Mississippi State University plans to break ground soon on the site of a new U.S. Grant Presidential Library, significantly increasing the impact the museum will have on the campus and community, and creating a gateway to welcome visitors to our home.
The university is exploring opportunities and private gifts to relocate the presidential library from its current location in Mitchell Memorial Library. Plans call for it to move to a new, dedicated and much more accessible facility to be built near the intersection of Highway 12 and Russell Street. Here, it would help greet anyone arriving to enjoy the university, the city and all the library has to share.
Bryan and Cindy Wilson recently made an important lead gift to the Grant Library Initiative because they understand this investment in the new presidential library will have a lasting influence for generations.
“Cindy and I believe the Grant Library will serve as a starting point for countless students, history buffs and visitors from all over the world, not only to learn about President Grant but also about Mississippi State University,” Wilson said.
“As a former teacher, Cindy envisions grade school field trips to the Grant Library that over time will be the first introduction to Mississippi State for hundreds of thousands of kids,” he continued. “What better way to promote unity and civil discourse along with an opportunity for a lifetime of education?”
The new facility will offer expanded archival resources, modern exhibition spaces and interactive visitor experiences to foster understanding of Grant’s leadership, resilience and vision. The work will make history’s lessons accessible by bringing the museum experience to life.
“Each gallery will have a distinct visual identity, yet still be part of a cohesive design system that places Grant at the center,” said Anne Marshall, an MSU history professor who serves as executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the U.S. Grant Presidential Library.
They will tell the story of Grant’s military and presidential careers and show the pivotal role Mississippi played in both,” she continued. “The new library will be more than seeing artifacts in glass cases. With much more compelling immersive audio and visual experiences, the exhibits will bring history to life for visitors of all ages.”
The presidential library is the largest single collection of Grant papers in the world. The collection came to MSU in 2009 and the presidential library status was established in 2012. It is home to a vast repository of correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks and memorabilia, much of it in Grant’s own hand, there are also more than 4,000 published works focused upon Grant, his generalship and his presidency. Much of it is primary historical source material preserved from his own time. The museum also includes a gallery dedicated to the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana which, before its transition, constituted the largest privately-held collection of Abraham Lincoln items in the U.S.
The library has benefited visiting writers and Grant biographers. Its staff also worked closely with a production company that made the 2020 Grant miniseries which appeared on the History Channel.
“We are grateful for Bryan and Cindy’s major investment in the future of the Grant Presidential Library and the many other ways they support Mississippi State University,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “Private gifts from our alumni, friends and fans make so much of the work we do possible. We are making an incredible impact in the lives of our students and serving the state and nation thanks to their generosity and visionary leadership.”
Bryan, a two-time entomology alumnus and 2024 National Alumnus of the Year, and Cindy, 1982 elementary education alumna, have generously invested in multiple areas including Bulldog athletics, endowed scholarships, the T.K. Martin Center’s Project IMPACT program and student activities. They were drawn to the Grant Library Initiative from historical, educational and aesthetic standpoints.
The Wilsons are excited by the evolution of this entrance to campus. Alongside the new Grant Presidential Library, plans call for a boutique hotel, green spaces and other amenities on Russell Street adjacent to The Mill.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to establish a focal gateway, inviting visitors to explore one of the most beautiful campuses in the U.S.,” Bryan Wilson said. He is an agricultural executive and entrepreneur who has served on a variety of campus and community advisory boards.
He also noted the enormous impact the presidential library will have on Starkville’s economy. The new museum will change the way visitors see our community.
“We are grateful to the Wilsons for their tremendous continued support of our university,” said John Rush, vice president for development and alumni. “Their generosity will help us create the facility and experience that we wish to represent the Grant and Lincoln collections, MSU, and the state of Mississippi.”
The library’s current location already hosts many visitors, but a recent feasibility study suggested it has a vast opportunity to grow. Estimates project 55,000 to 75,000 people might come to the new presidential library each year thanks to increased visibility, accessibility and parking.
“We already get visitors from all over the nation and across the world, and we envision the U.S. Grant Presidential Library joining the list of premier historic and cultural tourism locations in the state such as the museums in Jackson and the Vicksburg National Military Park,” Marshall said. “Furthermore, alongside Vicksburg and Corinth, this museum will magnify Mississippi’s Civil War tourism industry.”
The Wilsons believe in highlighting Grant’s critical role in unifying the country and prioritizing healing and reconciliation following the war, which allowed the nation to recover and rebuild its strength.
“Mississippi State housing and supporting the Grant Presidential Library delivers a great message of forgiveness, civility, unity, and the advancement of a continued path forward and upward,” Wilson said.
For more information about supporting the university’s Grant Library Initiative, contact John Rush at 662-325-9306 or john.rush@msstate.edu.
