Success! Land Transfer Clears Way for New Vicksburg Visitor Center

Update! On September 22, the U.S. Senate passed S.1016, the Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act, sending the measure to President Trump for signature. “We are deeply appreciative that lawmakers, especially Sens. Heinrich, Lee and Wicker and Reps. Huffman, Thompson and Westerman, see the same value in a new visitor center at the Vicksburg Battlefield as we do,” said David Duncan, president of the American Battlefield Trust. “This action ensures all that come to Vicksburg will gain a greater understanding of our nation’s history and appreciation for its hallowed ground.” 

Vicksburg National Military Park is the most visited cultural site in Mississippi, welcoming more than 400,000 visitors in 2024.  But its cramped 1960s-era visitor center is no longer up to the task of interpreting and orienting so many people to one of the Civil War’s most important campaigns.

When the Park was first created in the 1890s, it focused on the 47-day siege, but recent legislation expanded the park’s authorized boundary, allowing it to take in significant properties that had been protected by the Trust at places like Champion Hill, Chickasaw Bayou, Port Gibson and Raymond. Today, an effort is underway that will create a state-of-the-art facility that has the space, technology and infrastructure to tell the full story of the Vicksburg Campaign.

Learn more about the exciting plans from the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park & Campaign

A new Vicksburg Civil War Visitor Center is scheduled to open its doors in 2028 and do more than service the park’s main footprint – it will serve as a gateway to the region’s rich history, guiding visitors through stories beyond the siege, through galleries spanning civilian life from before the Civil War to Reconstruction. Designed by award-winning architects with a modern aesthetic meant to echo battlefield earthworks, the new museum and visitor center will also have sufficient space for interpretive programming, school resources, guided tours and more.

The project is a combined effort spearheaded by the state of Mississippi and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, with further assistance from Vicksburg National Military Park and Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign – all fully supported by the American Battlefield Trust. The National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks have joined the Trust in expressing support for the effort via a joint letter.

The success of this collaborative and universally desired effort requires the transfer of two small parcels of land – totaling about 11 acres – from the park to the State of Mississippi for construction to proceed.