A Statement from the Mound Bayou Museum:
Thank You for Celebrating 138 Years of Mound Bayou With Us
We want to thank every single person who poured time, energy, and heart into our event Celebrating 138 Years of Mound Bayou.
The 138 Years of Mound Bayou gathering came together through the strength of this community. From the earliest conversations to the final hug goodbye, every detail reflected our shared commitment to honoring this place and the people who built it.
To our speakers, your presence was a gift. Your words carried wisdom, truth, and hope. You reminded us that our story continues and that it matters who gets to tell it. To our volunteers, organizers, elders, youth, families, and guests, we see you and we thank you. What we built together was real and beautiful. This celebration was rooted in love. It was shaped by legacy. It reflected exactly who we are. Thank you for showing up and showing out. We are proud beyond words!
We invite you to carry this experience with you and plan to join us again next year as we continue to honor and protect what Mound Bayou means to us all.
--- Mound Bayou Museum
Mound Bayou Museum
More than a museum. A process of uncovering.
“We as Black people are really just now discovering our history. The whole point of this is that instead of us just knowing it and putting it in a museum — which is what museums usually do — we are exposing our history. That’s why I call it an Exposeum. It’s a process, not just a place.”
— Hermon Johnson Jr., Founder
The Mound Bayou Museum is not a typical museum. It’s the first of its kind: an Exposeum, where history isn’t just displayed. It’s uncovered. It’s confronted. It’s honored, from the inside out.
Rooted in the legacy of Mound Bayou, a town founded by formerly enslaved people in 1887, this museum is an active space for revealing the parts of Black history that have been hidden, distorted, or forgotten. What makes us different is that we’re not treating our history like it’s over. We are still in the process of discovering it, exposing it, and passing it on.
This is a place where the stories are personal. From the civil rights work of local leaders to the economic brilliance of the town’s founders, every exhibit is designed to show that Black history is not tragedy with a beginning and end — it’s legacy, it’s resistance, it’s joy, and it’s still happening.
Come experience Mound Bayou; not as a chapter in someone else’s textbook, but as a living, breathing story still being told by the people who know it best.
Join
Don’t miss your chance to embark on an enriching journey through the remarkable history and culture of Mound Bayou.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mound Bayou Museum Faqs
Our weekly schedule: Monday – Thursday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Friday – Saturday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Sunday CLOSED
The museum hosts various events such as workshops, seminars, civil rights discussions, and community forums.
The closest hotels are in Cleveland, MS, about 10 miles away. Options include the Lyric Hotel West End, Cotton House, Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn.
Black formal attire is suggested for certain events like the Mound Bayou Museum Gala.