TUPELO — To some, the area is just a piece of cleared Blackland Prairie land off the Natchez Trace. Those connected to the Chickasaw Heritage Center, however, can already envision the sight of the upcoming facility, from the building proper to the stickball field and village recreation to its potential.
Officials from the Chickasaw Inkana Foundation on Thursday invited members of the media to the future site of the Chickasaw Heritage Center, which Chickasaw Inkana Foundation CEO Brady Davis said will tell the story of the Chickasaw people from their point of view in their historic homeland from the beginning to modern day.
“Being part of this project really has been rewarding to me,” Davis said. “(The center) has been decades in the making. It’s a time that the Chickasaw perspective is necessary.”
Work on the center, located along the Natchez Trace Parkway adjacent to the historic recreation of a Chickasaw village, will be split into two phases. The first will see the construction of the lobby, exhibit hall, gift shop, multi-purpose room, collections management and administrative offices. The second phase will include the construction of a theater and cafe.
There will also be a playground, a stickball field and a second Chickasaw village recreation. The multi-purpose room will house 100 people for dinners and more for other engagements, and the parking lot will accommodate 160 vehicles.
As of Thursday, contractors with Innovative Construction Management are preparing the building’s footprint for its concrete pad. Tripp Bolin, a project manager for ICM, said the contractors have worked hand-in-hand with the foundation and the Chickasaw Nation since preconstruction.
“On ICM’s side, we try to get involved in the design phase as early as preconstruction, where we can bring a lot to the project, bring a builder’s mindset,” Bolin said. “We’ve got an exciting project.”
The Chickasaw Inkana Foundation’s target for completion is November 2026. Concreting will begin next month, and structural work will begin in October. As of Wednesday, plans for the second phase are not set, but Davis said the plan is to continue work as soon as the first phase opens.
Davis boasted the center will be the only museum of its kind to be connected directly to the Natchez Trace Parkway, a highway that follows parallel to the historic Natchez Trace, which was a trail that cuts from Natchez, Mississippi, up to Nashville, Tennessee.
The Chickasaw Nation originally spanned Northeast Mississippi, northwest Alabama, west Tennessee and southwest Kentucky before the U.S. government forcibly removed them from their homeland in the 1830s. Its heart was in Tupelo, Davis said, noting most of its villages were in the area.
The museum portion of the center will start with the nation’s creation stories and end with the current-day Chickasaw culture. Topics discussed will include Chickasaw language, culture, dance, economy, social and political structures, sovereignty and the nation’s forced removal.
“This will be a very interactive experience,” Davis said. “One of my favorite pieces of this exhibit is ‘Chickasaw People Today.’ … We want to connect people to who the Chickasaw people are today. That exhibit will talk about Chickasaw governors. It will talk about contemporary art, language and culture.”
Chickasaw Heritage Center Director Brad Deramus began working with the foundation over two years ago. Standing on the site, he pointed to spots that will become different areas of the center. He said he was excited to see motion on the project.
“It’s been amazing seeing this come from a wooded area to see it come alive,” he said. “This is the beginning. It is never going to be the same ever again. You’ll tell your grandchildren about this. It is really close to (historic Chickasaw land). I think it will give our ancestors honor.”
Davis said the design for the exhibits is about 90% complete. He said previously that the exhibits will be kept secret until the building is open to the public as a surprise.
Fundraising for the project is ongoing. Davis said the center needs about $15 million to finish the overall $60 million price tag. The Chickasaw Nation has proffered $26 million, the state pitched in $16 million and the foundation received $895,237 in private donations. Along with that, the foundation has collected a little over $2 million in interest on the funds that will go toward the project.
Those interested in donating to the project can go to inkana.org or chickasawheritagecenter.com. Davis noted that naming rights for the center are also available for businesses.