May 3rd, 2012

Volunteers Needed to Index 1940 Census Records

MDAH is looking for volunteers to help create a finding aid for the 1940 U.S. census. The information gathered by the federal government for its decennial census is kept classified for 72 years before being opened to the public. On April 2, 2012, the data from the 1940 census was posted on the National Archives Web site. Although a wealth of information is now available to genealogists, there is no index of names for the 1940 census. This means a researcher must know a person's address in 1940 to find their records.

The Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum projects are in high gear as the department has been coordinating community meetings around the state, collecting artifacts, and raising funds for exhibits through the Foundation for Mississippi History. The foundation has launched a campaign to raise at least $12 million in private funding for the two museums-$8 million for exhibits and a $2 million endowment for each of the museums.

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New Welty Exhibit to Open April 10th

Children's literature will be the focus of an exhibit and story series at the Eudora Welty House this spring. "Welty constantly went back to her love of reading in her childhood and how that led her to be a writer," said Memie Jackson, director of education at the Eudora Welty House. "That joy of reading is the springboard for our upcoming programs."

Old Capitol Museum Now Offering Range of Tours

Have you ever wondered why the back of the Old Capitol shows exposed brick instead of limestone like the front and sides? Or why the governor's office is so far from the House and Senate chambers? You can learn the answers to these and many other fascinating questions when you take one of the guided tours at the Old Capitol Museum.