Mississippi State University visitors come to learn about presidential history

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Today is Presidents Day, and some people might be surprised to know that the Golden Triangle is home to a Presidential Library that is becoming a center for research for people from all across the country.

“I had a couple the other day that came through and their only goal was to see the presidential library stay the night in Starkville and go back home so I think it’s really cool that we are bringing people into Starkville to see the Presidential Library,” said Krapac.

Mississippi State University is the home of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library and The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana.

The museums provide context to the lives of both Ulysses S Grant and Abraham Lincoln and their accomplishments.

Executive Director Dr. Anne Marshall said having museums like these are important to telling the history of past leaders of our country.

“It is important to have museums where people can come and learn and to simply pay homage and to admire those people but also to learn about the history and the context of where people lived and it really gives more than just the story of a great man but it gives us the story of an important and crucial era in our country’s history,” said Marshall.

Mississippi State is one of only six university campuses to house a presidential library.

That fact is what brought Mike Majors to campus.

“We were just passing through here and we saw a sign for the presidential library we said well we got the JFK library in Boston but why don’t we see the Ulysses S Grant Library here so we parked our R.V. in the Parking lot and walked over,” said Majors.

And he has enjoyed all of the fun facts.

“It’s really cool we had a good time trying to decide whether Ulysses S. Grant was unintelligent, a butcher, corrupt, or a drunk,” said Majors.

If you are interested in going to the Presidential Library the doors are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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