CELEBRATING THE BLUES

A SHOWCASE IN THE MAKING

Designs? Done. Marketing brochures? In production. All wheels are turning to put a must-see attraction right in downtown West Point. When finished, the Black Prairie Blues Museum will celebrate late legendary Clay County native Howlin’ Wolf and other blues pioneers who called the Black Belt Prairie region home. The ambitious project expected to draw music fans from around the country and beyond has long been a dream of the Prairie Belt Blues Foundation.

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“We’re in an exciting phase right now,” said Foundation board member Deborah Mansfield of West Point. She has worked closely with Museum Arts of Dallas, Texas, on maximizing the entertainment and educational impact for future museum visitors.

Through interactive displays, touchscreens, dioramas and immersive exhibits — including a juke joint experience — museum guests will follow Wolf’s journey from his Mississippi roots to milestones including an explosive 1965 appearance with The Rolling Stones on TV’s “Shindig.” A 1960s-style mini studio will even invite visitors to try their hand at recording one of Wolf’s famous tunes as a keepsake.

The museum, the former Bank of West Point at 640 Commerce St., has already received a new roof as well as structural and air handling upgrades, thanks in large part to the generosity of former Foundation member Milton Sundbeck. The next fundraising phase is underway in earnest, with hopes of completing the museum within the next two years.

“We’re going to need about $2 million,” said Mansfield.

The goal is big, but benefits are, too — preservation of a legacy, outreach, education and a magnet bringing devotees to northeast Mississippi, where blues history-making stories began.      

STORY BY JAN SWOOPE
PHOTOS BY ANTRANIK TAVITIAN

Learn more at www.blackprairiebluesmuseum.com