Mississippi. More Than Just Parks has 10 incredible must-see sites for you.
I’ve been to so many of these amazing places since retiring from teaching in 2018. Did I mention that I taught history? I spent a lifetime teaching about the history behind these momentous sites. Then I got to see them firsthand. And now I’m sharing the stories of these incredible places with you. It doesn’t get any better than that!
I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing these articles for More Than Just Parks.
I’m going to give you my list of the Top 10 Historic Sites in Mississippi that you’ll want to see. These are our top 10 sites which we will provide in reverse order. We’ve got amazing monuments, fascinating exhibits, historic museums, legendary battlefields and so much more.
To be clear, this list includes national park sites (as in sites managed by the National Park Service) as opposed to national parks. (More on that below)
If you’re planning a trip to the “Bayou State” then I recommend picking up a copy of Mississippi Travel Guide: Plan Your Dream Vacation To Mississippi by Johnson Tianka.
Now without further ado let’s dive in.
Historic Sites In Mississippi
#10. Biloxi Lighthouse
At #10 on my list of the best historic sites in Mississippi is the Biloxi Lighthouse.
If you enjoy places with an amazing story behind them then this one will not disappoint you. The Biloxi Lighthouse was one of three Mississippi Sound lighthouses authorized in 1847 by legislation sponsored by Mississippi Representative Jefferson Davis.
The light was civilian operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the light for 53 years. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light’s operation.
This lighthouse is truly unique in two ways. First, it was one of the earliest cast-iron lighthouses to be built in the south. Second, it has a lengthy history of being maintained by female lighthouse keepers. Today, the renowned landmark serves as a sign of perseverance as it has withstood two severe hurricanes, Camille and Katrina.
Visitors to this historic lighthouse can see a 12-minute documentary about the Biloxi Lighthouse, narrated by Biloxi native and Miss America 1959 Mary Ann Mobley.
There are guided tours daily from 9 to 10 a.m., weather permitting. No reservations are required for these tours, except for group tours, which can be arranged by calling (228) 374-3105.
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#9. Old Capitol Museum
Coming in at #9 on my list of the best historic sites in Mississippi is the Old Capitol Museum.
It’s another great historic site with another great story to tell. The Old Capitol is Mississippi’s most historic building. Built in 1839, it was the site of some of the state’s most significant legislative actions, such as the passage of the 1839 Married Women’s Property Act, Mississippi’s secession from the Union in 1861, and the crafting of the 1868 and 1890 state constitutions.
It’s a free museum which explores the distinguished history of the building and the events that have taken place in it. There are interactive multimedia exhibits exploring the roles of the legislature, governor, and high court, as well as the importance of historic preservation to the state.
It’s a National Historic Landmark, and one of the country’s premier examples of Greek Revival public architecture. When it was built in 1839, the massive limestone exterior, copper dome, and grand interior spaces made the Old Capitol the most distinguished building in Mississippi.
And while you’re there be sure to check out the Mississippi Hall of Fame. It honors distinguished Mississippians, including artist Walter Anderson, author Eudora Welty, civil rights hero Medgar Evers, Choctaw chief Pushmataha, and federal judge Burnita Shelton Matthews.
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#8. Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
In 1903, W. E. B. Du Bois prophetically stated: “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” At #7, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum explores that problem and its impact on our history.
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum shares the stories of a Mississippi movement that changed the nation. The museum promotes a greater understanding of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and its impact by highlighting the strength and sacrifices of its peoples.
Visitors will witness the freedom struggle in eight interactive galleries that show the systematic oppression of black Mississippians and their fight for equality that transformed the state and nation.
Seven of the galleries encircle a central space called This Little Light of Mine. There, a dramatic sculpture glows brighter and the music of the Movement swells as visitors gather.
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Historic Sites In Mississippi
#7. Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
We move on to the number eight site on my list of the best historic sites in Mississippi – Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site.
Shelby Foote, who wrote a magnificent three volume history of the Civil War, said that the great conflict produced two geniuses.
One was Abraham Lincoln. The other was Nathan Bedford Forrest. As he figures prominently in the story of the Battle of Brices Cross Road I believe that a short history lesson is in order. Have no fear for the history teacher (retired) is here!
