Mississippi

Located in downtown Jackson, the Mississippi State Capitol has been a comedy of errors in my quest to visit all state capitols.

I first visited the Mississippi State Capitol in July 2021, early in my state capitols quest, before I knew exactly what I wanted to capture.

After learning about the State Capitols Passport and refining my capitol visits, I returned briefly in September 2022 to get my stamp thinking I had captured everything the year before.

However, I recently discovered I did not have the Senate and House of Representatives chambers photos. Hoping a third time would be the charm, I headed back in June 2025 but was disappointed to find that the House was stripped bare as the first installment of repairs that will take place over several years outside of session. Fortunately, it is an easy capitol for me to visit; once repairs are complete, I will stop to see the results. I did get to see the Senate chambers in their full glory, so that’s the small victory I’ll celebrate for now.

There is a virtual tour that offers more details about the capitol, including a view of the House before renovation. If you do get to tour in person, downtown Jackson is easy to navigate, and parking is generally not a problem outside of session. Learn more about the Mississippi State Capitol history or plan your visit.

The Mississippi Legislature is the only branch of government that still meets regularly in the capitol. There is a ceremonial office for the Mississippi Governor, but the working offices are in a separate building.

Inside, this is a beautiful building, and the rotunda is exquisite, with white imitation marble and abundant natural light. All stained-glass windows are original to the building; make sure to catch the three windows at the top of the grand staircase.

There is a nice gift shop near the entrance, where you can also get your State Capitols Passport stamp.

The Mississippi State Capitol is featured in The Help (IMDB), set in 1962 Jackson; Emma Stone’s character Skeeter runs out of the front doors to sit on a bench out front to review The Laws Governing the Conduct of Nonwhites and Other Minorities, better known—pejoratively—as Mississippi’s Jim Crow Laws.

It brought me joy to see Mississippi’s beautiful new state flag featuring the white magnolia blossom flying over the state buildings in Jackson. It replaced the previous flag that incorporated the Confederate Stars and Bars, which, in my view, was rendered irrelevant when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, thus ending the Civil War.

State Capitols Home