August 22, 2018
East Central Community College will host a traveling exhibition titled “Mississippi’s Greatest Treasure: The Old Capitol” Sept. 5-28 in Burton Library on the Decatur campus. The exhibit is being hosted in conjunction with the college’s celebration of Constitution Day, which is Monday, Sept. 17.
The exhibit is free to view and will be open to the public during library hours, which are 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays and 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays.
In addition to the exhibit, Clay Williams, former director of the Old Capitol Museum, will present a talk at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, in the Vickers Fine Arts Center Auditorium on the Old Capitol building, its architecture, the political events that took place and the constitutions written there. A reception will follow in the library from 5 to 6 p.m.
The exhibit, which will consist of nine photo panels, features photographs and text that highlight the history of the national historic landmark. These photographs include images of the building through the years, the famous visitors who roamed its halls, the exciting exhibits and programs that took place there, the damage inflicted by the hurricanes and renderings of the latest restoration.
Constructed in 1839 as the state’s capitol, the building now serves as a museum. According to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History website, “the building witnessed the passage of important legislation, rousing speeches, and visits from influential statesmen. In the early 1900s it was transformed into a state office building and after a 1961 restoration it became the official state history museum and earned a national reputation for groundbreaking and thought-provoking exhibits. Over the years the building has been restored and renovated several times.”
For more information, contact Madison Price, history instructor and chair of the college’s constitution committee, at 601-635-6363 or email mprice@eccc.edu, or Leslie Hughes, dean of learning resources, at 601-635-6220 or email lhughes@eccc.edu.