The Wizard Of The Saddle
Forrest, who was nicknamed the “Wizard of the Saddle,” is generally considered by historians to be one of the premier solders of the Civil War.
How many enlisted men rise to the rank of lieutenant general? In all of American history, there’s only been one. And his name was Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Forrest had memorials erected to him across America, especially in the Southern states. His name has been given to a county, city, park, road, and several high schools. As Denis Showalter notes:
“The key to Forrest’s skill as a tactician was his innate ability to read a fight.
He understood how best to balance mounted and dismounted action, defense and attack, commitment and pursuit.
Whatever his issues of self-control behind the lines or in personal combat, Forrest never let emotion overcome him in conducting a battle.”
Union Casualties Were Much Higher Than The Confederates
At Brice Cross Roads, the Union lost three men to every Southern casualty.
While the battle was considered a major tactical victory for the Confederacy it did not diminish the effectiveness of Sherman’s campaign in the west as his superior resources compensated for inferior generalship.
Sherman was more than willing to trade three of his men for one of Forrest’s if it meant keeping his supply lines open.
That devil Forrest must be hunted down and killed if it costs ten thousand lives and bankrupts the federal treasury.”
-William T. Sherman
Forrest Doing What He Did Best
On June 10, 1864, at Brice Cross Roads, Nathan Forrest did what he does best. He defeated a much larger Union force and secured supply lines between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
If you’re as fascinated by the history of the Civil War as I am then I recommend learning as much as you can about one of the South’s most brilliant commanders. Jack Hurst’s masterful biography, Nathan Bedford Forrest: A Biography, is a great place to start.
Hurst restores this legendary figure to one of human dimensions. It’s a wonderful biography that puts both Forrest’s genius and his savagery into the context of his time.
Another excellent book is The Battles and Campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, 1861-1865 by John R. Scales.
Believe it or not, I was one of those guys who sat in class taking notes and, when the professor threw out the name of what sounded like an interesting book, I not only wrote it down, I went out and purchased it.
Yes, I am that guy which is why I ended up teaching history.
The Rest Of The Story
Scholars generally acknowledge Forrest’s skills and acumen as a cavalry leader and military strategist, but that’s not the entire story.
No history of this gifted military strategist would be complete without mentioning his role in the massacre of several hundred Union soldiers at Fort Pillow.
In April 1864, Forrest led his troops to what came to be known as the Fort Pillow attack, where his men killed as many as 300 Union soldiers, most of whom were Black.
The Fort Pillow Massacre
According to eyewitnesses, Confederates murdered Union prisoners, including some who were wounded, after the fort had been taken.
Despite the carnage, Fort Pillow was of little tactical significance and General Forrest abandoned the fort the next day.
While his most decisive victory would take place two months later at Brices Cross Roads, for Northerners, Forrest had already come to be known as ‘Butcher of Fort Pillow’.
In May of 1865, Nathan Bedford Forrest surrendered his exhausted and defeated troops to Union forces near Selma in Alabama.
To learn more about the events which transpired in April of 1864 at Fort Pillow, I recommend River Run Red: The Fort Pillow Massacre in the American Civil War by Andrew Ward.
Ward depicts the horrors of guerrilla warfare and the pent-up bigotry and rage that found release that bloody April day, producing a detailed and complex portrait of an event that continues to spark controversy.
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Take a Battlefield Tour
If you’re someone who enjoys walking a battlefield then Brice Cross Roads is one you’ll remember.
The state of Mississippi, the Civil War Preservation Trust, and the Brice’s Crossroads National Battlefield Commission has assembled a wonderful battlefield tour, from roadside monuments and information panels to short interpretive trails.
The Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site is a one-acre memorial. It’s located at the intersection west of Baldwyn, Mississippi, known as Brice’s Crossroads.
You will also find a visitor center, Mississippi’s Finals Stands Interpretive Center, where you can get information, see a movie on the battle and tour a museum.
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#6. Tupelo National Battlefield
Mississippi is rich with the history of the Civil War. At #6 on my list of historic sites is another Civil War Battlefield-Tupelo National Battlefield.
This site commemorates the Battle of Tupelo (a.k.a. the Battle of Harrisburg). It was fought on July 14th and 15th of 1864.
Union Major General Andrew J. Smith, commanding the Sixteenth Corps with more than 14,000 soldiers, was ordered by General William T. Sherman to make sure Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest did not disrupt Sherman’s railroad supply lines.
