On April 17, the Marion County Historical Society in Columbia will host a free program about the historic Lampton Rural Center near Columbia, Mississippi. The program will take place in conjunction with the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America, on display in Columbia through May 8.
Located just four miles south of Columbia, this community center was dedicated in 1949 to serve the largest black community in Mississippi. The first of its kind in Mississippi brought the whole of the Marion County community together in support of a much needed space for community and spiritual activity in the area. The building itself includes a gymnasium, offices, a library, activity rooms and a kitchen. The Center was built with support from The Woman’s Division of Christin Service of the Methodist Church through its Board of Missions. A Vocational and Technical Center was built nearby under the management of both county and city school systems. The present director and administrative personnel will share much of their story, changes over time and needs for the future.
Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.
The exhibit will be on display in the Marion County Museum and is open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays 9am-5pm. Crossroads is free to visit.
Weather date for the Lampton Rural Center tour and program will be Saturday, April 24.
Upcoming Crossroads events in Columbia:
April 30, 8am:“From Snapshots to a Collage: Exploring Rural Mississippi Through Population Studies” presentation, Dr. John Green
