Mississippi's Greek Revival statehouse from 1839, where disembodied footsteps and cold spots follow visitors through the legislative halls
100 S State St, Jackson, MS 39201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission; the Old Capitol Museum is a Mississippi Department of Archives and History facility.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored 19th-century capitol building with modern accessibility improvements; elevator available
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1839 · Mississippi State Capitol 1839–1903 · Site of Mississippi's January 1861 Secession Vote · Greek Revival Architecture by William Nichols · National Register of Historic Places
Designed by architect William Nichols in the Greek Revival style, the Old Capitol was constructed between 1833 and 1839 and served as Mississippi's statehouse until the current capitol opened in 1903. The building housed the full machinery of Mississippi's antebellum government — including the legislature that passed and maintained the state's slave code, protected the institution of slavery, and in January 1861 voted the Ordinance of Secession from the Union.
Jackson was captured and burned twice by Union forces during the Civil War — in May 1863 and July 1863 — and the city suffered significant destruction. The Old Capitol survived the Union occupations, though much of downtown Jackson did not.
After the state government moved to the current capitol in 1903, the Old Capitol became a state office building and later fell into disrepair. A first restoration in 1959 stabilized the structure; a more comprehensive restoration in the 1990s returned it to an approximation of its mid-19th-century appearance. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History now operates it as the Old Capitol Museum, with exhibits covering Mississippi's political and legislative history.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Admission is free.
Sources
The paranormal tradition at the Old Capitol Museum draws from the building's long history as a center of political power during some of Mississippi's most turbulent decades. Staff and visitors have reported disembodied footsteps in the chambers and hallways when the building is otherwise empty, cold spots in the legislative galleries, and apparitions in period dress — described as figures in Civil War-era clothing moving through the chambers.
A recurring report involves a figure interpreted as a former official who died at his desk in the building. This claim appears in paranormal accounts of the museum, though the specific identity of the deceased official is not confirmed in the museum's own documentation.
Jackson ghost tour operators include the Old Capitol as a regular stop, describing it as one of the city's most reliably active paranormal sites. The building's role in the secession of Mississippi from the Union, its survival of two Union occupations of Jackson, and its long period of partial disuse before restoration have all been cited in paranormal accounts as contributing to its reputation.
Unexplained sounds after hours have been reported by museum staff in multiple accounts. No organized paranormal investigation program is offered by the museum itself.
Notable Entities
Free self-guided tour through Mississippi's restored 1839 statehouse, covering the state's legislative and political history through the Civil War era and Reconstruction. The building was restored in 1959 and again in the 1990s.
The Old Capitol Museum is included on Jackson ghost walking tours operated by third-party companies. Tours focus on the building's Civil War history, the Confederate-era legislative sessions, and reported post-hours phenomena.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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