46.4 F
Oxford

MS Delta National Heritage Area: Good for the Delta = Good for the State

There is no question the Mississippi Delta has played an important role in the American story. It gave our country the Blues and Blues music gave birth to rock and roll, R&B, and contributed greatly to jazz and country along the way. The Delta also played a significant role in the civil rights revolution that changed all of America.
msdeltaOur region of the state is also the birthplace or stomping ground of writers like Tennessee Williams, Shelby Foote, William Alexander Percy, and Richard Wright. It’s where Teddy Roosevelt didn’t shoot the Teddy Bear and where William Faulkner learned about the conflicts between man and nature. It’s the birthplace of Archie Moore, Archie Manning, and Morgan Freeman.
It’s the place destroyed by the Mississippi River Flood of 1927 setting the Army Corps of Engineers on the path of what they call “Project Flood,” the model for flood control on the Mississippi River ever since that catastrophe. It’s where a critical battle of the Civil War decided who would control the Mississippi River and what Abraham Lincoln called “the key” to winning the war.
And, of course there are many other ways in which the Mississippi Delta created the America we know today, from its production of cotton and other crops, through its production of powerful politicians, journalists, community activists, and even chefs, to its massive contribution to the current populations of Chicago and Gary and Detroit, among others.
We now have a new stage on which to present these stories from the Delta and it is called the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area. All National Heritage Areas are created by Congress and link geographic regions with the National Park Service, which provides credibility, funding, and expertise. The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area has been created with the support of Senators Cochran, Wicker and Congressman Thompson and it was signed into law by President Obama in 2009. The law defines an eighteen county area governed by a fifteen member Board. That Board has spent the last several years crafting a federally mandated Management Plan with the help of a team of consultants led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

A beautiful view of the Mississippi River is seen from Vicksburg’s city park.
A beautiful view of the Mississippi River is seen from Vicksburg’s city park.

As part of the planning process, public meetings have been held from Vicksburg to Southaven and from Greenville to Greenwood. Opinion surveys were conducted, people interviewed, and hundreds of others sent in comments, photographs, and suggestions. Over fifty Delta entities have written letters of commitment pledging their partnership and helping ensure success.
The Management Plan describes what the Heritage Area will do, how it will pay its bills, and how it will be governed for the next decade. It summarizes the Delta’s stories through five themes: the River and the Land it produced, the Culture of the Blues, the Struggle for Rights, the Wellspring of Creativity, and Building Communities.
The strategies for implementing these themes include “Saving places and perpetuating culture, building the network of partners, and telling the Delta’s stories.” These strategies will engage the Heritage Area in historic preservation, collection of archival materials, promotion of the Delta’s living traditions, and educational and interpretive efforts. Soon, people entering the Area will see large brown and white signs welcoming them to the Mississippi Delta and identifying it as part of the National Heritage Area system.
As time passes, there will be new interpretive guides, support for festivals and workshops, new school curriculum focusing on the Delta, and even a certified tour guide program. And, as a partner with the National Park Service, the Heritage Area will participate in many of their programs and be promoted through their web sites and advertising materials.
Our country has fifty National Heritage Areas, and Mississippi is fortunate to have three: The Mississippi Delta, the Mississippi Hills, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. All of these go through the same planning process, and currently our Delta Management Plan is being considered by the several Washington, DC offices that must approve it.
Po’ Monkey’s is one of the last juke joints in the Delta.
Po’ Monkey’s is one of the last juke joints in the Delta.

By mid-summer, it will be signed by the Secretary of the Interior and we will be fully authorized and completely funded. That means the people of the Mississippi Delta will have new opportunities to tell their heritage stories to the World. It also means the traveling public will have new reasons to make certain they visit the Mississippi Delta and when they do they will learn how important the Delta is to the American story.
They will also learn how friendly Delta people are, how great Delta music sounds in a real Delta juke or night club, and how wonderful Delta food is when eaten in a real Delta restaurant. And, hopefully they will leave some of their dollars behind when they go! The Mississippi Delta has stories to tell of great significance and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area will do its best to make sure the people of the Delta benefit from their heritage.
The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area is managed by the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University in Cleveland. For more information on this great new Delta asset, call the Center at (662) 846 4311 or visit is www.msdeltaheritage.com.
The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area: good for the Delta = good for the state!
– Scott Coopwood is the owner and publisher of Delta Business Journal, Delta Magazine and The Cleveland Current. He can be reached at scott@coopwood.net