Harassing Union Forces
As noted above, Forrest had already acquired a reputation as the “wizard of the saddle” for having fought a series of successful military engagements against superior Union forces.
He had also wreaked havoc on Union supplies. Forrest was relentless in harassing Union forces.
Confederate Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee, Forrest’s commander, fearing insufficient forces, held Forrest in check while he attacked Smith’s Union troops.
Lee’s attacks, however, were uncoordinated. He was repulsed by Smith with heavy losses.
While Smith failed to destroy Forrest’s command, he did succeed in protecting Sherman’s supply lines. As a consequence, he achieved his primary objective while Sherman continued his march towards Atlanta.
Things To Do At Tupelo National Battlefield
At Tupelo, visitors can walk the battlefield where history was made. The area is much smaller, however, than might be imagined. How did thousands of men manage to fit into this tiny space and fight a battle which inflicted hundreds of dead and wounded?
The actual battlefield was not preserved in its entirety so we may not know the real dimensions of physical space which the combatants had available during the battle.
What we do know is that the Tupelo National Battlefield is another place where history was made. It’s definitely worth seeing and experiencing.
Visit the Tupelo Veterans Museum
And while you’re in Tupelo, check out the Tupelo Veterans Museum.
It’s a local tribute to the brave men and women who defended our country in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and the modern Desert Storm and Iraqi Wars.
The museum is filled with wartime exhibits covering the heights and depths of the human experience. It reminds us that freedom isn’t free by honoring the men and women who have helped to keep us free.
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The Top 5 Historic Sites In Mississippi
#5. Elvis Presley Birthplace & Museum
At #5 on the list of the best historic sites in Mississippi I honor the “King of Rock & Roll.”
In 1954, Elvis Presley kicked off a musical revolution by modernizing traditional genres such as blues, country and bluegrass for contemporary (and more youthful) audiences.
“If you’re looking for trouble,” Elvis Presley warned the audience at the opening of his December 3rd, 1968, television special, “you’ve come to the right place.” What Presley gave his audiences was a revolution which transformed Rock & Roll catapulting him to the top of the charts in the process.
His influence on this important genre cannot be overstated. According to Rolling Stone, “it was Elvis who made rock ‘n’ roll the international language of pop.” The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll describes Presley as “an American music giant of the 20th century who single-handedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s”.
Visitors to the Elvis Presley Birthplace & Museum will be able to explore exhibits containing Tupelo artifacts, large photomurals, graphics, and audiovisual presentations that focus on King of Rock & Roll.
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#4. Natchez National Historical Park
We’re on the the “final four” as we countdown the best historical sites in Mississippi. At #4 we have Natchez National Historical Park.
We go from the King of Rock & Roll to a different type of king. In the Antebellum South, Cotton was king. As a retired history teacher, I always love a good history lesson so here goes another one, but relax because there’s no homework.
Antebellum refers to the years prior to the Civil War. It was during this period that cotton emerged as the South’s major commercial crop eclipsing tobacco, rice, and sugar in economic importance.
By 1860, the region was producing two-thirds of the world’s cotton. How was the South able to produce so much? Excellent question.
In the eighteenth century, slavery appeared to be on the way out because the demand for slaves was decreasing. This was until 1793 and then everything changed.
Whitney & The Cotton Gin
1793 was the year Eli Whitney went to Cumberland Island to help a former college friend expand his cotton crop. It was there where Whitney revolutionized the production of cotton by inventing the cotton gin, a device which separates the seeds from raw cotton.
Suddenly, a process that was extraordinarily labor-intensive when done by hand could be completed quickly and easily. While Whitney’s machine reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves to grow and pick the cotton.
In fact, cotton growing became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for both land and slave labor. And this increased demand for slaves set the stage for the Civil War.
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Natchez & The Cotton Economy
Natchez National Historical Park documents the role Natchez played in the creation of the Cotton Kingdom. The historical park is made up of three units, Fort Rosalie is the location of an 18th Century fortification built by the French and later occupied by the British, Spanish and Americans.
The William Johnson House was a house owned by William Johnson, a free African American businessman, whose diary tells the story of everyday life in Antebellum Natchez.
