The collections below contain correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera relating to the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement with a focus on the 1962 integration of the University of Mississippi. Among others the collections contain the papers of James Howard Meredith, Civil Rights Activist and the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi; the papers of former University of Mississippi history professor and author of Mississippi: The Closed Society, Dr. James Silver; and former University of Mississippi political science professor and author of Integration at Ole Miss, Dr. Russell Barrett.
Thomas Abernethy Collection. 1943-1972.
(MUM00001) The correspondence
and legislative papers of this Mississippi Congressman make several references
to civil rights and race relations. Typed inventory available (444
boxes).Patrons should provide notice at least two business days prior to prospective visits so that staff may transfer requested boxes from the Library Annex (an off-site facility) to the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact Special Collections at (662) 915-7408 to specify requested material.
American Association of University Women Collection. 1927-present.
(MUM00007)
A national organization, the AAUW promotes education and equality for all
women. This collection houses the correspondence, minutes, and reports
from the archives of the Mississippi Division. Typed inventory available
(108 boxes).
Americans for the Preservation of the White Race Collection.
1964-1966.
(MUM00009) Contains the minutes for the meetings of the Jackson, MS chapter of the APWR, a white supremacist organization. Typed inventory available (1 box).
Rev. N.G. Augustus Collection. 1902-1948.
(MUM00733) These papers
of a Mississippi Methodist minister include a pre-1940 article by Rev.
J.B. Campbell on the “Negro Question” (10 folders).
Marjorie Baroni Collection. 1950s-1980s.
(MUM00020) A white
Catholic resident of Natchez, Mississippi, Baroni’s convictions led her
to publicly support the Civil Rights Movement. She was a founding
member of the Adams-Jefferson Improvement Corporation, a community action
group whose initiatives included Head Start, a credit union, and job training,
among other programs. Over a period of ten years, Baroni also worked
for Charles Evers. The collection consists of correspondence, clippings,
oral histories, and autobiographical manuscripts as well as a variety of
other material related to the civil rights era. Typed inventory available
(21 boxes).
Russell H. Barrett Collection. 1954-1979.
(MUM00024) A political
science professor at the University of Mississippi from 1954 to 1976, Barrett
was the author of Integration at Ole Miss (1965), and his collection consists
primarily of documents related to the 1962 riot and race relations on campus
through the early 1970s. Includes correspondence, clippings, and
photographs. Typed inventory available (17 boxes).
Bluff City Bulletin. 1961-1969.
An incomplete
run of the newspaper for the black community of Natchez, Mississippi (31
issues).
Frederick Z. Browne. 1960s.
(MUM00809) Includes a 1962 sermon
by Browne entitled “Segregation or Integration, Which?” (4 folders).
Roane Fleming Byrnes Collection. 1840-1970.
(MUM00057) This
collection of papers donated by the woman considered the primary force
behind the Natchez Trace Parkway, also includes family journals and correspondence
dating back to the antebellum period. Box 19 contains material that
highlights Byrnes’ own relationship with her plantation tenants and the
black community. Typed inventory available (42 boxes).
Church Women United.
A paper and oral history on the Oxford
chapter of the national organization which took a stand in favor of civil
rights as early as 1942 (1 folder).
Citizens’ Council Collection. 1954-1979.
(MUM00072) Contains
pamphlets, correspondence, broadsides, clippings, and copies of the Citizens’
Council. Typed inventory available (3 boxes).
W. Wert Cooper, Jr. Collection.1962.
(MUM00662) W. Wert Cooper, Jr. was a senior majoring in Commerce at the University of Mississippi when James
Meredith enrolled at the University of Mississippi. Cooper took these photographs on campus and in the town of
Oxford during the events surrounding Meredith's enrollment. Inventory Available.
Council on Human Relations (Oxford). 1968.
(MUM01070) Correspondence
and reports primarily concerned with job opportunities for blacks in the
Oxford area (1 folder).
Eugene A. Cox Collection. 1950s-1960s.
(MUM00749) Clippings
and pamphlets from the civil rights era (2 folders).
John Crews Collection. 1970-1973.
(MUM00546) Contains various
materials related to black students at the University of Mississippi, including
papers from the Faculty Committee on Black Student Affairs for which Crews
was chairman. (1 box).
W.J. Cunningham/Galloway Methodist Church Collection. 1960s.
