The earmarked allocation is contained in the final version of House Bill 1776, MDAH’s annual appropriations that lawmakers passed Wednesday for the governor to sign into law.
“The additional $6 million is supplemental funding for the Grand Village project that will include expansion of the facilities at the site and new interpretation,” said Grand Village director Lance Harris.
Located on Jeff Davis Boulevard in Natchez, it features a museum and 128-acre park with three prehistoric Native American mounds and a nature trail. Two of the mounds – the Great Sun’s Mound and the Temple Mound – have been excavated and rebuilt to their original sizes and shapes.
MDAH for several years has been planning new structures and exhibits for the historic landmark, which first opened as a tourist attraction in 1976.
The Natchez Indians and their ancestors inhabited what’s now southwest Mississippi from around 700 to 1730, according to MDAH. Historical and archaeological evidence indicate the Grand Village was their main ceremonial center between 1682 and 1730.
The Grand Village has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Comments