Mississippi State Capitol
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi
, is the state capitol building of the U.S. state
of Mississippi
, housing the Mississippi Legislature
. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1969 and designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1986.
The building was built on the site of the old state penitentiary and was created by Theodore Link
, an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. The building cost $1,095,681, which was paid by the Illinois Central Railroad
in the form of back taxes they owed to the state.
The building, which is in the Beaux-Arts architectural style
, was designed to house all branches of the Mississippi state government, although now the judicial branch is housed in the Gartin Justice Building across High Street.
The walls of the rotunda
are Italian white marble
with a base of New York jet-black marble. Eight large columns are art marble known as scagliola
. The dome interior contains 750 lights which illuminate the blindfolded female figure representing "Blind Justice
" and four scenes: two Indians, a Spanish explorer and a Confederate general. Balustrades
are cast iron
and original to the building.
An 8 feet (2.4 m), 15 feet (4.6 m) eagle soars above the dome, made of solid copper
and gilded
with gold leaf.
In 1979, it had a complete renovation, which cost $19 million. The renovation attempted to maintain the original design whenever practical. It was completed in 1983.
The Hall of Governors is located on the first floor. Portraits of Mississippi's governors since the creation of the Mississippi Territory
in 1798 are on display. The State Library and the Supreme Court chamber, now both committee meeting rooms, are located on the second floor. The Legislature is housed on the third floor, along with the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House's offices. Public viewing balconies for both chambers are located on the fourth floor.
The Senate Chamber has seats for the 52 Senators. The Chamber is art marble with the base of Belgium black marble. Its columns are Breccia
violet with corinthian
caps. Its dome is stained
Bohemian glass
with another dome on top for protection. In the center of the dome is a green circle of printing that reads, "The people's government made for the people by the people and answerable to the people." An image of Theresa Whitecloud, a full-blooded Choctaw Indian
princess (died 1970), is on six wooden panels. The Chamber desks were replaced in the 1940s.
The House of Representatives Chamber has seats for the 122 Representatives, including the speaker, the chamber's presiding officer. The Chamber dome is the original Bohemian stained glass with another dome on top for protection of the stained glass. Desks are the originals of 1903. The Mississippi Coat of Arms is at the top of each arch. The walls are art marble and their base is Belgian black marble.
One of the 53 replicas of the original Liberty Bell
, as well as a statue erected in memory of the ladies, mothers, sisters, wives and daughters of the Confederate soldiers is located on the capitol grounds. Among the trees on the grounds are the state tree, the magnolia tree
, along with two Japanese magnolia trees. Also on the grounds is the figurehead from the second USS Mississippi
battleship. The ship was sold to the government of Greece
during 1914 but the figurehead was presented to Mississippi by the United States Navy
in December 1909.
The Capitol appears briefly in the movie The Help
.
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, is the state capitol building of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, housing the Mississippi Legislature
Mississippi Legislature
The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi Senate, with 52 members. Both Representatives and Senators serve four-year...
. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1969 and designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1986.
The "New" Capitol
The Mississippi State Capitol is located in Jackson and has been the home of Mississippi's state legislature since 1903. It is the third capitol building in Jackson.The building was built on the site of the old state penitentiary and was created by Theodore Link
Theodore Link
Theodore C. Link, FAIA, was a German-American architect.Born in Germany, Link trained in engineering at the University of Heidelberg and, later, at the Ecole Centrale in Paris before emigrating to the United States. He moved to St. Louis in 1873 to work for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
, an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. The building cost $1,095,681, which was paid by the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
in the form of back taxes they owed to the state.
The building, which is in the Beaux-Arts architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
, was designed to house all branches of the Mississippi state government, although now the judicial branch is housed in the Gartin Justice Building across High Street.
The walls of the rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
are Italian white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
with a base of New York jet-black marble. Eight large columns are art marble known as scagliola
Scagliola
Scagliola , is a technique for producing stucco columns, sculptures, and other architectural elements that resemble inlays in marble and semi-precious stones...
. The dome interior contains 750 lights which illuminate the blindfolded female figure representing "Blind Justice
Lady Justice
Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...
" and four scenes: two Indians, a Spanish explorer and a Confederate general. Balustrades
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
are cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
and original to the building.
An 8 feet (2.4 m), 15 feet (4.6 m) eagle soars above the dome, made of solid copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
with gold leaf.
In 1979, it had a complete renovation, which cost $19 million. The renovation attempted to maintain the original design whenever practical. It was completed in 1983.
The Hall of Governors is located on the first floor. Portraits of Mississippi's governors since the creation of the Mississippi Territory
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
in 1798 are on display. The State Library and the Supreme Court chamber, now both committee meeting rooms, are located on the second floor. The Legislature is housed on the third floor, along with the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House's offices. Public viewing balconies for both chambers are located on the fourth floor.
The Senate Chamber has seats for the 52 Senators. The Chamber is art marble with the base of Belgium black marble. Its columns are Breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
violet with corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
caps. Its dome is stained
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
Bohemian glass
Bohemian glass
Bohemian glass, or Bohemia crystal, is a decorative glass produced in regions of Bohemia and Silesia, now in the current state of the Czech Republic, since the 13th century. Oldest archaeology excavations of glass-making sites date to around 1250 and are located in the Lusatian Mountains of...
with another dome on top for protection. In the center of the dome is a green circle of printing that reads, "The people's government made for the people by the people and answerable to the people." An image of Theresa Whitecloud, a full-blooded Choctaw Indian
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
princess (died 1970), is on six wooden panels. The Chamber desks were replaced in the 1940s.
The House of Representatives Chamber has seats for the 122 Representatives, including the speaker, the chamber's presiding officer. The Chamber dome is the original Bohemian stained glass with another dome on top for protection of the stained glass. Desks are the originals of 1903. The Mississippi Coat of Arms is at the top of each arch. The walls are art marble and their base is Belgian black marble.
One of the 53 replicas of the original Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
, as well as a statue erected in memory of the ladies, mothers, sisters, wives and daughters of the Confederate soldiers is located on the capitol grounds. Among the trees on the grounds are the state tree, the magnolia tree
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
, along with two Japanese magnolia trees. Also on the grounds is the figurehead from the second USS Mississippi
USS Mississippi (BB-23)
USS Mississippi , the lead ship of her class of battleships, was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the U.S. state of Mississippi. After her career in the USN, she was sold to Greece and renamed Kilkis in 1914...
battleship. The ship was sold to the government of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
during 1914 but the figurehead was presented to Mississippi by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in December 1909.
The Capitol appears briefly in the movie The Help
The Help (film)
The Help is a 2011 comedy-drama film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name. The film is about a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, and her relationship with two black maids during Civil Rights era America in the early 1960s...
.