Contains correspondence, clippings, and other documents related to the
Jackson church’s reaction to the civil rights movement. Typed inventory
available (binder and 4 folders).
Charles Dean Collection. 1837-1982.
(MUM00103) This collection
contains the papers of several related families from Holly Springs, Mississippi.
The correspondence and clippings of Box 3 in particular comment on state
and local civil rights incidents. Typed inventory available (21 boxes).
John G. Deupree Collection. 1866-1867.
Letters written
by Deupree for Mississippi newspapers on various topics, including the
Freedman’s Bureau (1 folder).
William Doyle Collection.. 1865-2001.
(MUM00550) William Doyle’s American Insurrection: James Meredith and the Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1862, is an historic account of James Meredith’s journey to integrate the University of Mississippi on September 30, 1962, which exploded into a violent conflict between federal and state authorities in Mississippi. The collection contains interviews, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and research materials gathered and used by Doyle in the writing of his work. (9 boxes).
Eugene B. Ferris Collection. 1839-1995.
(MUM00183) Contains
remarks on “the Negro question,” as well as family letters dating back
to 1839. Typed inventory available (5 boxes).
Anselm Joseph Finch. 1941.
Brandon, Mississippi author’s
poem “I Am a Negro” (1 folder).
Mamie Lee Ratliff Finger.
(MUM01128) A daughter’s memories of her
mother’s (Cora Rodman Ratliff) civil rights activities in Clarksdale, Mississippi
in the 1940s and 50s (2 folders).
Fannie Lou Hamer Collection. 1966-1978.
(MUM00215) A major figure
in Mississippi’s civil rights movement, Hamer was a founding member of
the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party created in 1966. One of
her most ambitious projects was the Freedom Farm Cooperative, in existence
between 1969-1974. The collection consists mainly of business records
from the various organizations with which she was involved (most photocopied
from the Amistad Collection in New Orleans). Typed inventory available
(4 boxes).
Verner S. Holmes Collection. 1910-1989.
(MUM00571) Holmes served
24 years on Mississippi’s Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher
Learning (1956-1980), during the time in which integration proceeded.
His papers contain a complete set of minutes of the Board of Trustees during
his term, as well as oral interviews with several board members, public
officials, and James W. Silver. Typed inventory available (15 boxes).
James T. Jones Collection. 1861-1869.
(MUM00246) Includes letters
from W.W. Miller written while in a Vicksburg prison for allegedly murdering
a black man. Typed inventory available (1 box).
Katallagete!/James Y. Holloway Collection. 1945-1992.
(MUM00249)
Correspondence to and from Holloway, editor of Kattallagete (1965-early
1990s), as well as manuscripts, clippings, photographs, cassette tapes
and other material related to the liberal Christian journal. Typed
inventory available (37 boxes).
Ed King Collection.
(MUM00251) A native, white Mississippian, King
became the chaplain at Tougaloo College in the 1960s. Heavily involved
in the state’s civil rights movement, he played an especially significant
role in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Contains clippings,
correspondence, and publications of various key individuals and organizations.
Typed inventory available (7 boxes).
Ed King Manuscript.
(MUM00872) A never-published biography by the
civil rights activist (1 folder).
Morton King Collection. 1955-1959.
(MUM00578) A sociology professor
at the University of Mississippi, King resigned in protest after Chancellor
Williams rescinded the invitation of a liberal minister (Rev. Alvin L.
Kershaw) to speak during 1956 Religious Emphasis Week. Contains correspondence
and clippings on the incident. Typed inventory available (1 box).
Knox Collection. 1923-1979.
(MUM00253) A collection of assorted
extremist literature -- anti-Communist, anti-Semitic, conservative Christian,
and segregationist. Typed inventory available (12 Boxes).
Ku Klux Klan Collection. 1950s-1970s.
(MUM00254) Contains broadsides,
newsletters, and other KKK literature from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Maryland, Tennessee, and elsewhere. Typed inventory
available (2 boxes).
L.Q.C. Lamar. 1870s.
(MUM01174) Photocopies of the correspondence
between the prominent Mississippi statesman Lamar and E.D. Clark
(44 folders).
L.Q.C. Lamar Society. (1969- 1970s)
(MUM01071) Formed in 1969,
this non-partisan, educational organization sought “to bring constructive
change in the South” and to find “practical solutions to the South’s major
problems.” Contains publications, clippings, correspondence, and
studies on school desegregation (4 folders).
