History
 

Construction began in the summer of 1858 on what was then to be a new Court House for Warren County.  The family of Newitt Vick, founder of Vicksburg, donated one of the highest hills in town for the location of the building.   The contractors were the Weldon Brothers of Rodney, Mississippi, who used 100 highly skilled slave artisans to make the brick and erect the building.  The building was completed in 1860 at a cost of $100,000.  The building stands as an architectural gem and was named one of the 20 most outstanding courthouses in America by the American Institute of Architects.  Four porticos, supported by 30-foot Ionic columns, flank the entrances.  The courtroom on the second floor features a cast iron judge’s dais and railings, and an intricate iron stairway connects the first and second floors.  Original iron doors and shutters remain on the building.

             Jefferson Davis, a local planter, launched his political career on the site.   Several years later, the ironclad Arkansas battled its way through the Federal fleet to safety as Confederate Generals Stephan D. Lee, Earl Van Dorn and John C. Breckinridge observed from the building’s cupola. During the War, the building was the target of much Union shelling, but suffered only one major hit.  It was here on July 4, 1863 that the Stars and Bars were lowered and the Stars and Stripes were raised as General U S Grant reviewed his victorious army. 

            After surviving Union shelling and years of neglect, the building was again in danger.  With the construction of a new Warren County Court House in 1939, the building stood practically vacant and there was talk of its demolition.  The museum’s founder, Mrs. Eva Whitaker Davis, realized the significance of the building and established the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society for the purpose of preserving the structure.  In 1947, Davis was elected president of the society, and with the help of a few volunteers began cleaning the building and collecting artifacts for a proposed museum.  On June 3, 1948 the museum opened its doors.  Mrs. Davis continued to grow the Society and its museum on a volunteer basis for many years.  A grateful public added the name Eva W. Davis Memorial to that of the building for her dedicated service. The building was named a National Historic Landmark in 1968, and is still operated and maintained by the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society. 

            The collection has grown over the years to thousands of artifacts representing Vicksburg history from pre-Columbian times through World War II. The collection of civil war artifacts is one of the largest in the state, and the museum as a whole is consistently ranked as one of the most significant in the region.  The research library is a wealth of information on the area and its history, and provides an important genealogical tool for researchers whose ancestors either lived or passed through Vicksburg. 

   The museum is a non- profit organization. The building and grounds are maintained through admissions, fundraisers, a gift shop, and the generous donations of patrons