The Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner will be the setting for a public forum Monday (May 7) about the possibility of adding the historic county office building to the National Park System.
The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the second-floor courtroom. The public is invited to attend.
Under a 2017 federal law, the National Park Service has launched a study to examine key civil rights sites in Mississippi for possible designation as a national park area.
At Monday’s meeting, the public will learn about the study process and will be allowed to ask questions and offer suggestions.
“Rigorous research and public opinion help our nation’s leaders determine whether a resource of national significance should be added to the National Park System,” said Ben West, southeast regional chief for planning and compliance with the National Park Service. “The public’s voice is critical to this process. We welcome widespread participation as the National Park Service considers Mississippi-based civil rights sites and stories that helped shape our nation’s history.”
As the setting of the 1955 Emmett Till murder trial, the Sumner courthouse bears undeniable historic significance as relates to the nation’s civil rights movement. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 6, 2007.
In recent years, the edifice has undergone a multimillion-dollar, multiphase project of stabilization, renovation and restoration designed to return certain areas of the building, including the courtroom, to a 1955 character.
Last year, the National Park Service awarded a $500,000 grant for the latest phase of the project, which will include the addition of interpretive exhibits.
The Sumner courthouse is one of numerous Mississippi civil rights sites being considered for national park status, which would bring economic and other benefits.
Six public forums are scheduled across the state next week to gather information about the sites presently under consideration.
The forums are part of the initial phase of the Mississippi Civil Rights Sites Special Resource Study, which could take up to two years.
The study will help to gather information about the proposed sites through historical research and public input, and evaluate their potential for inclusion in the National Park System.
The findings of the study, which will be reported to Congress, “will center on the sites’ national significance, suitability, feasibility and need for direct NPS management,” according to a Park Service news release.
Patrick Weems, project director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, said Monday’s public meeting is an important early component of the park selection process.
“The Emmett Till Interpretive Center is proud to be working with the National Park Service for this special event as they study a partnership with sites connected to the Emmett Till story,” noted Weems. “This potential partnership would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the Tallahatchie County Board of Supervisors and the Emmett Till Memorial Commission. We encourage everyone to come out to show support and give input into the process.”
IN THE PHOTO: Tulips rise from the grounds of the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner in this March 2006 image of the building. (Sun-Sentinel file photo by Clay McFerrin)