League of Women Voters Collection. 1947-1992.
(MUM00261) The
collection contains correspondence, minutes, and literature from the national
organization, the Mississippi Division, and individual branches within
the state, including reports on busing and desegregation. Typed inventory
available (25 boxes).Patrons should provide notice at least two business days prior to prospective visits so that staff may transfer requested boxes from the Library Annex (an off-site facility) to the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact Special Collections at (662) 915-7408 to specify requested material.
Dean L.L. Love Collection. 1962-1963.
(MUM00589) Love was the
Dean of Students during the integration of the University of Mississippi.
His papers contain correspondence he received from all over the country
on the event, as well as extremist literature. Typed inventory available
(2 boxes).
James Howard Meredith Collection. 1950-97.
(MUM00293) Meredith
enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1962, sparking a riot on the
campus. In 1966, he initiated a “Walk Against Fear” from Memphis
to Jackson. Shot on the second day of the march, civil rights leaders
of the day stepped in to continue the action. In 1972, Meredith ran
unsuccessfully for a congressional seat, and in 1989 joined the staff of
North Carolina’s arch-conservative senator Jesse Helms. Meredith
donated his personal papers to the university in 1997. (146 boxes).Inventory Available
James Meredith Small Manuscripts Collection.
(MUM00594) A myriad of
items related to Meredith and the integration of Ole Miss – ranging from
tear gas canisters, to campus literature, to scrapbooks. (12 boxes).
Mississippi Economic Council Collection. 1955-1980.
(MUM00304)
Includes the results of a 1966 study on how Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 affected Mississippi employers.
Mississippi Education Collection. 1944-present.
(MUM00305) Pamphlets,
publications, and reports on education within the state. Typed inventory
available (1 box).
Mississippi Forestry Collection. 1928-1984.
(MUM00307) Includes
material related to the 1971 Laurel Pulpwood Strike, a united action of
black and white workers supported by Charles Evers. Typed inventory
available (1 box).
Mississippi Highway Patrol Photography Collection. 1962.
(MUM00667) A small collection of black and white images taken by the Mississippi Highway Patrol during the integration riot on the University of Mississippi campus on September 30 and October 1, 1962.
Mississippi Periodicals Collection. 1929-present.
Contains magazines with articles on various Mississippi topics, including
race relations and civil rights. Typed inventory available (4 boxes).
Mississippi Politics Collection. 1930-present.
(MUM00316) A
selection of miscellaneous campaign material, speeches, and political literature.
Typed inventory available (2 boxes).
Willie Morris Collection. 1954-1993.
(MUM00321) Born in Mississippi
in 1934, Morris edited the liberal Texas Observer from 1960 until 1962.
The following year he joined the editorial staff at Harper’s Magazine,
serving as editor-in-chief from 1967-1971. Morris wrote a number
of fictional and nonfiction works that explored his southern heritage,
including Yazoo: Integration in a Deep Southern Town (1971) and The Ghosts
of Mississippi (1996). The collection contains photographs, manuscripts,
and a voluminous correspondence. Typed inventory available (136 boxes).
William Murphy Collection. 1954-1978.
(MUM00326) Correspondence
and clippings related to the Ole Miss law professor’s controversial support
for civil rights. Typed inventory available (1 box).
Piney Woods Collection. 1945-1990.
(MUM00366) A rural, black
boarding school outside of Jackson, Piney Woods was established in 1909.
This small collection contains programs, broadsides, and clippings on the
institution. (1 box).
Race Parody Sheet Music Collection. 1882-1945.
(MUM00376) Fifty-three
pieces of “minstrel” and “coon music” sheet music from the genres typified
by their derogative portrayal of blacks. Typed inventory available
(1 box).
Race Relations Collection. 1948-1982.
(MUM00377) Publications,
broadsides, and ephemera organized by locale: Oxford/University, Mississippi,
and non-Mississippi. Typed inventory available (8 boxes).
Jack Reed Collection. 1962-1987.
(MUM00385) A businessman from
Tupelo, Mississippi, Reed served as chairman of the Mississippi Economic
Council and president of the Mississippi Retail Merchants. He campaigned
unsuccessfully for governor in 1987. The collection primarily houses
his 1962-1963 correspondence with major Mississippi figures. Typed
inventory available (1 box).
Gus J. Requardt Paper. 1968.
(MUM00813) Requardt, a professor
at the University of the South, typed an account of his 1968 trip across
Mississippi (1 folder).
