Wednesday night, a crowd gathered at the Vicksburg National Military Park’s visitor’s center to hear the details of an exciting new project that will literally change the landscape of the River City – at least as it is seen from Interstate 20 and Clay Street.

A new interpretive center several years in the making – and still several more years from completion – is really beginning to take shape and officials representing the National Park Service, the Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the architecture and design firms handling the project met with the public Wednesday to give out what information they have, show off some preliminary designs and answer questions.

Now, the story itself is still in the works and you’ll get to check it out, along with all of the details, in this weekend’s paper, but the meeting was too exciting to not mention today. There was definitely a buzz in the air during the gathering – $100 million projects in your backyard will have that effect on people. And this one isn’t just a shiny new building with state-of-the-art design and cool new features – although it is those things. It also represents a commitment to preserving the rich history of not just Vicksburg, but of Mississippi and the nation as a whole.

This weekend’s story will give you all of the details on funding, the backstory on the years of preparation and the estimates for completion dates and changes to the area where the new center will be situated. But what was refreshing about Wednesday’s meeting was there were just as many questions from the audience concerning the dedication the center will have to accurately telling Vicksburg’s story as there were over the budget and projected economic impact on the area. And that’s telling.

Obviously, the financial side of this project is important and the possibility for the economic growth it could bring is immense, but the fact that so many Vicksburg citizens are concerned about keeping alive the stories of the past is encouraging. Many questions from Wednesday’s meeting revolved around making sure events like the siege of Vicksburg and its aftermath are told in their entirety. From Confederate soldiers fighting for reasons other than to preserve the atrocity of slavery, to locals in the Colored Troops fighting to end it, many in the audience were adamant that the new center would be representative of this area’s complete history and wouldn’t shy away from all important aspects of the conflict. And that is important.

And those in charge of getting this done seemed just as dedicated to those ideas as those in the audience. As a member of the design team said: “Ultimately, it comes down to stories about people.” And he was right.  

So, as you read our coverage of these beginning stages of the project over the coming weeks, and its progress in the months and years to come – the center is slated for completion in 2028 – we’ll try to focus as much on the stories of the people whose legacy it will preserve as we do on the ins and outs of construction and the dollar amounts associated with it. It sure sounds like those in charge plan to do the same.

Blake Bell is the general manager and executive editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at blake.bell@vicksburgpost.com.