Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebrated at Burns-Belfry Museum

Burns-Belfry Museum
Photos courtesy of Burns-Belfry Museum

African American history takes center stage from 1-5 p.m. today as the Burns-Belfry Museum celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

According to its website BurnsBelfryMuseum, Burns Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by freed African Americans who settled in the area known as “Freedmen Town” after the Civil War. The current church building was erected in 1910 and played a major role in the lives of many African Americans until 1974 when the Burns congregation moved to its new location. Under new ownership, the historic building was called the Belfry and used for various offices until the last owner, John Grisham, donated the building to the Oxford-Lafayette County Heritage Foundation (OLCHF) in 2002. He asked that the Heritage Foundation work with the Oxford Development Association (ODA) to insure the future of the historic property, now considered a Mississippi Landmark. The two nonprofit organizations joined hands in 2006 with the dream of creating Oxford/Lafayette County’s first community heritage center, a place to preserve the area’s rich and diverse cultural history.

Burns-Belfry Museum

Take some time to explore African American History on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, this afternoon. The museum will be open 1-5 p.m.to welcome your visit.

Located at 710 E. Jackson Avenue, the museum is housed in the beautifully restored 1910 Burns Church and includes striking exhibits and a short video. See BurnsBelfryMuseum to learn more.

Burns-Belfry Museum

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Jeff McVay is a staff writer and graphic designer for Hottytoddy.com. He can be reached at jeff.mcvay@hottytoddy.com.

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