Ship Island Soldier’s Newsletter. 1916-1918.
(MUM01334) Contains
clippings on black migration out of the South (1 folder).
James W. Silver Collection. 1935-1986.
(MUM00410) A history
professor at Ole Miss, Silver published a bestseller during the civil rights
era entitled Mississippi: The Closed Society. His papers include
correspondence, clippings, cassette tapes, and ephemera. Typed inventory
available (50 boxes).
Darwin A. Smalley Letterbook. 1867-1870.
(MUM00413) Prior to
his service as a Union officer during the Civil War, Smalley was a Vermont
lawyer. After the war he settled in Meridian, Mississippi where he
received an appointment in 1867 to serve on Lauderdale County’s three member
Board of Registration which enrolled qualified voters. His letterbook
primarily contains official material relevant to this Reconstruction office.
Typed inventory available (1 box).
LePoint Smith Collection. 1895-1961.
(MUM01313) Includes various
materials on Mississippi’s reaction to the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown decision.
Typed inventory available (1 folder).
M.D.L. Stephens Collection.
(MUM00818) Typed manuscript entitled “Yellow
Rose of Shoona: A Historical Incident of the Pioneer Days of Calhoun
County” – the story of a slave who masquerades as a white woman and marries
a plantation owner.
Alfred H. Stone Collection. 1796-1944.
(MUM00431) A Mississippi
cotton planter and lawyer who served as president of the Mississippi Historical
Society, Stone wrote a number of articles on race. He also sat in
the state legislature from 1916 to 1923, and on the State Tax Commission
from 1932 until his death in 1955. Most of the collection relates
to issues of race, including letters from blacks to his wife, materials
from the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, and clippings that date
back to the late eighteenth century. Typed inventory available (4
boxes and 13 folders).
George M. Street Collection. 1914-1982.
(MUM00620) A native
Mississippian, Street served in various administrative positions at Ole
Miss from 1949 to 1982. A portion of this collection contains material
related to the Meredith crisis, Robert F. Kennedy’s campus address, and
civil rights topics in general. Typed inventory available (23 boxes).
Mayor Allen Thompson. 1964.
Remarks made by the Jackson,
Mississippi mayor on January 23rd concerning the television program “Bonanza.”
Lucy Turnbull Collection. 1962-1970.
(MUM00450) Contains the
University of Mississippi professor’s correspondence and clippings, as
well as literature from the Mississippi Council on Human Relations, the
Oxford Council on Human Relations, the Southern Student Organizing Committee,
the Congress on Racial Equality, Mississippi Council of Federated Organizations,
and the American Association of University Professors. Typed inventory
available (2 boxes).
William Madison Whittington Collection. 1897-1962.
(MUM00476) A cotton
planter and lawyer from Greenwood, Mississippi, Whittington served in the
Mississippi Legislature until elected to Congress as Representative of
Mississippi’s third district in 1924 – a seat he held for the next 25 years.
Containing letters, legislation, publications, and speeches, a portion
of the collection relates to race issues (anti-lynching bills, Fair Employment
Practices Commission, Civil Rights). Typed inventory available (316
boxes).Patrons should provide notice at least two business days prior to prospective visits so that staff may transfer requested boxes from the Library Annex (an off-site facility) to the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact Special Collections at (662) 915-7408 to specify requested material.
John Davis Williams Collection. 1934-1974.
(MUM00538) Chancellor
of the University of Mississippi from 1946 to 1968, Williams was in office
during the institution’s integration in 1962. His papers include
correspondence, clippings, and speeches. Typed inventory available
(24 boxes processed, 12 boxes unprocessed).
John Sharp Williams Collection.
(MUM00480) Contains letters (many
copied from the Williams Collection at the Library of Congress), photos,
speeches, and clippings. With regards to issues of race, the collection
includes correspondence with President Woodrow Wilson, Booker T. Washington,
and others. Typed inventory available (11 boxes).Patrons should provide notice at least two business days prior to prospective visits so that staff may transfer requested boxes from the Library Annex (an off-site facility) to the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact Special Collections at (662) 915-7408 to specify requested material.
Richard Wright Collection.
(MUM00488) Contains letters, periodicals,
and ephemera of the Mississippi author, including his written response
to winning the Springarn Award (the highest honor given by the NAACP for
civil rights contributions). Typed inventory available (4 boxes).