NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - The house of slain civil rights activist Wharlest Jackson Sr. could soon be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the 1960s, Jackson was the treasurer of the Natchez branch of the NAACP.
He was on his way home from his job at the Armstrong Tire and Rubber Plant on Feb. 27, 1967, when a bomb placed in his vehicle exploded.
The 36-year-old was killed instantly. His killing remains unsolved.
The Natchez Democrat reports (https://bit.ly/2oiIWtJ ) the city’s Board of Alderman has unanimously adopted a resolution to support putting Jackson’s house on the registry. Mayor Darryl Grennell has presented the city’s application to a state review board that approved it.
State recommendations go to the U.S. Department of Interior, which determines final listings on the National Register of Historic Places.
The mayor said adding the house to the national register would be a step toward memorializing Jackson’s life and contribution to the civil rights movement.
“Having it on the National Register, it will (highlight) some areas in Natchez that people need to identify in terms of knowing the history of Natchez, the good, the bad, all of it,” Grennell said.
The mayor said a listing on the national registry would also help the house qualify for tax credits or grants to help preserve it. The house is currently owned by two of Jackson’s children, Wharlest Jackson Jr. and Diane Ford.
Other locations connected to the civil rights movement that are on the historic listing include the Tallahatchie County courthouse where Emmett Till’s accused killers were tried but not convicted and the Jackson house of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie.
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This story corrects the spellings of Evers and Myrlie in final paragraph.
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Information from: The Natchez Democrat, https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/
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