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| Front Rose Parlor |
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| Entry Gate |
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| Octagonal Foyer |
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| Gold Parlor |
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| Senate Chamber - Secession Convention |
Q. Why was Jackson chosen to be the capital of the state of Mississippi?
A. Access to transportation is a critical factor in determining the growth and importance of cities. In the 19th century, waterways and rail lines were the chief means of moving goods and people. Jackson was located where the north-south and east-west rail lines crossed in Mississippi.
Q. What was budgeted at $10,000, and upon completion cost $50,000 and has been continuously occupied since 1841?
A. The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion
Q. Were the governors of Mississippi always housed in the mansion?
A. No, during the Civil War the governor’s mansion was used as a hospital facility to treat casualties from both the Confederacy and the Union forces.
Q. Why does the mansion look so good when it’s close to 175 years old?
A. In 1841, the Mississippi legislature appropriated funds to build “a suitable house for the governor.” William Nichols of Bath of England designed the original building. Architectural historians consider the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion to be one of the finest examples of Greek Revival style in the United States. Intermittently the state legislature allocated funds for repair and renovation, but never enough. Structural deterioration practically led to the demolition of the mansion. When the current residents, Governor Phil Bryant and his wife Deborah, were first elected in 2012, they took on a necessary and enormous project – remodeling the Governor’s Mansion starting with its leaking clay pipes. Walls of the 175 year-old house had to be taken down to tackle moisture, mildew, and other forces of decay. To do all this and restore the house in an authentic way, a curator removed and marked every individual crystal piece on the many chandeliers so that, like a puzzle, the beautiful fixtures could be reassembled many months later. Where needed, restoration specialists were hired to preserve the mansion for posterity.
Q. What may be the most important artifact preserved in the Governor’s Mansion?
A. A dial wall phone where Governor Ross Barnett received multiple calls from President John Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy to pave the way for James Meredith to enroll in the University of Mississippi, integrating the school for the first time. On Sunday, September 30, 1962, James Meredith was escorted onto the campus of Ole Miss by a convoy of federal marshals. After Meredith was settled in a dormitory, rioting broke out which Barnett, contrary to his promise to the Kennedys, failed to control with his state police. Federal troops intervened and Meredith enrolled on Monday, October 1 as originally planned. Kennedy, while on national television to announce that Meredith was on the campus, said, “Americans are free to disagree with the law, but not disobey it.” Jim Crow days were coming to an end and all Americans could gain access to an equal education, not “separate but equal” parallel tracks for blacks and whites. The Supreme Court decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education of 1954 brought about another step to equality of opportunity.
OLD CAPITOL BUILDING, 1839-1903 ....now restored to house a museum of Mississippi history.
Q. What is the most important meeting that took place in its walls?
A. The Mississippi Secession Convention met in the Senate chamber of the old Capitol building in January 1861. At first, the members drafted the Causes of Secession declaring their independence based on a list of grievances against the United States. Next, after days of deliberations, they drew up and voted for an Ordinance of Secession, thereby becoming the second state to secede from the Union. Later, Jefferson Davis, who lived near Jackson, became the President of the Confederate States.
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