November 2010

The goal of the museum is to restore the Depot building, protect existing exhibits, acquire additional exhibits and artifacts, properly catalog and display all collections and maintain a schedule to provide public access. The museum’s audience consists of school groups, Amtrak travelers, tourists and local citizens interested in the area’s rich railroad history.

The museum has brought life to local maritime history and heritage by replicating two 65' two masted Biloxi Schooners. Examples of living maritime history, they sail the Mississippi Sound and waters of the north central Gulf of Mexico almost daily. The museum also conducts year round educational programs and a summer Sea-n-Sail Adventure Camp which teaches youth about local maritime heritage.

The Manship House was built on a four-acre lot in a sparsely settled area of Jackson when it was a city of about 3,000. Although the city has grown up around the house, it stands in its original setting of native trees and shrubs, some of which may have been planted by Manship himself.

One of the few examples of Gothic-Revival residential architecture in Mississippi, the Manship House was inspired by a design in A.J. Downing's Architecture of Country Houses, a popular nineteenth-century pattern book in which an almost identical house is pictured. Manship adopted the plan to a southern climate by adding floor-to-ceiling windows and a central hall for ventilation.

The displayed works at the Swetman House represent a wide variety of Ohr’s appealing pieces. Also, other Ohr pottery selections can be seen in the traveling exhibition, “George Ohr Rising: the Emergence of an American Master," which will be shown in at least five venues in the United States and Canada over the next few years.

Visitors will see Welty's house as she lived in it. The Department of Archives and History has overseen the transition from private residence to historic site. The department is now working to open a visitor’s center to provide space for special exhibits on Welty, as well as her original furniture and art.

Nestled among century-old oaks in Laurel's charming Historic District is the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art offers visitors an enjoyable artistic experience in the Museum Galleries, the Museum Library and the Museum Shop.

The Eastman Memorial Foundation initially sought to establish a public library for Laurel and Jones County in the building and decided to add a museum wing after construction had begun. Today, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art includes an extensive art and local history library with more than 10,000 volumes, but the primary focus of the Museum is its collections.

The Pinecote Pavilion and the many wooden bridges that complement the lake were designed by award-winning architect Fay Jones, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, to enhance the artistic and functional aspects of the Arboretum.The Crosby Arboretum also manages over 1,000 acres in seven associated natural areas. The assemblages of carefully selected and protected lands nurture over 300 species of indigenous trees and shrubs as well as wildflowers and grasses. Rare, threatened, or endangered species of plants and wildlife are present at throughout the arboretum's preserves. Unusual plants have their place as well.

The arboretum protects and manages several lovely pitcher plant bogs both on site and within the natural areas. Edible, poisonous, and aromatic plants, too, are found at the arboretum. As the seasons unfold their splendor, the arboretum provides a clear, unobstructed view of the variety and beauty of our natural resources.

The archaeology collection, on loan from the L.B. Jones Trust, is immense, and includes the largest collection of Native American trade beads in the southern United States. The museum also boasts a room dedicated to the agricultural history of our region, and includes artifacts such as plows, fertilizer spreaders, mule hames, and blacksmith tools. Artifacts and furniture from Malmaison, the home of Greenwood Leflore, and numerous military history items are also highlights of the antique collection. A life-size, walk-through diorama of a Mississippi swamp (complete with sound effects), coupled with a hands-on natural science room are always favorites of visitors.

The museum also offers educational programs and special events throughout the year.

A visit to the Amory Regional Museum is a trip down memory lane. Beginning in 1916 as Gilmore Sanitarium, the building served as home to Amory’s first hospital, and is now a MS Historical Landmark. Serving as a museum since 1876, it is here where visitors will be taken to the very roots of Amory to learn about railroad heritage and how it affected the growth and development of the town in so many, many ways. Also, it is here where visitors will hear the stories about the individuals who have had such an impact on the commercial, cultural, and religious aspects of Amory.

A trip to the museum would not be complete without a visit to our Regulator log cabin, built in the period 1838 – 1840, the “Birth of Blue Suede Shoes” exhibit or the “Pasadena Hills” No. 1251 Passenger Coach.

The society purchased the old Presbyterian Church building at Fourth and Market Street in 1995 and in 2001 hired a full time director.