Preserving the Legacy of Mississippi’s Freedom Houses

By Greta Smith

The Mississippi Freedom Houses Project, an initiative of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, continues its work to preserve the historic safe havens that once sheltered Civil Rights activists.  Since Mississippi’s Freedom Houses were listed by the Mississippi Heritage Trust as one of Mississippi’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2019, significant progress has been made to document and stabilize these sites, with ongoing work to ensure their legacy remains intact.

Efforts to save and repurpose Mississippi’s Freedom Houses gained momentum in 2021 with a $50,000 grant from the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program to identify and document remaining Freedom Houses. In 2022, the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project awarded an additional $576,000 to support educational workshops, structural stabilization, and a documentary film.  Additional funding has been provided by the National Park Service Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area.

This funding has been instrumental in stabilizing key sites, including the Unita Blackwell House in Mayersville, Indianola Freedom House, C.C. and Emogene Bryant House in McComb and the Office of Dr. Felix Dunn in Gulfport. Funding will also support capacity building for Freedom House owners and nonprofit organizations working to save and repurpose these sites, as well as educational programs for the public. 

On September 27, the Mississippi Freedom Houses Project presented five short film vignettes at the Smith Robertson Museum.  Directed by Blue Magnolia Films, these film vignettes shared the stories of the Knoxo Freedom Schools, the Office of Dr. Felix Dunn in Gulfport, the C.C. and Emogene Bryant House in McComb, the Indianola Freedom House, and the Canton Freedom House Civil Rights Museum with an enthusiastic audience. Following the screening, Freedom House owners and project partners spent a day working with Von Gordan and Jennifer Heath of the Alluvial Collective to learn more about the stories represented by the structures.  This screening and workshop provided a powerful moment of reflection and renewed commitment to preserving these spaces.

“Mississippi's Freedom Houses stand as monuments to the brave men and women who fought for civil rights and social justice,” says Lolly Rash, Executive Director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust. “By helping to preserve these places and their stories, we shine a light on an important time in the history of Mississippi and America.”  Partnering in this effort with the Mississippi Heritage Trust are the Alluvial Collective, Blue Magnolia Films, the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy, The Tell Agency and Rise Roofing and Construction.