by Cortney Lancaster | Sep 2025 | Interpretive Signs
Welcome to the story behind the signs. You are standing on the site of what was once Kuhn Memorial Hospital — a place where Black Mississippians sought care in an unequal system. For decades, this hospital was both a refuge and a reminder of segregation. When it...
by Cortney Lancaster | Sep 2025 | Interpretive Signs
Even before the Civil War, freedom was claimed. Before the Emancipation Proclamation, before the 13th Amendment, freedom was already being claimed in Vicksburg. Through Skill and LaborOne of the most powerful examples is Kitty Foote, a midwife whose work brought new...
by Cortney Lancaster | Sep 2025 | Interpretive Signs
We Kept Building Anyway: Standing Up in Reconstruction Reconstruction was one of the most hopeful and dangerous times in Vicksburg’s history. Newly freed families built schools, founded churches, and voted for their own leaders. Peter Crosby: From Soldier to...
by Cortney Lancaster | Sep 2025 | Interpretive Signs
Getting Through Jim Crow: Everyday Strength in Vicksburg Jim Crow laws tried to strip Black Mississippians of dignity and opportunity. But in Vicksburg, families found ways to stay strong: Faith as RefugeChurches like Bethel AME (est. 1864) became sanctuaries where...
by Cortney Lancaster | Sep 2025 | Interpretive Signs
Fighting for Our Rights: Vicksburg’s Civil Rights Leaders The 1950s and ’60s were decades of courage in Vicksburg. Ordinary people became leaders, risking jobs, safety, and sometimes their lives for equality: Local OrganizersTeachers and ministers held mass meetings...
