Okolona Industrial School

Founded in 1902 by Wallace Battle, the Okolona Industrial School offered industrial and teacher training for generations of Black men and women in northeastern Mississippi. The institution was one of the most successful industrial schools in the state, having a plant of 380 acres in Chickasaw County and a valuation of nearly a quarter million dollars by the 1920s.

Muddy Waters and Langston Hughes Spread the Blues at Newport and Beyond

Muddy Waters’s accomplishments and influence as a musician have been recognized by many. Most notably, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (1980) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987). He was nominated by the Recording Academy of the United States for twelve Grammy Awards and won seven.

Mississippi and the Lost Cause

In the aftermath of the Civil War, White Southerners rewrote history in an attempt to vindicate their violent rebellion against the United States. They developed and promoted an ideology known as the Lost Cause.

Mississippi History Now

Mississippi History Now brings engaging online essays and lesson plans about Mississippi history to students, teachers, and the general reader. Search our online essays and paired lesson plans about Mississippi history by keyword, theme, or time period.

Other Featured Articles

James Meredith with NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers. Photo courtesy of the Ed Meek Collection, University of Mississippi 1962. Joint ownership between Ed Meek, The University of Mississippi, The School of Journalism and New Media and The Department of Archives and Special Collections.

The Big Dreamer: James Meredith’s Fight for Integration

Applying to the University of Mississippi on January 20, 1961, Meredith was immediately rejected after writing in his application that he was a Black man. Unwavering in his mission to be admitted, he reached out to Medgar Evers, field secretary for the NAACP.
Applying to the University of Mississippi on January 20, 1961, Meredith was immediately rejected after writing in his application that he was a Black man. Unwavering in his mission to be admitted, he reached out to Medgar Evers, field secretary for the NAACP.
Delta State students

Student Protest at Delta State College in March 1969

Today, legal and institutionally supported racial segregation within places of higher learning feels like a thing of the past. Yet, integration and increased representation of students of color, especially Black students, did not come easily in the Mississippi Delta even after racial segregation was outlawed.
Today, legal and institutionally supported racial segregation within places of higher learning feels like a thing of the past. Yet, integration and increased representation of students of color, especially Black students, did not come easily in the Mississippi Delta even after racial segregation was outlawed.

What is Mississippi History Now

The Mississippi Historical Society launched this online publication in 2000 and revised it in 2021 to encourage interest in Mississippi history and provide educators with articles, primary resources, and lesson plans for teaching the state’s rich and complex history. To contact the site, please email info@mdah.ms.gov.