State Historic Preservation Office (Mississippi)

State Historic Preservation Office (Mississippi)
Name	Mississippi State Historic Preservation Office
Formation	1966
Headquarters	Jackson, Mississippi
Chief1 position	State Historic Preservation Officer
Parent agency	Mississippi Department of Archives and History

State Historic Preservation Office (Mississippi) The Mississippi State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) administers statewide historic preservation programs and implements federal and state preservation statutes, coordinating surveys, nominations, and grant administration. Operating from Jackson under the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the office interfaces with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and local Natchez and Vicksburg preservation organizations to protect archaeological sites, historic districts, and landmark buildings across the state.

History

The office was established in response to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and became integral to Mississippi's cultural stewardship alongside the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the National Park Service. Early collaborations linked the office with projects at Vicksburg National Military Park, surveys of antebellum architecture in Natchez and Oxford, Mississippi, and documentation efforts for Natchez Trace Parkway resources. During the 1970s and 1980s the office worked on nominations for the Mississippi Mills Historic District and responses to development pressures around Gulfport and Biloxi following coastal hurricanes, coordinating with federal responses tied to the National Environmental Policy Act and the Historic Sites Act of 1935. Later decades saw expanded roles in archaeological stewardship related to Poverty Point-era research, cultural resource management for transportation projects involving the Federal Highway Administration, and partnerships during the restoration of properties linked to figures such as Eudora Welty and Elvis Presley.

Organization and Responsibilities

The SHPO is administratively situated within the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and reports to a State Historic Preservation Officer who liaises with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and state executive offices. Divisions commonly include survey and registration, tax credit review connected to the Internal Revenue Service Historic Tax Credit program, archeology oversight coordinating with the Mississippi Archaeological Association, and compliance with Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The office reviews impacts from projects by the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and consults with Native American tribes such as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on cultural resources. The SHPO also supports municipal agencies in Jackson, Mississippi, county historical societies, and preservation commissions in cities like Hattiesburg and Gulfport.

Programs and Initiatives

Key programs include statewide historic resource surveys, tax incentives tied to the Internal Revenue Code historic rehabilitation provisions, and the Certified Local Government program in partnership with the National Park Service. Initiatives have addressed coastal resilience for resources in Biloxi and Bay St. Louis, battlefield preservation for sites associated with the American Civil War such as Vicksburg National Military Park, and heritage tourism promotion linking Natchez Trace Parkway corridors and Tupelo-area attractions related to Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum. The SHPO has run grant-assisted projects documenting properties designed by architects like Charles L. Thompson and other regionally significant figures, and supports educational outreach tied to institutions such as the University of Mississippi and the Mississippi State University Department of History.

National Register and Nominations

The office administers nominations to the National Register of Historic Places for individual properties, districts, and Multiple Property Documentation Forms, coordinating reviews by the Mississippi National Register Review Board. Notable nominations processed include sites in Natchez, Oxford, Mississippi (including University of Mississippi-related resources), industrial complexes in Tupelo, and historic African American sites connected to the Civil Rights Movement and figures such as Medgar Evers. The SHPO provides technical guidance for documentation standards consistent with the National Park Service and assists local preservationists in preparing nominations for neighborhoods, churches, courthouses, and archaeological sites linked to the Mississippian culture and colonial-era settlements.

Grants and Funding

The SHPO administers federal Historic Preservation Fund grants allocated by the National Park Service and manages state preservation funding programs, partnering with entities such as the Mississippi Heritage Trust and local foundations to leverage preservation tax credits under the Internal Revenue Service code. Grant programs support surveys, nominations, preservation planning, and targeted rehabilitation projects, often coordinated with disaster recovery funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and infrastructure grants involving the Federal Highway Administration. The office also assists applicants pursuing private philanthropic support from organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and regional trusts.

Preservation Partnerships and Outreach

The office maintains partnerships with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, tribes including the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, academic institutions such as the University of Southern Mississippi, local preservation groups like the Mississippi Heritage Trust, and municipal governments in Jackson, Mississippi and Hattiesburg. Outreach includes workshops on historic rehabilitation tied to the Internal Revenue Service tax credit process, training for Certified Local Governments, archaeological stewardship programs with the Mississippi Archaeological Association, and collaborative heritage tourism initiatives connected to the Natchez Trace Parkway and Civil War sites like Vicksburg National Military Park. The SHPO’s collaborative network extends to national organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and to federal agencies addressing disaster resilience and cultural resource protection after events impacting the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Category:Historic preservation in Mississippi Category:State Historic Preservation Offices