Timeline of Jackson, Mississippi facts for kids

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

19th century

• 1821
  • Mississippi capital relocated to Jackson from Natchez.
  • Graveyard established.
• 1822
  • January: State legislature in session.
  • Town laid out.
• 1838 - State Library established.
• 1839 - State House built.
• 1840
  • Vicksburg-Jackson railway begins operating.
  • Jackson chartered as a city.
  • Penitentiary built.
• 1842
  • James H. Boyd becomes mayor.
  • Governor's mansion built.
• 1845 - College opens in Eagle Hotel.
• 1846
  • City Hall built.
  • St. Peter's church dedicated.
• 1847 - Mississippi Institute for the Blind founded.
• 1858 - New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad in operation.
• 1861
  • January 7: Secession Convention begins.
  • City becomes Confederate capital of Mississippi.
  • Confederate House (hotel) built.
  • Christy's Minstrels makes its annual visit.
• 1863
  • May 14: Battle of Jackson, Mississippi; Union Army takes city.
  • July 5–25: Siege of Jackson.
• 1864 - July 2–10: Occupation of Jackson by Union Army.
• 1866 - Daily Clarion newspaper begins publication.
• 1867
  • City charter revised.
  • Beth Israel Synagogue built.
• 1868
  • Black and Tan Convention held.
  • Colored Citizen’s Monthly begins publication.
• 1869
  • Mississippi State Fair begins.
  • Tougaloo College established near Jackson.
• 1870
  • People's Journal begins publication.
  • Mississippi Penitentiary Library established.
• 1882 - Natchez-Jackson railway begins operating.
• 1883 - Jackson College for Negroes in operation.
• 1885 - Yazoo City-Jackson railway begins operating.
• 1890
  • Constitutional Convention held.
  • Population: 5,920.
• 1891 - Confederate monument unveiled.
• 1892
  • Millsaps College opens.
  • Jackson Evening News begins publication.
• 1894 - Belhaven College for Young Ladies chartered.
• 1898 - Campbell College relocated to Jackson from Vicksburg.

20th century

• 1900
  • Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle dedicated.
  • Population: 7,816.
• 1901 - Century Theatre opens.
• 1902
  • Mississippi Department of Archives and History and State Museum headquartered in city.
  • Art Study Club founded.
  • Population: 7,816.
• 1903 - Mississippi State Capitol building constructed.
• 1906 - YMCA organised locally
• 1910 - Population: 21,262.
• 1911 - Mississippi Art Association formed.
• 1914 - Country Club of Jackson organized.
• 1919 - Jackson Zoo opens.
• 1920 - The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in publication.
• 1920s - NAACP Jackson branch established.
• 1923 - Edwards Hotel built.
• 1925 - Woodrow Wilson Bridge built.
• 1926
  • Mississippi Library Commission headquartered in Jackson.
  • Glendale Methodist Church established.
• 1927 - Municipal Clubhouse Art Gallery opens (approximate date).
• 1929 - WJDX radio begins broadcasting.
• 1930
  • Hinds County Courthouse built.
  • Population: 48,282.
• 1938 - WSLI radio begins broadcasting.
• 1939
  • Jackson Advocate newspaper begins publication.
  • Pix Theatre built.
• 1940 - Population: 62,107.
• 1943 - Alamo Theater built.
• 1944 - Summers Hotel in business.
• 1945 - Jackson Photographic Society founded.
• 1947
  • Radio Service Company in business (approximate date).
  • Mississippi Progressive Voters' League headquartered in city (approximate date).
• 1949 - Allen C. Thompson becomes mayor.
• 1950
  • Trumpet Records in business.
  • Population: 98,271.
• 1953 - WLBT-TV (television) begins broadcasting.
• 1954 - WJTV (television) begins broadcasting.
• 1955
  • University of Mississippi Medical Center opens.
  • Ace Records in business.
• 1960 - Population: 144,422.
• 1961 - Freedom Rides begin.
• 1962
  • Jackson Veterans Administration Hospital opens.
  • Council of Federated Organizations headquartered in city.
  • Mississippi Coliseum built.
• 1963
  • May 28: Woolworth sit-in.
  • June 12: Medgar Evers assassinated.
• 1966
  • June 26: March Against Fear arrives from Memphis.
  • Subway Lounge opens.
• 1967 - Malaco recording studio in business.
• 1970
  • May 14: Jackson State killings.
  • Public schools desegregated.
  • Hinds Community College campus opens.
  • Population: 153,968.
• 1970s - Queen of Hearts music club opens.
• 1975
  • Jackson Mets baseball team relocates to Jackson.
  • Smith–Wills Stadium opens.
  • Lemuria Books in business.
• 1976 - Jackson Camellia Society founded.
• 1977 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson established.
• 1978 - Southern Coalition for Educational Equity headquartered in city.
• 1979 - April: Flood.
• 1980 - Population: 202,895.
• 1983 - Dons nightclub in business.
• 1984 - Methodist WellsFest begins.
• 1985 - City adopts mayor-council form of government.
• 1989 - J. Kane Ditto becomes mayor.
• 1990
  • 100 Black Men of Jackson (nonprofit organization) founded.
  • Population: 196,637.
• 1991 - Garden Club of Jackson organized.
• 1997 - Harvey Johnson, Jr. becomes mayor.
• 1999 - City website online.

21st century

• 2000
  • Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life founded.
  • Population: 184,256.
• 2002
  • Jackson Free Press begins publication.
  • Jackson Senators baseball team formed.
• 2005
  • Frank Melton becomes mayor.
  • Mississippi Children's Museum opens (December 4, 2005).
• 2006 - Eudora Welty House museum opens.
• 2008 - Mississippi Black Leadership Summit begins.
• 2009
  • Leslie B. McLemore becomes mayor, succeeded by Harvey Johnson, Jr.
  • Gregg Harper becomes U.S. representative for Mississippi's 3rd congressional district.
• 2010
  • The Help (movie) filmed in Jackson.
  • Population: 173,514.
• 2012 - Population Est.: 175,437
• 2013 - Chokwe Lumumba becomes mayor.
• 2014
  • Charles Tillman becomes interim mayor.
  • Tony Yarber elected mayor April 22.
• 2020 - State Flag is replaced