Melrose was the estate of John T. McMurran, a northerner who rose from being a middle class lawyer to a position of wealth and power in antebellum Natchez.
Visitors can capture a moment in history when people had built a lifestyle on the backs of an army of enslaved workers. A trip to this historic site helps visitors to understand life in the Antebellum South before the Civil War.
Historic Sites In Mississippi
#3. Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument
At #3 is the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. It’s located in Jackson, Mississippi and is also known as Medgar Evers House. It’s a historic house museum at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive in Jackson, Mississippi.
Visitors can tour the home, which has been restored to look the way it did when Medgar and Myrlie Evers lived there.
Medgar Evers
Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers was the first field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi. He once said, “You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.” Evers organized voter-registration efforts and economic boycotts, and investigated crimes perpetrated against Black people.
To protest racial injustice, Evers orchestrated a major boycott of white merchants. This made him a target of the Ku Klux Klan. Backed by federal troops, he also led efforts to help James Meredith successfully integrate the University of Mississippi in 1962.
Medgar Evers was assassinated outside of his Mississippi home in 1963. It took over thirty years for justice to be done, but, in 1994, his killer was finally sent to prison.
Myrlie Evers-Williams
Myrlie Evers-Williams is an American civil rights activist and journalist who worked for over three decades to seek justice for the 1963 murder of her husband Medgar. She picked up the torch he left behind serving as a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Myrlie Evers-Williams established the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1995, she became the national chairwoman of the NAACP.
Myrlie also published several books on topics related to civil rights and Medgar Evers legacy. She delivered the invocation at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.
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#2. Shiloh Military Park
At #2 on my list of the best historic sites in Mississippi is a place which commemorates one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War—Shiloh Military Park.
It was Robert E. Lee who once said, “It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.” The Battle of Shiloh proved Lee’s point.
The 23,741 casualties in this battle were five times the number versus the First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861. They were more casualties in this one battle than all of the war’s major battles (Bull Run, Wilson’s Creek, Fort Donelson and Pea Ridge) up to that date combined.
Also Known As The Battle Of Pittsburg Landing
Also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, it allowed Union troops to penetrate the Confederate interior. The battle pitted Union General Ulysses S. Grant against Confederate General Albert Sydney Johntson.
The Union army how has nearly 54,000 men near Pittsburgh Landing and outnumbered Beauregard’s army of around 30,000.
Johnston, however, intercepted the Federals 22 miles northeast of Corinth at Pittsburg Landing in an attack which totally took Grant by surprise.
“The Devil’s Own Day”
On April 6, 1862, the first day of the battle was a difficult one for the Union. Grant suffered heavy losses. At the end of the first day’s fighting, Grant’s second-in-command, William Tecumseh Sherman remarked:
“Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?” To which Grant replied, “Yes, lick “em tomorrow, though.”
During the first day’s fighting, Confederate Commander Albert Sydney Johnston was shot in the right knee. The bullet severed an artery and the commander bled to death.
Grant orders a counterattack
Despite having everything go wrong for him, Grant ordered a counterattack on April 7th, which drove the Confederates from the field. This time, it was the Confederates who were caught off guard.
They were forced to fall back. Their new commander, General Pierre G. T. Beauregard, decided that the essential arithmetic favored the Union. He ordered a withdrawal.
The South’s defeat at Shiloh ended the Confederacy’s hopes of blocking the Union advance into Mississippi. It doomed the Confederate military initiative in the West.
It also provided the Union with a much-needed boost in morale given Robert E. Lee’s victories in the east.
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To Learn More About Shiloh
So many books have been written about the Civil War and the various battles that took place. Of course, the big three authors when it comes to war are, in my humble opinion, Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote and James M. McPherson.
What these three have written are the best collections of books encompassing the war as a whole. You can’t go wrong with any of these authors.
My personal favorite is Shelby Foote. I have read his fabulous three volume history of the Civil War–twice!
When it comes to the Battle of Shiloh, however, I’m going to recommend three books none of which have been written by the three men mentioned above (please forgive me).
To gain an understanding of this battle, its strategic importance, and how it influenced the outcome of the war, I recommend:
To gain an understanding of this battle, its strategic importance, and how it influenced the outcome of the war, I recommend:
- Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862, by O. Edward Cunningham
- Shiloh, Bloody Shiloh by Wiley Sword
- Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War by Larry J. Daniel.
