Bicentennial plans in Vicksburg

The Warren County Vicksburg Historical Society is planning two days of events to honor the bicentennial of Jefferson Davis' birth. Your assistance in making your members aware of these events will be appreciated.

The events include a free concert on Saturday afternoon, May 24, on the lawn of the Old Court House Museum, where Davis, while a resident of Warren County, made the first political speech of his career. The concert will be by the Eighth Georgia Regimental Band, which performs on original Civil War-era instruments.

In the evening, there will be a banquet at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center that will feature a speech by Dr. Lynda Crist of Rice University in Houston. Dr. Crist is the editor of the papers of Jefferson Davis.

There will also be musical entertainment by Lester Senter Wilson of Jackson, Miss., who has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world.

On Sunday morning, the band will play during the regular worship service at Christ Episcopal Church in Vicksburg, where Joe Davis, brother of Jefferson, worshipped in Vicksburg with his family. Also planned is the placing of a wreath at Davis' statue in the Vicksburg National Military Park.

For banquet ticket or other information, please contact George Bolm, curator and director of the Old Court House Museum, through the museum Web site, http://www.oldcourthouse.org or at 601-636-0741.

Thank you immensely,

Charlie Mitchell
The Vicksburg Post
for the Historical Society