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Old State Capitol
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Old State Capitol in 1972
Location	100 N. State St., Jackson, Mississippi
Built	1839
Architect	William Nichols
Architectural style	Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	69000087
Added to NRHP	November 25, 1969

The Old Mississippi State Capitol, also known as Old Capitol Museum or Old State Capitol, is the former capitol building for the Mississippi state legislature from 1839 until 1903. It is currently a museum of Mississippi history. The building is a Mississippi State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

History

The first state house, a small brick building, was erected on the northeast corner of Capitol and President Streets and was in use from 1822 to 1839 until the new-at-the-time capitol building was completed.

The Old Mississippi State Capitol (currently closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina) served as the Capitol Building from 1839 until its replacement in 1903. It currently serves as a museum, containing exhibits from all periods of Mississippi's history.

The Old Capitol is a masterpiece of nineteenth-century Greek Revival architecture. It was the third and final statehouse designed by the influential British architect William Nichols. Completed in 1839, the Old Capitol is Jackson’s oldest building. The imposing structure was situated at the main intersection of the young city and soon became its dominant feature. The building itself is defined by its rotunda, which rises ninety-four feet from the polished limestone floor to the top of the dome.

The Old Capitol was designed as the architectural expression of the 1832 Mississippi constitution, which articulated Jacksonian democracy’s ideal of broad public participation in government. Consequently, the legislative chambers eclipsed the governor's office in elegance and location, and the public was provided large, open galleries in both the House and Senate chambers to view the proceedings.

The Old Capitol was constructed with a limestone base and a faux-limestone facade of scored stucco on three sides, with brick left exposed only at the back of the building—which faced what was then the wild Pearl River swamp. In 1959-61 the Old Capitol was renovated and the stucco left off as a cost-cutting measure. Now, the faux limestone will be reapplied, as shown in the circa-1930s image at right.

An iron fence that was removed during an earlier renovation will be replicated and installed. A large three-part gate will be centered in front of the building, with two smaller gates flanking it. Like the original, the fence will feature two lanterns and six eagles atop the gateposts.

Along with the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, the Charlotte Capers Archives and History Building, the War Memorial, and the new Museum of Mississippi History, the restored Old Capitol will form the core of the state’s history center, drawing thousands of visitors and serving as a gateway to heritage tourism across Mississippi.

From its last major renovation in 1961 until 2005 the Old Capitol was home to the state’s history museum. As a public museum the building was subjected to heavy use by visitors. In addition, changes made to the site in 1959-61 exacerbated moisture problems that affected the building structurally and cosmetically.

The Old Capitol has long been plagued by rising damp, where moisture from below is wicked up through porous brick or plaster walls. The moisture rises to as high as eight feet before bursting through the plaster, giving the appearance of tufts of cotton on the walls.

Although the Old Capitol provided a dramatic setting for the exhibits, it was poorly suited to house the state’s history museum. The limitations associated with such a historic building hampered the museum’s efforts to mount exhibits. Rooms were small and could not be altered; since nothing could be anchored in the walls exhibits had to use free-standing displays that took up more floor space.

The history museum had outgrown the site in other ways. Artifact storage had become such a problem that a moratorium was placed on collections. The museum had to refuse donations because there was simply no place to put them.

In the late 1990s plans were developed to construct a new Museum of Mississippi History one block north of the Old Capitol. The Mississippi legislature set aside $2.2 million to design the state-of-the-art facility, which would offer more exhibit space than the Old Capitol, modern storage, meeting, and office areas, and the capability for multimedia presentations of the state’s history. When the new museum was finished and occupied, the Old Capitol was to be restored and reopened with a new focus. Instead of telling the whole story of Mississippi’s history, it would primarily interpret events connected to the building during its years as the seat of government, 1839–1903.

Damage from Hurrican Katrina

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina roared into Mississippi. The copper roof of the Old Capitol was peeled back by the storm’s winds and rain was driven in, badly damaging both building and artifacts. Collection storage areas were the worst hit. There was nowhere to move those artifacts except areas open to the public, forcing the museum to close immediately.

Meanwhile, the saturated insulation and wet plaster gave rise to severe mold and mildew problems. Staff members stayed in the building to coordinate the removal of all artifacts, and then were relocated into temporary offices.

With the Old Capitol closed, the plan to build a new Museum of Mississippi History first and restore the Old Capitol afterwards was no longer viable. The 2006 Legislature responded and fully funded the restoration of the Old Capitol. Work on the site began in January 2007, and the museum is scheduled to open to the public in January 2009. MDAH will ask the 2008 Mississippi legislature to fund construction of the new Museum of Mississippi History.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
2. ^ "Old Mississippi State Capitol". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
3. Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Ray Skates (July 13, 1990), Template:PDFlink, National Park Service and Template:PDFlink
4. Mississippi Department of Archives and History
5. Mississippi Department of Archives and History

External links

• Old Capitol Museum, at Mississippi State Department of Archives and History

• Museums in Mississippi
• Hinds County, Mississippi
• National Historic Landmarks in Mississippi