Mississippi Freedom Houses Project

In 2019, the Mississippi Heritage Trust added Mississippi’s Freedom Houses to its list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi.  Since that time, the Mississippi Heritage Trust has secured generous grants from the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and the National Park Service Civil Rights Grant Program to identify, document and find resources to stabilize these nationally significant places where Civil Rights workers found refuge during the Freedom Summer voter registration efforts of the 1960s.

One of Mississippi’s surviving Freedom Houses is located in the Delta town of Indianola.  After the original Indianola Freedom School was bombed in 1965, Estell “Tide” King stepped forward to rent a three-room house in the Bears Den neighborhood to serve as headquarters for the movement for $15 a month.  It was here that Civil Rights workers, armed with a typewriter and mimeograph machine, met twice a day to coordinate voter registration efforts.  The Indianola Freedom House is now owned by Mr. King's granddaughter, Dr. Felicia King, who is working with stakeholders to identify a use for the house that honors its connection to the Civil Rights movement.  

If you would like to get involved with the effort to save the Indianola Freedom House, please reach out to Dr. King at:

2084 Dunbarton Drive, Suite C

Jackson, MS 39216

662 836 8893

Email-indianolafreedomhouse@gmail.com

Website: Indianola.FreedomHouse.ms

Do you have a story to share about one of Mississippi's Freedom Houses?  Email the Mississippi Heritage Trust at preservation@mississippiheritage.com.

Caption for photos:

On February 19, students from nearby Mississippi Valley State University joined members of the Indianola Freedom House Steering Committee to give this endangered historic place some much-needed TLC. 

Thank you to our volunteers

Eboni Brown

Kai Cain

Earllaysha Carter

Kaitlin Copeland

Arthur Davis

Heidi Hankins

Shearra Hardwick

Dr. Felicia King

Doris Mmasa

Nova Odom

Keionna Pegues

Ja’Shaila Peterson

Mikeda Smith

Victor Smith

Davia Speight

Robert Terrell

Marsha White

Dr. Stacy J. White

Logos:

City of Indianola

Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area