Desoto County Museum

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Front page

Welcome to the DeSoto County Museum! Located in Hernando, Mississippi, the Museum showcases artifacts and exhibits featuring the history of DeSoto County, Mississippi. The DeSoto County Museum features the history and development of DeSoto County, Mississippi, from 1541 to the present. Artifacts and displays begin with the arrival of Hernando DeSoto and his contact with the native inhabitants of Mississippi. Displays continue through the riverboat days with a working model of a paddlewheel boat. Other exhibits feature the parlor of an antebellum mansion and artifacts from the Civil War. Key events in the agricultural, recreational, and social development of DeSoto County are also on display. Events in the African-American community are also featured in the museum. The museum also features the story of DeSoto County today! Exhibits include the River Kings, the DeSoto Civic Center, the Economic Council, local artwork and entertainment, and stories of the growing communities of Horn Lake, Olive Branch, Southaven, and Hernando.

For up to date events and information, please check us out on facebook! (A link to like on facebook, outside photo of museum)

About Us

Brian Hicks - Museum Director

Brian Hicks knew what he wanted to do with his life from an early age. As a child, he built his first museum in his bedroom and charged his family admission. At twelve, he went on his first paleontological dig in Colorado and the Dakotas. All through high school, Hicks worked at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis and at a paleontological summer camp, teaching younger campers about the earth through its geological records. Hicks attended the University of Memphis, attaining a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a master’s in Archeology. After college, Hicks first worked managing an archeological lab. He then became the director several small museums in the mid-south before being asked to help establish a museum in his home county. As director of the DeSoto County Museum, Hicks took the current location through renovation to exhibit design and instillation to the current facility.

Pannay Guigley – Outreach Coordinator

Pannay hails from Pennsylvania and comes to us with several years of experience as a museum educator. She received her M.Ed. in Arts Education with studies in Museum Education at The Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a BFA from The Rochester Institute of Technology. Previously she has worked in schools and at The Smithsonian Resident Associates in Children’s Programs. She moved to Hernando with her husband and three children.

Lainey Bryant - Archives

Board Members

Historic DeSoto Foundation Board and Museum Staff:

Lynda Austin, Rebecca Thompson, Brian Hicks, Pannay Guigley, Barry Bouchillon Harvey Ferguson, Marty Haraway, Jim Flanagan, Roma Thorn Pat Nelson, Victor Robilo, Bill Brown Not Pictured: Gemenie Bowdrie, Bob Barber, Nicey Upchurch

Education

Education Pictures

DeSoto County Museum provides several education programs. We host a monthly Homeschool group, visit area schools and host groups of both adults and children interested in topics pertaining to area history. For more information or to schedule a visit please email outreach@desotomuseum.org Our School Programs include: Dinosaurs Indians of the Mid-South Hernando DeSoto The Civil War From Slavery to the Civil Rights Movement Gold Prospecting Archeology Other programs available! Just Ask!

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Corporate Sponsors

Franks Law Firm