Join me as I explore the DeSoto County Museum, a treasure trove of history and culture in Hernando, Mississippi! 🏛️📜
In 1984, local citizens formed the Historic DeSoto Foundation with a mission to preserve the county’s rich history through artifacts, photographs, and recorded stories. The dream of opening a museum became a reality in 1998, when the need to protect the region’s heritage became more urgent. With the support of the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors, the foundation purchased the historic First Presbyterian Church property and raised over $400,000, alongside a grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, to transform the space into a museum.
After a year of renovations and exhibit development, the DeSoto County Museum officially opened on March 1, 2003. Today, it stands as a must-visit destination for history lovers, showcasing the stories and artifacts that shaped this vibrant county.
*The Unknown Child Exhibit* 🕯️
One of the museum’s most profound exhibits, the Unknown Child Exhibit, honors the memory of 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. The display features stunning black-and-white photographs, interactive images, and holograms depicting the faces of these lost children.
Alongside this moving tribute, the museum highlights the cultural impact of DeSoto County's early Jewish settlers, the Goodman family. Among the treasures on display:
🔹 A 2,000-year-old oil lamp discovered in the Dead Sea Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
🔹 A vintage 1880s solid bronze Menorah (Hanukkah lamp) belonging to Jewish settlers in rural Mississippi.
🔹 The heroic story of Col. William W. Goodman, who helped rescue 1,200 Jewish families from Nazi persecution.
🔹 A letter from Nobel Prize-winning scientist Albert Einstein, a relative of the Goodman family, detailing efforts to free mutual family members from the Holocaust.
*Crumpler-Ferguson Log Cabin* 🏡
Step back in time with me as I visit the Crumpler-Ferguson Log Cabin, a structure with a rich and storied past. Over the years, this historic log cabin has served as:
🏥 A field hospital during the American Civil War
🛤️ A way station for travelers along the Historic Hernando Plank Road to Memphis
🍽️ A restaurant and a family home
However, the passage of time has taken its toll. A major renovation is planned to preserve this important landmark, including:
✅ Mud-chinking restoration by specialists
✅ Vintage glass window pane replacements
✅ Removal of rotting boards
✅ Air conditioning installation in one room for classroom use
The goal? To provide a space for future generations to learn vanishing crafts such as:
🧈 Butter churning & cheese making
🧼 Lye soap making
🧵 Quilting
🪑 Chair caning & weaving
📍 Location: Hernando, Mississippi
🌐 Learn more: www.desotomuseum.org
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6:39 Unknown Child
10:00 Crumpler-Ferguson Log Cabin