Plans have been announced to convert the Historic Jefferson College near Natchez into a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development.
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi State University signed an agreement Friday that aims to utilize Jefferson’s historical resources and the higher learning institution’s academic expertise to benefit students, faculty, and local communities.
Through a memorandum of understanding, the 19th-century college will be the site of year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities.
“As the state’s leading research university and land-grant institution, Mississippi State is called to serve the entire state, and we are honored to work together with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for this innovative partnership at Historic Jefferson College,” Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum said. “Students will develop real-world skills working with faculty, employers, and professionals in a unique hands-on environment, and we will be able to help our state address a critical shortage of skilled labor in construction and historic preservation.”
The official agreement comes after years of collaboration between the state and the university. In June 2024, the Department of Archives and History held a pilot preservation field school for students from Mississippi State’s Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation program.
Friday’s memorandum of understanding formalizes a workforce development initiative in the trades, with emphasis on preservation trades and construction technology. A preservation trade is a skilled craft focused on the restoration, maintenance, and rehabilitation of historic structures.
Mississippi State will serve as a lead academic partner, working in collaboration with other institutions as appropriate to expand statewide impact.
Students will receive hands-on training in historic preservation and archaeology. The training will support engagement from other disciplines, including architecture, building arts, and history. The work at the Historic Jefferson College will also establish a collaborative model for preservation trades workforce development to help address Mississippi’s labor shortages.
“In partnering with MSU, we are helping extend unique opportunities and provide hands-on learning for students while advancing our agency’s mission to preserve and enrich Mississippi’s cultural resources,” said Barry White, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s Historic Preservation Division. “Historic Jefferson College holds a special place in the history of education in Mississippi, dating back to 1802.”
This opportunity is expected to expose students to the cultural and geographic diversity of Mississippi through immersive, field-based experiences in the southwestern region of the state. The project will move forward as the state continues rehabilitation of the buildings on the campus where Mississippi’s first constitution was signed in 1817.