The Museum of the Mississippi Delta is not new to Greenwood’s arts, culture and history scenes. In fact, this fifty-six-year-old institution punches above its weight, with a surprisingly broad range of exhibits, a proud past and a Leflore County footprint that belies its small size. With that long legacy comes a serious and dedicated mission to showcase all that this storied region has to offer.
“We’re the oldest museum in the region. We started in 1969. We’re not just one thing—we’re a lot of things,” said Lisa Cookston, the museum’s director. “There’s a lot here that people don’t realize.”
Among those exhibits? An American mastodon fossil unearthed just twenty miles from the museum’s location, in nearby Carroll County. The prehistoric fossil—the remains of an animal that lived more than 11,000 years ago—is part of the museum’s archaeology wing, which also houses Native American pots, arrowheads, trade beads and more.
“[The] archaeology room really helped start this museum,” Cookston said. “Our archaeological room, according to experts, is on par with any place—not in the state, not in the region, but in the world. It’s something to see.”
Civil War cannon "Lady Polk," named after Confederate General Leonidas Polk’s wife
The museum’s collections also address the Delta’s wealth of military history, from a Civil War era cannon nicknamed “Lady Polk,” to a model of nearby Fort Pemberton. Visitors who love interactive experiences will enjoy a walk-through diorama of a Mississippi swamp and a Children’s Discovery Room.
Then there’s the art—so much art! The museum displays two hundred works of original art, mostly by Mississippi artists and presents rotating exhibitions of work by selected contemporary artists. The first week of April closes out the solo exhibition “Deep Roots: Evocations of the Mississippi Blues” by sculptor and photographer Bill Steber, featuring photographs, sculptures and found objects that interpret the disappearing Delta. Later in April, the museum will host a vibrant, three-artist show featuring recent works by Gerald DeLoach, and Shawn Whittington and Church Goin Mule.
“We always try to have something going on. We’re proud of our little museum that showcases this region.”
—Lisa Cookston
On the horizon are an exhibit dedicated to the rich Civil Rights and music histories of the Delta region, and a powerful remembrance of 9/11, viewed through the lens of current Greenwood residents who were in New York City on the day of the attacks.
“In the meantime, we always have lunch-and-learns, special events,” Cookston added. “We always try to have something going on. We’re proud of our little museum that showcases this region.”
More about all that Greenwood and the Museum of the Mississippi Delta have to offer is at visitgreenwood.com/experience/#museums
