Adams County supervisors approve marker for Black legislators of Reconstruction

Adams County will install a new courthouse marker honoring 10 Black Reconstruction-era lawmakers, spotlighting Mississippi’s first African American legislators.

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat

December 18, 2025

Adams County Courthouse will be the site of a new historical marker honoring 10 Black legislators from Adams County who were elected after the Civil War. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Adams County is poised to install a new state historical marker on the grounds of the Adams County Courthouse that will honor its 10 Black legislators elected during Reconstruction. The marker is part of the “Making Their Mark” project, a statewide, grant-funded initiative to recognize the first African Americans to hold legislative office in Mississippi after the Civil War.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors approved a request for the marker, presented by DeeDee Baldwin of Mississippi State University, on November 17.

“This marker recognizes an important chapter in Adams County’s history and the men who served during a transformative period in Mississippi,” said Board President Kevin Wilson. “By acknowledging their service, we are helping preserve the full historical record for future generations and providing an opportunity for education, reflection, and community dialogue.”
 
The marker will be acquired through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Installation is planned for late 2026. The exact location on the courthouse grounds will be determined later as the matter is reviewed by the Natchez Preservation Commission.
 
According to Baldwin, the unveiling of the marker will be accompanied by a community event featuring creative performances by local students. All costs for its manufacture and installation will be covered by the “Making Their Mark” project through a grant from Monument Lab, a public arts nonprofit based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 
As of December 11, a total of 11 markers has been approved by county boards of supervisors across the state.
 
“We are so appreciative of the county supervisors who have worked with us so far to make this project a reality,” said Baldwin. “The support we’ve encountered is wonderful to see.”
 
The draft text for the front side of the marker reads:
 
The First Black Legislators
 
After the Civil War, the 14th Amendment and a new state constitution enabled the people of Mississippi to elect 162 Black men to state or national office over the next 20 years, more than any other state. Ten of these legislators represented Adams County, including Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first African American to serve in either house of the U.S. Congress. The overthrow of Reconstruction and passage of the 1890 state constitution ended multiracial democracy in Mississippi for over 70 years.
 
The text proposed for the back side reads:
 
The following Black Men from Adams County served in the legislature from 1870-1891:
United States Congress: John Roy Lynch and Hiram Rhodes Revels
State Senate: Jeremiah M.P. Williams
State House of Representatives: George F. Bowles, Felix L. Cory, Willis Davis, William W. Hence, Henry P. Jacobs, William H. Lynch, George R. Washington
 
Baldwin and Chuck Yarborough of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science are co-directors of the “Making Their Mark Project” team, which comprises researchers and historians working to install markers and spearhead community programming in 22 counties.
 
Team members include Brother Rogers, historian and former employee of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez; Dr. Robby Luckett, professor and director of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University; Heather Denne, executive director for Community Engagement at Jackson State University; and Vickie Roberts Ratliff of Land, Literacy, Legacy LLC.
 
Baldwin, who serves as associate professor and engagement librarian at Mississippi State University Libraries, is a leading authority on the Black legislators who served during Reconstruction. Her website, “Against All Odds: The First Black Legislators in Mississippi,” provides biographies, photos, newspaper clippings, and other resources to assist people researching these elected officials.
 
For her work on the website, Baldwin received an Award of Merit from the Mississippi Historical Society in 2025 and has been honored with the 2026 Humanities Scholar Award by the Mississippi Humanities Council.
 

See more at this link: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/adams-county-supervisors-approve-marker-for-black-legislators-of-reconstruction-91810069