1866–1902
The end of slavery and the Civil War brought the challenge of reconstructing a war-torn state. How would Mississippians rebuild their economy? Forced to make the most of natural resources, timber companies cleared over a million acres of new farmland in the Delta. But the majority of farmers were trapped in unfair sharecropping systems, even as the promise of new opportunities in America drew immigrants from across the globe.
- Hear the story of the Mississippi businessman who first bottled Coca-Cola.
- See a collection of tools used by African American blacksmiths.
- Explore the treasured items, like this accordion, that immigrants brought to Mississippi from their homelands.