Senate Concurrent Resolution 542

(As Adopted by Senate and House)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE DEDICATION CEREMONY OF THE BRICE'S CROSSROADS BATTLEFIELD-CHIEF TISHOMINGO SCENIC BYWAY AT THE FINAL STANDS INTERPRETIVE CENTER IN BALDWYN, MISSISSIPPI, AS PART OF THE COMMEMORATION OF THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, on Friday, January 27, 2012, a Dedication Ceremony for the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield-Chief Tishomingo Scenic Byway was held at the Final Stands Interpretive Center in Baldwyn, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, located in Lee and Prentiss Counties, the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield-Chief Tishomingo Scenic Byway features Civil War battlefields, the homesite of Chickasaw Chief Tishomingo, and several other tribal sites, as well as historic cemeteries that date to the settlement of the area. At the start of the Byway, Brice's Crossroads Visitors and Interpretive Center displays archaeological artifacts from the battlefield. Interpretive signs along the route explain more about this important Civil War battle. Other sites along the Byway showcase the area's heritage and Native American culture; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, newly interpreted sites and an expanded exhibit were opened at Mississippi's Final Stands Interpretive Center and Battlefields (formerly Brice's Crossroads Visitor's Center and Battlefield) at 607 Grisham Street in Baldwyn, Mississippi. The 1200-square-foot expansion includes a gallery that interprets both the Battles of Brice's Crossroads and the Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg, and the second day of the battle at Old Town Creek through interactive exhibits and maps. The diary of Reverend Samuel Agnew is featured in the front gallery of the center and includes his daily accounts of events, both at home and abroad, for 50 years between 1852 and 1902; and

WHEREAS, this newly created center, Mississippi's Final Stands Interpretive Center and Trails Project, is the result of Transportation Enhancement Act funding in the amount of a $1.5 Million grant administered through the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The Brice's Crossroads National Battlefield Commission applied for and was granted money that funded construction of the expansion and the design of a permanent exhibit interpreting the two last major battles in Mississippi during the summer of 1864; and

WHEREAS, the Mississippi's Final Stands Board of Directors includes representatives from the City of Baldwyn, the City of Tupelo, Lee County, the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Old Town Creek site. Edwina Carpenter is the Director of the Interpretative Center; and

WHEREAS, the grant funding also provides a pull-off and interpretive signage at the 12-acre Old Town Creek site on Mt. Vernon Road in Tupelo where the second day of the Battle of Harrisburg was fought. Fourteen thousand federal troops camped on the night of July 15 and pushed the pursuing Confederate Army off the adjacent ridge following a surprise attack. The Battlefield Commission and the Civil War Trust purchased the Tupelo property last year. This newly interpreted site and the exhibit will enhance the visitor's North Mississippi Civil War experience. A guided driving tour of the route between Brice's Crossroads and Old Town Creek will be offered; and

WHEREAS, a replica of the Tishomingo Creek Bridge, which was located, in June 1864, about 50 yards north of the present bridge on Highway 370, is included in the project. A pull-off and access from the road at creek level and viewing from the existing trail on the Log Cabin Knoll provides the visitor with information about its importance in the route of the Union troops during the June 10 battle. The third interpretive site includes a pull-off and interpretation at the James C. Jourdan burial site on CR 168 with construction of a trail to, and visual linkage with the White House Ridge site where the last stand of the Union troops occurred during the battle on the present CR 167. The final resting place of two artillery men here is also interpreted. These properties were purchased by the commission with the help of the Civil War Trust and the Austin, Texas, Civil War Roundtable. They will be maintained by the Union County Supervisor Benny Rakestraw; and

WHEREAS, the exhibit, trail, video and interpretive signs for all four sites are open and ready for visitors. This event is a celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Northeast Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the Dedication Ceremony of the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield-Chief Tishomingo Scenic Byway at The Final Stands Interpretive Center in Baldwyn, Mississippi, held on January 27, 2012, and extend our best wishes at this auspicious event which is part of the Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War in Northeast Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the Final Stands Interpretative Center Executive Director for distribution to its Board of Directors, forwarded to the Lee and Prentiss Counties Boards of Supervisors and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.