Shiloh Military Park
I recommend beginning the tour by watching the award-winning film, Shiloh: Fiery Trial. There are also films on the Battle of Shiloh and the impact which this battle had on the town itself.
Then there’s an excellent self-guided tour. It is a 12.7 mile car route with 22 stops at such famous places as the Peach Orchard, the Hornet’s Nest, and the place where Albert Sidney Johnston met his end.
The #1 Historic Site In Mississippi
#1. Vicksburg National Military Park
At #1 I have selected a site which commemorates what some Civil War Historians consider to have been the most significant battle of the American Civil War–Vicksburg.
The Siege of Vicksburg has been recognized around the world as one of the greatest military campaigns in history.
According to John Henry McCracken, Professor of History Emeritus at Lafayette College, it was at Vicksburg that Ulysses S. Grant learned only hard, long fighting and logistics will win the war.
Cutting The South In Two
The victory cut the South in two and doomed their efforts in the West.
How did Grant do it? He moved his army along the west bank of the Mississippi River to get below Vicksburg, where he completed a well-planned amphibious crossing of the Mississippi and took a daring gamble to feed his army off the countryside.
“IN JUST SEVENTEEN DAYS, GRANT MOUNTED THE LARGEST AMERICAN AMPHIBIOUS OPERATION UP TO THAT TIME, MARCHED 130 MILES, FOUGHT AND WON FIVE MAJOR BATTLES, CAPTURED A CONFEDERATE STATE CAPITAL AND FORCED THE GOVERNMENT TO FLEE, AND BESIEGED THE MOST IMPORTANT CONFEDERATE STRONGHOLD.
THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN, IN ITS VERY CONCEPTION, WAS AT LEAST AS BOLD AS MACARTHUR’S INCHON LANDINGS 85 YEARS LATER.”
-B.A. FRIEDMAN, VICKSBURG: THE PAST AND FUTURE OF AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS
There are some excellent books on the Battle of Vicksburg.
One of my favorites is Vicksburg: Grant’s Campaign That Broke the Confederacy by Donald L. Miller. Another is Vicksburg, 1863 by Winston Groom.
Things To Do At Vicksburg National Military Park
At Vicksburg National Military Park, there’s a vast array of cultural, historical and natural resources. Each visitor to the park receives an official park brochure and map detailing the driving routes, tour stops, and provides a brief history of the Vicksburg Campaign and Siege.
There’s a self-guided driving tour or you can make a reservation to take a guided park tour.
There’s no shortage of things to see and experience. I would recommend beginning your tour at the visitor center. Check out the more than 1,400 memorial monuments, tablets and markers which cover the 1,800-acre park.
They represent soldiers who served on both sides of the conflict.
The park also features an impressive 20 miles of trenches and earthworks which have been reconstructed to reflect the time period.
There’s Even A Gunboat–The U.S.S. Cairo
There’s even a gunboat! You can see the U.S.S. Cairo Gunboat.
There’s also a Museum located within the park, enabling visitors to view the restored vessel, along with Civil War-era artifacts recovered during the boat’s excavation.
Other key attractions include: The Antebellum Shirley House and 4 other historic buildings, 9 historic fortifications, Vicksburg National Cemetery, 141 cannons and carriages and 15 historic bridges.
If you love history as much as I do then plan on spending the entire day at the park. It’s well worth it!
Map Of Historic Sites In Mississippi
List Of Historic Sites In Mississippi
- Vicksburg National Military Park
- Shiloh Military Park
- Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument
- Natchez National Historical Park
- Elvis Presley Birthplace & Museum
- Tupelo National Battlefield
- Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
- Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
- Old Capitol Museum
- Biloxi Lighthouse
About the Folks Behind More Than Just Park
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and a proud dad of these two wonderful guys who are hopelessly obsessed with the national parks. I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing articles for the More Than Just Parks website. I’m always on the hunt for topics where nature and history intersect so please feel free to share any ideas that you might have with me.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
Meet The Parks Brothers
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then sign up below!
Related Links:
To learn more about the difference between the various National Park Service designations check out our article that explains everything!
Civil War Sites: Top 10 Best Civil War Sites & Battlefields
Mississippi National Parks: 9 EPIC Mississippi National Parks Worth The Visit
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