Friends of Vicksburg
National Military Park & Campaign

About the Friends

The Friends of the Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign help preserve the tangible reminders of bravery and perseverance of soldiers, sailors, and citizens involved in the struggle for Vicksburg. President Abraham Lincoln referred to this campaign as the "key" to victory in the Civil War.  Our goal is for visitors to the region to experience and understand the impact of the people and events that comprised the most strategic and decisive campaign on the Civil War.

Our 501(c)3 non-profit organization is the official partner organization for VNMP.  All tax deductible donations work to help us enhance the battlefield and promote public appreciation for the history it symbolizes.  While the park’s basic operations are funded by the National Park Service, many features and programs that visitors enjoy most are made possible through private funds from generous donors like you, including the important work on maintaining one of the nation’s largest collections of sculptures, monuments, markers, and tablets.  Friends of VNMP is committed to the park and the public it is designed to serve.

Although a relatively young organization, our endeavors have already had a tangible impact on the visitor experience and will continue to enhance the park for generations to come.

As we look ahead to the next 100 years for National Park Service, we know that private partners and volunteers are critical to NPS success.   As an organization, we are focused on:

    Education - our fourth grade interactive school tours continue to grow and now help support the President’s Every Kid In A Park Initiative where 4th graders receive a pass to get themselves and their families into every National Park in the country for free their entire school year 

    Preservation
    - important work to save hallowed ground and prevent further development, like our recent partnership with the Civil War Trust to donate 11 acres near the Railroad Redoubt

    Restoration
    - returning battlefields to their wartime appearance and working to maintain the over 1,300 sculptures, monuments, tablets and markers


    Special Events
    -  we are in our fourth year of presenting Symphony at Sunset with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, a free outdoor concert on the battlefield Memorial Day Weekend


“Friends of Vicksburg” is incorporated in the State of Mississippi.  There are nine members of the Board of Directors and others that are involved with this new effort.

Board of Directors

Others Involved

  • Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, President
  • Bill Justice, VNMP Superintendent
  •  Pete Stone, Vice President
  • Bess Averett, Executive Director
  •  Don Jarratt, Treasurer
  •  Brenda Noble, Website Developer
  •  Patty Cappaert, Secretary
  •  Robert Bailess
 
  •  Lucius Dabney
 
  • Ben Fatherree
 
  •  John Nau
 
  •  Elee Reeves