Most Popular

Recent Comments

scamasdscamith on News Watch Ole Miss
Frances Phillips on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Grace Hudditon on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Millie Johnston on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Binary options + Bitcoin = $ 1643 per week: https://8000-usd-per-day.blogspot.com.tr?b=46 on Beta Upsilon Chi: A Christian Brotherhood
Jay Mitchell on Reflections: The Square
Terry Wilcox SFCV USA RET on Oxford's Five Guys Announces Opening Date
Stephanie on Throwback Summer
organized religion is mans downfall on VP of Palmer Home Devotes Life to Finding Homes for Children
Paige Williams on Boyer: Best 10 Books of 2018
Keith mansel on Cleveland On Medgar Evans
Debbie Nader McManus on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: The Last of His Kind
Richard Burns on A William Faulkner Sighting
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Ruby Begonia on Family Catching Rebel Fever
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
jeff the busy eater on Cooking With Kimme: Baked Brie
Travis Yarborough on Reflections: The Square
BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH on Oxford is About to Receive a Sweet Treat
baby travel systems australia on Heaton: 8 Southern Ways to Heckle in SEC Baseball
Rajka Radenkovich on Eating Oxford: Restaurant Watch
Richard Burns on Reflections: The Square
Guillermo Perez Arguello on Mississippi Quote Of The Day
A Friend with a Heavy Heart on Remembering Dr. Stacy Davidson
Harold M. "Hal" Frost, Ph.D. on UM Physical Acoustics Research Center Turns 30
Educated Citizen on Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Debbie Crenshaw on Trump’s Tough Road Ahead
Treadway Strickland on Wicker Looks Ahead to New Congress
Tony Ryals on parking
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
C. Scott Fischer on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Sylvia Williams on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Will Patterson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Rick Henderson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
George L Price on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
on
Morgan Shands on Cleveland: On Ed Reed
Richard McGraw on Cleveland: On Cissye Gallagher
Branan Southerland on Gameday RV Parking at HottyToddy.com
Tom and Randa Baddley on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
26 years and continuously learning on Ole Miss Puts History In Context With Plaque
a Paterson on Beyond Barton v. Barnett
Phil Higginbotham on ‘Unpublished’ by Shane Brown
Bettina Willie@www.yahoo.com.102Martinez St.Batesville,Ms.38606 on Bomb Threat: South Panola High School Evacuated This Morning
Anita M Fellenz, (Emilly Hoffman's CA grandmother on Ole Miss Spirit Groups Rank High in National Finals
Marilyn Moore Hughes on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
Jaqundacotten@gmail williams on HottyToddy Hometown: Hollandale, Mississippi
Finney moore on Can Ole Miss Grow Too Big?
diane faulkner cawlley on Oxford’s Olden Days: Miss Annie’s Yard
Phil Higginbotham on ‘November 24’ by Shane Brown
Maralyn Bullion on Neely-Dorsey: Hog Killing Time
Beth Carr on A Letter To Mom
Becky on A Letter To Mom
Marilyn Tinnnin on A Letter To Mom
Roger ulmer on UM Takes Down State Flag
Chris Pool on UM Takes Down State Flag
TampaRebel on UM Takes Down State Flag
david smith on UM Takes Down State Flag
Boyd Harris on UM Takes Down State Flag
Jim (Herc @ UM) on Cleveland: Fall Vacations
Robert Hollingsworth on Rebels on the Road: Memphis Eateries
David McCullough on Shepard Leaves Ole Miss Football
Gayle G. Henry on Meet Your 2015 Miss Ole Miss
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Neely-Dorsey: Elvis Presley’s Big Homecoming
Jennifer Mooneyham on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Wes McIngvale on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
BARRY MCCAMMON on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
Laughing out Loud on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Dr.Bill Priester on Cleveland: On Bob Priester
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
paulette holmes langbecker on Cofield on Oxford – Rising Ole Miss Rookie
Ruth Shipp Yarbrough on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Karllen Smith on ‘Rilee’ by Shane Brown
Jean Baker Pinion on ‘The Cool Pad’ by Shane Brown
Janet Hollingsworth (Cavanaugh) on John Cofield on Oxford: A Beacon
Proud Mississippi Voter on Gunn Calls for Change in Mississippi Flag
Deloris Brown-Thompson on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Sue Ellen Parker Stubbs on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Karen fowler on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Don't Go to Law School on Four Legal Rebels Rising in the Real World
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
Joanne and Mark Wilkinson on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Mary Ellen (Dring) Gamble on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Cyndy Carroll on Filming it Up in Mississippi
Dottie Dewberry on Top 10 Secret Southern Sayings
Brother Everett Childers on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Mark McElreath on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Bill Wilkes, UM '57, '58, '63 on A Letter from Chancellor Dan Jones
Sandra Caffey Neal on Mississippi Has Proud Irish Heritage
Teresa Enyeart, and Terry Enyeat on Death of Ole Miss Grad, U.S. Vet Stuns Rebel Nation
P. D. Fyke on Wells: Steelhead Run
Johnny Neumann on Freeze Staying with Rebels
Maralyn Bullion on On Cooking Southern: Chess Pie
Kaye Bryant on Henry: E. for Congress
charles Eichorn on Hotty Tamales, Gosh Almighty
Jack of All Trades on Roll Over Bear Bryant
w nadler on Roll Over Bear Bryant
Stacey Berryhill on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
John Appleton on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Charlotte Lamb on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Two True Mississippi Icons
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Jeanette Berryhill Wells on HottyToddy Hometown: Senatobia, Mississippi
Tire of the same ole news on 3 "Must Eat" Breakfast Spots in Oxford
gonna be a rebelution on Walking Rebel Fans Back Off the Ledge
Nora Jaccaud on Rickshaws in Oxford
Martha Marshall on Educating the Delta — Or Not
Nita McVeigh on 'I'm So Oxford' Goes Viral
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on How a Visit to the Magnolia State Can Inspire You
Charlie Fowler Jr. on Prawns? In the Mississippi Delta?
Martha Marshall on A Salute to 37 Years of Sparky
Sylvia Hartness Williams on Oxford Approves Diversity Resolution
Jerry Greenfield on Wine Tip: Problem Corks
Cheryl Obrentz on I Won the Lottery! Now What?
Bnogas on Food for the Soul
Barbeque Memphis on History of Tennessee Barbecue
Josephine Bass on The Delta and the Civil War
Nicolas Morrison on The Walking Man
Pete Williams on Blog: MPACT’s Future
Laurie Triplette on On Cooking Southern: Fall Veggies
Harvey Faust on The Kream Kup of the Krop
StarReb on The Hoka
Scott Whodatty Keetereaux Keet on Hip Hop — Yo or No, What’s Your Call
Johnathan Doeman on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
Andy McWilliams on The Warden & The Chief
Kathryn McElroy on Think Like A Writer
Claire Duff Sullivan on Alert Dogs Give Diabetics Peace of Mind
Jesse Yancy on The Hoka
Jennifer Thompson Walker on Ole Miss, Gameday From The Eyes of a Freshman
HottyToddy.com