Jackson, Mississippi


Jackson is located in the southwestern part and is the capital and largest city in the U.S. State of Mississippi. The City with Soul. Jackson is famous for its Gospel, Blues and R&B music. Jackson is the home to the world famous Malaco Records recording studio. 2,300 acres of land in the city are parks and facilities. The city has over 5,000 hotel rooms and over 300 restaurants and there are many museums and attractions in the city.



To See And To Do In Jackson


  • Mynelle Gardens
  • The Agriculture and Forestry Museum
  • Battlefield Park
  • Old State Capitol
  • Mississippi Museum of Art
  • Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
  • Mynelle Gardens
  • Fire Museum
  • The Russel C. Davis Planetarium
  • War Memorial Museum
  • Fondren District
  • Manship House Museum
  • The Jackson Zoo
  • Thalia Mara Hall
  • LeFleur's Bluff State Park
  • Farish Street Historic District


History Of Jackson - Timeline


Around 1790, a French Canadian trader named Louis LeFleur established a trading post in the area, and the town originally was called LeFleur's Bluff. In 1821, Jackson was founded and the city was named after Major General Andrew Jackson who later became the seventh President of the United States. In 1822, Jackson was incorporated as a city and became the capital of the state of Mississippi. Also in 1822, the Jackson Police Department was established.

In 1837, the Old Mississippi State Capitol (also known as Old Capitol Museum or Old State Capitol) was built, and the Clarion-Ledger newspaper was founded. In 1839, the first fire department was established. In 1840, the railroad arrived. In 1842, the Mississippi Governor's Mansion was built.

In 1846, the City Hall was built. In 1854, the Mississippi Institute for the Deaf and Dumb opened. In 1863, Union forces captured the city. In 1869, the Tougaloo College was built. In 1888, the newspaper the Daily Clarion-Ledger was founded. In 1894, the Smith Robertson School was built. It was the first public school for black students.

In 1900, 7,800 people lived in the city. In 1903, a new capitol building was built in the city. In 1919, the Jackson Zoo opened. In 1927, the original Jackson Union Station was completed. In 1928, Hawkins Field, the first airport opened. In 1938, the African-American weekly newspaper, the Jackson Advocate, was founded. In 1955, the University of Mississippi Medical Center was founded. In 1961, more than 300 African-American (Freedom Riders) were arrested in Jackson for disturbing the peace after they disembarked from their bus.

In 1962, the independent record label, the Malaco Records, was founded. In 1963, the first successful cadaveric lung transplant was performed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson by Dr. James Hardy. Also in 1963, Jackson-Evers International Airport replaced Hawkins Field as a commercial and military flight. This year the African-American civil rights activist, Medgar Evers, was assassinated by a member of the White Citizens Council. Many films and many songs tell the story about this murder.

In 1970, the police killed 2 students and wounded 12 at Jackson State University after a protest of the Vietnam War. In 1978, the USA International Ballet Competition was founded by Thalia Mara. In 1979, a devastating flood inundates the city. In 2009, the 380-seat theatre "Jackson Convention Complex" opened in downtown.