Lyceum-The Circle Historic District -- University of Mississippi, Oxford MS
N 34° 21.918 W 089° 32.046
16S E 266960 N 3805571
This small bronze plaque on a stone monument designates the Lyceum-The Circle Historic District at the University of Mississippi, Oxford MS.
Waymark Code: WMWZRR
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 11/05/2017
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This historic district designation marker is located near the University of Mississippi's infamous Confederate Memorial, site of deadly rioting by anti-segregationists and white supremacists in 1962 who opposed the integration of the University of Mississippi by James Meredith, scheduled for the next day.
The designation plaque reads as follows:
"LYCEUM – THE CIRCLE
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Has been designated a
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
This district possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America
On this site, between September 30 and October 1, 1962, a rebellious mob clashed with US marshals and federal troops, authorized by President John F. Kennedy, over the court ordered admittance of African-American student James Meredith to the University of Mississippi. The riotous event marked a decisive turning point in the history of public school desegregation as violent Southern massive resistance declined in the face of federal government enforcement.
2008
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior"
From The National Park Service: (
visit link)
"Summary of Significance
Between September 30 and October 1, 1962, the Lyceum, The Circle, and surrounding buildings played anin tegral role in the turbulent events associated with the racial desegregation of the University of Mississippi. On these dates, segregationist rioters clashed with federal troops over the court-ordered admittance of African-American student James Meredith. The tumultuous event marked a decisive turning point in the federal government’s enforcement of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and the decline of violent southern massive resistance to school desegregation.
. . .
All of the buildings, structures, sites, objects, and the green in the Lyceum-The Circle Historic District, are contributing resources. These resources and the district as a whole retain a high degree of integrity in their location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The following narrative describes each of the resources in the district, assesses their integrity, and notes the roles these resources played in the desegregation of Ole Miss. Narrative building descriptions (other than the Lyceum) focus on the exterior since the activities occurring inside the buildings were limited in scope."